The Stacks’ June book club selection is Oreo by Fran Ross. First released in 1974, it’s a satirical take on one Philadelphia woman’s quest of self-discovery. Raised by her grandparents, born of a Black mother, and spurred on by a mysterious note, Oreo navigates the brothels, subways and studios of Manhattan to seek her long-lost Jewish father. The book is a parody of the Theseus odyssey with a modern feminist twist. Steeped in seventies pop culture, it makes use of standard English, Yiddish and black vernacular in what author Paul Auster called “a rollicking little masterpiece.” Fran Ross was born in 1935 in Philly and wrote comedy for Richard Pryor; her articles appeared in magazines including Essence and Playboy. Oreo is widely considered ahead of its time and was Ross’ only novel before her death in 1985.
We will discuss Oreo by Fran Ross on Wednesday, June 28th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our June 7th episode. If you’d like even more discussion around the book, consider joining The Stacks Pack on Patreon and participating in The Stacks’ monthly virtual book club.
Order your copy of our June book on Bookshop.org and Amazon.
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