Almost Black

出版者:BookBaby

作者:Vijay Jojo Chokal-Ingam

页数:352

出版时间:2016-9-13

价格:USD 19.95

装帧:Paperback

isbn号码:9781483576046

具体描述

I got into medical school by saying I was black. I lied.

Honestly, I am about as black as my sister Mindy Kaling (The Office / The Mindy Project).

Once upon a time, I was an ethically challenged, hard-partying Indian American frat boy enjoying my third year of college. That is until I realized I didn't have the grades or test scores to get into medical school. Legitimately.

Still, I was determined to be a doctor and discovered that affirmative action provided a loophole that might help. The only problem? I wasn't a minority. So I became one. I shaved my head, trimmed my long Indian eyelashes, and applied as an African American. Not even my own frat brothers recognized me. I joined the Organization of Black Students and used my middle name, Jojo.

Vijay, the Indian American frat boy, became Jojo, the African American affirmative action applicant.

Not everything went as planned. During a med school interview, an African American doctor angrily confronted me for not being black. Cops harassed me. Store clerks accused me of shoplifting. Women were either scared of me or found my bald black dude look sexually mesmerizing. What started as a scam to get into med school turned into a twisted social experiment, teaching me lessons I would never have learned in the classroom.

I became a serious contender at some of America's greatest schools, including Harvard University, Washington University, University of Pennsylvania, Case Western Reserve University, George Washington University, University of Pittsburgh, Yale University, University of Rochester, University of Nebraska Omaha, and Columbia University. I interviewed at 11 schools while posing as a black man. After all that, I finally got accepted into medical school.

Before I finished this book, I stirred a hornet's nest by telling the story. It has been featured in more than 100 media outlets, including CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX, TIME, The Guardian, National Review, Washington Post, Salon, Gawker, VOX, VICE, Complex, Buzz Feed, Huffington Post, Daily Mail, and Perez Hilton. Many loved it, but not everyone approved of what I did. My college classmate, Tucker Max (I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell), disapproved. My sister Mindy Kaling furiously declared, "This book will bring shame on our family!" I disagree but I'll let you be the judge.

作者简介

Vijay Jojo Chokal-Ingam (Chokalingam) is an "Affirmative Action Hacktivist" who was successfully admitted to the St. Louis University (SLU) School of Medicine by posing as a black man, despite having a pitifully low GPA. Vijay detailed his misadventures masquerading as a black man in his recent book Almost Black. His story has been featured on more than 100 media outlets, including CNN, NBC, ABC, TIME, FOX, and Huffington Post.

Vijay received his B.A. in Economics without distinction from the University of Chicago, where his more academically gifted classmates included Tucker Max (the New York Times best-selling author of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell / Sloppy Seconds and the founder of the "fratire" literary genre). After failing out of medical school, Vijay got his act together and gained admission to the UCLA Anderson School of Management, a top-ranked business school. This time, Vijay did not pose as a black man, since UCLA does not practice affirmative action in admissions.

Professionally, Vijay works as admissions consultant for SOSCareerService.com. He has helped thousands of clients get into top educational institutions by helping them with their resumes, personal statements, application essays, and interview preparation. Vijay is the author of The Definitive Guide to Ace Your Interview and Get the Job, a guide to job interview preparation, available at major retailers. He is an active member of several writers' communities, including the GrubStreet creative writing center, the Greater Los Angeles Writers Society, and the UCLA Writers' Program.

Vijay is the brother and nemesis of Mindy Kaling, actress (The Office), comedian, New York Times best-selling author (Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? / Why Not Me?), and the creator of the Fox and Hulu sitcom The Mindy Project.

用户评价

坦率地说，这本书的节奏对于习惯了快餐文学的读者来说，可能是一个巨大的挑战。它的开篇极其缓慢，铺陈的细节多到令人发指，仿佛作者故意设置了层层障碍，来筛选真正的“信徒”。起初，我差点因为那些冗长的人物内心独白和对琐碎日常的描摹而放弃，觉得情节推进得过于拖沓。然而，当我坚持阅读到大约四分之一处时，所有的线索开始像被无形的手拨动的琴弦，发出共振，那种顿悟感是无与伦比的。作者的厉害之处在于，他用这些看似不必要的细节，构建了一个极其稳固的心理现实基础，以至于当后半段出现重大转折时，读者会因为对角色习性的深刻了解，而觉得这个转折是不可避免的必然。这是一种高明的叙事技巧，它要求读者从被动的接受者，转变为主动的参与者和预测者。这部作品，与其说是在讲述一个故事，不如说是在完成一个复杂的数学证明，每一步推理都必须严谨无误。

我得说，这本书的语言风格简直是一股清流，充满了古典的韵味和现代的锐气，读起来有一种久违的文学快感。作者似乎对词语的锤炼有着近乎偏执的追求，很多句子初读时感觉平平无奇，但细细品味，便会发现其中蕴含的哲理和诗意。尤其是在描述自然环境的部分，比如某次暴风雨来临前的宁静，那种对空气湿度的感知、对远方雷声的捕捉，都超越了一般的风景描写，上升到了一种形而上的哲学探讨。书中引用了大量晦涩但又恰如其分的典故，让整个文本的厚度陡然增加，迫使我不得不时常查阅，但这并非负担，而是一种主动求知的乐趣。它不像某些畅销书那样追求即时满足的快感，而是更像一坛陈年的老酒，需要时间去体会和回味。我特别欣赏作者在处理时间线时展现出的那种老练——他能将过去、现在与潜意识中的未来片段无缝对接，使得叙事如同多维空间的穿梭，需要读者全身心投入才能跟上节奏。这本书不只是用来“读”的，更是用来“思辨”的。

这部小说简直是文字的饕餮盛宴，作者的笔触细腻得如同工匠雕琢象牙，每一个场景的描绘都充满了令人窒息的画面感。我尤其沉醉于他对人物内心世界的挖掘，那种复杂、矛盾的情感纠葛，真实得让人仿佛能触摸到角色的呼吸和心跳。比如，书中对主人公童年阴影的回溯，不是简单的叙事堆砌，而是通过一系列光影交错的片段，营造出一种挥之不去的压抑感，读到那些章节时，我甚至需要放下书本，在现实中走动片刻，才能平复那种被卷入的痛苦。故事的结构设计也极为巧妙，看似松散的日常片段，实则暗流涌动，每一个不经意的对话，都可能成为日后揭示真相的关键线索。我喜欢作者那种克制而有力的叙事节奏，他从不急于抛出炸点，而是让悬念像藤蔓一样，缓慢而坚定地缠绕上来，最终在不经意间猛然收紧，让人措手不及，拍案叫绝。阅读体验就像攀登一座雾气弥漫的山峰，每一步都充满了探索的未知，而当你终于登上顶端，看到的不仅仅是壮丽的景色，更是对人性深层奥秘的豁然开朗。

从排版和装帧设计上来看，这本书本身就是一件艺术品。封面的设计极具象征意义，那种深沉的色调与极简的留白处理，完美地呼应了书名所暗示的隐晦与未知。内页的纸张选择非常考究，触感温润，即便是长时间阅读，眼睛也不会感到疲劳。更值得称赞的是，作者在章节之间的过渡处理，常常使用一些精心挑选的、似乎与上下文无关的短句或意象，它们如同电影中的蒙太奇剪辑，为故事增添了一种迷离的梦境质感。这使得阅读体验从纯粹的文字消费，升华为一种多感官的沉浸式体验。它不追求清晰的线性叙事，反而更倾向于构建一种氛围和情绪的漩涡，将读者牢牢吸入其中。看完之后，我发现自己对很多日常事物的感知都变得更加敏感和微妙了，仿佛作者打开了我观察世界的另一扇窗户，让我看到了隐藏在寻常事物背后的幽微光芒。

这部作品的魅力，很大程度上源于其对“灰色地带”的无情展现。它毫不留情地撕开了生活光鲜亮丽的外表，直视那些被社会规范刻意忽略的道德模糊区间。书中的人物都不是非黑即白的英雄或恶棍，他们是活生生的人，充满了令人心寒的自私，也闪烁着转瞬即逝的善良。我特别喜欢作者处理冲突的方式，很少有直接的争吵或戏剧化的爆发，更多的是那种潜藏在眼神、肢体语言和未说出口的潜台词中的暗战。阅读过程中，我常常会反思自己的价值观，思考在相似的极端情境下，我的选择是否会比书中的角色更光明磊落。这种强烈的代入感和自我审视，是很多小说难以企及的高度。它不是一本提供慰藉的书，而是一面冰冷、精确的镜子，映照出人性的脆弱与复杂，让人在合上书本后，仍需很长时间消化那种略带苦涩的真实。