American Slave by Roman Drake is a satirical take on the modern American dream. This book tells the story of a regular American citizen working on a minimum wage behind the cashier’s desk in a clothing store, trying to make sense of everything wrong in his life, still dreaming to live the American Dream. Things take a slight turn when he comes across a slave’s life account from earlier times, which wakes up a passion in him to bring about a change for the better, for himself and others around him.

I really enjoyed reading through this witty and satirical tale, filled with jabs on society, the working class, and the politics, and how things really are behind the scenes, looking through the eyes of a regular American citizen. The narration is massively humorous and slays through all the ethos of American dream, bringing out the gritty reality of it, under the thick veil of dark humor. The satire is mainly directed at the corporate America, and points out the similarities between the slaves of earlier times and minimum wagers of today, equating them as modern slaves. What I really liked is how all this is told between the lines, making use of the story of a regular American citizen, highlighting the idea of relationships, friendships, and the need to do what’s right, while giving a glimpse into the chaos, beauty, and underlying irony of it all.

The writing is very gripping and the plot is fast paced, and thoroughly enjoyable, albeit some parts were a tad rough on the palate pertaining to the dark humor, but it all adds in to the vibe of the story. I found the friendship between the central character Richard and his friend Marcus, the definition of all sorts of complex but a delight to read. I kept guessing where the story was headed, and the end when it came definitely surprised me, I did not see that coming. All in all it was a very fun and amusing ride and I really enjoyed every moment of it.