-Steve Almond, author of My Life in Heavy Metal and Candyfreak
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"Part farce, part political satire, part metafiction, Blind Speed is a rich fictional stew. Josh Barkan has written an energetic modern-day picaresque."
-Tom Perrotta, author of Little Children and Election
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"Blind Speed is a rip-roaring read that will propel you to the next page until you laugh your way across the finish line. Rarely does a novel manage to capture so many facets of the culture at large--from political campaigns to rock bands to a fortune-teller in Iowa who creates chaos. This is a brilliant novel of ideas, as American as Kerouac careening along an interstate highway. Cool prose and piercing insights from a hot new talent."
-Martin J. Sherwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Prometheus
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"A comedic bildungsroman about a man who should have grown up by now, Blind Speed takes on everything from the personal to the political . . . a fantastical ride."
TIME OUT CHICAGO
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"A bildungsroman with a twist . . . Blind Speed asks an interesting question about achievement: Why are some people able to connect with and succeed in the world, while others, with similar abilities, become paralyzed, resist, or enact self-sabotage? . . . At the center of Blind Speed is an examination of the painful ambivalence that precedes and accompanies success, and that is enough to make for compelling reading . . . A confident and lyric ending."
BOOKFORUM
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"Brilliant, edged with acerbic wit . . . Somehow Barkan fashions a fascinating if fractious novel out of Paul's attempt to make sense of a life in thrall to the interference of fate . . . A veritable potpourri of issues that Paul considers: eco-terrorism, government deceit, global warming, the insidious nature of race in America--an existential dilemma of grand proportions . . . Following the logic of Paul's erratic thoughts is reward enough, an esoteric Disney ride without a seatbelt, shocking insights and a tendency to reduce complications and expose true intentions, a healthy paranoia that questions myths while creating a remarkable interior experience. An eclectic journey through the American psyche is evidenced by this eccentric Bostonian, as the city and its residents ebb and flow, fueled by Paul's interpretation of each event."
CURLEDUP.COM