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All the Trouble You Need: A Novel
Torn by increasing feelings of dislocation from his heritage and the world around him, a young African American professor embarks on an affair with one of his students, until another student challenges him to reassess his life and values.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 18, 2021
Favorite Quote: "Do what you please 'cause people will do their best to try to shoot you down."~ Jordan
The book opens with the main character, Jordan, being treated pretty much like a mandingo, so that was a bit surprising. His relationship with the white girl, Mary, is very strange and reminds me of what I hear from some black guys when they sleep with white women. It's very cringy to read to be honest.
Jordan's roommates are quite entertaining and knowing how guys in a bachelor pad think is somewhat eye opening.
Right away I can see that Jordan has a complex with how he identifies himself as a black man and feels he or others may want to put him in a stereotypical box. Jordan doesn't fully know who he is nor is he confident in what he brings to the table and until he figures that out, he will always feel inadequate.
David is the definition of a fraud and very unlikable but that's what gives us some of the conflict in the book so I accept it.
Trisha is completely different than what he is use to. Someone who demands more of a commitment and is going places in life or so she thinks.
I appericate the story telling from the prescriptive of the women that Jordan is dating as well.
One thing that does rub me the wrong way with Jordan is that he dates his students when he is a professor. Those power dynamics are very hard to miss. Another thing is that Jordan plays the black person that refuses to fully understand when a situation is racist. He thinks living in Santa Barbara is a paradise but doesn't realize how few black people live there and how they are truly treated until he, Ned and the Harlem Globetrotters are arrested and even then he is so confused by this make believe world he lives in where white people have your best interests at hurt.
The whole dynamic with Frank and Jordan counties to make me see Jordan as a very weak man who can't defend himself very well at all.
I don't enjoy what becomes of Trisha's character when it comes to Jordan. She is like the black woman voice of reason and I don't like that due to Jordan never truly taking her seriously, so why help a man who would run up behind another woman?
Jordan honestly is a weak man and a waste of time. He only wants the black woman once he so down and out he literally has absolutely nothing to offer her. Trisha's family has to help him. Smh very disappointed in the way this story turned out.
Overall a quick read but the message isn't one I would like to read again.
The book opens with the main character, Jordan, being treated pretty much like a mandingo, so that was a bit surprising. His relationship with the white girl, Mary, is very strange and reminds me of what I hear from some black guys when they sleep with white women. It's very cringy to read to be honest.
Jordan's roommates are quite entertaining and knowing how guys in a bachelor pad think is somewhat eye opening.
Right away I can see that Jordan has a complex with how he identifies himself as a black man and feels he or others may want to put him in a stereotypical box. Jordan doesn't fully know who he is nor is he confident in what he brings to the table and until he figures that out, he will always feel inadequate.
David is the definition of a fraud and very unlikable but that's what gives us some of the conflict in the book so I accept it.
Trisha is completely different than what he is use to. Someone who demands more of a commitment and is going places in life or so she thinks.
I appericate the story telling from the prescriptive of the women that Jordan is dating as well.
One thing that does rub me the wrong way with Jordan is that he dates his students when he is a professor. Those power dynamics are very hard to miss. Another thing is that Jordan plays the black person that refuses to fully understand when a situation is racist. He thinks living in Santa Barbara is a paradise but doesn't realize how few black people live there and how they are truly treated until he, Ned and the Harlem Globetrotters are arrested and even then he is so confused by this make believe world he lives in where white people have your best interests at hurt.
The whole dynamic with Frank and Jordan counties to make me see Jordan as a very weak man who can't defend himself very well at all.
I don't enjoy what becomes of Trisha's character when it comes to Jordan. She is like the black woman voice of reason and I don't like that due to Jordan never truly taking her seriously, so why help a man who would run up behind another woman?
Jordan honestly is a weak man and a waste of time. He only wants the black woman once he so down and out he literally has absolutely nothing to offer her. Trisha's family has to help him. Smh very disappointed in the way this story turned out.
Overall a quick read but the message isn't one I would like to read again.
December 23, 2022
Jordan Davis, 28, lives in Santa Barbara, CA, while he teaches one to two courses a semester and works on his doctorate in literature. He is one of the few blacks who live in Santa Barbara (1%) but he likes it.
Early in the book, there are two women in his life. He has a sexual relationship with Mary, white, but his feelings for Trisha, a black university senior with well-to-do parents, are confusing. He knows marriage is Trisha’s goal and his friends believe that she is a perfect choice.
Life changes for Jordan when his roommate, Ned, an artist, decides to move to Washington, D.C., and an exotic young woman, Daphne, comes to his Japanese literature class. It’s hard to know her national baclgrpimd but she is fascinating and equally attracted to him. Wealthy but troubled and a world traveler who has returned to live with her parents, she has many unfinished issues that affect her life and her relationships with others. With her entry into his life, Jordan must decide what he needs in life. Which or the three women or none of them would be right for him? Perhaps he must first determine who he is and what he wants from life.
Parts of the book image portions of the author’s life, including Jordan’s early life and experiences. With the women telling the story, the author address race, identity, class, love and passion, and how they define one's place in life. An interesting read indeed.
Early in the book, there are two women in his life. He has a sexual relationship with Mary, white, but his feelings for Trisha, a black university senior with well-to-do parents, are confusing. He knows marriage is Trisha’s goal and his friends believe that she is a perfect choice.
Life changes for Jordan when his roommate, Ned, an artist, decides to move to Washington, D.C., and an exotic young woman, Daphne, comes to his Japanese literature class. It’s hard to know her national baclgrpimd but she is fascinating and equally attracted to him. Wealthy but troubled and a world traveler who has returned to live with her parents, she has many unfinished issues that affect her life and her relationships with others. With her entry into his life, Jordan must decide what he needs in life. Which or the three women or none of them would be right for him? Perhaps he must first determine who he is and what he wants from life.
Parts of the book image portions of the author’s life, including Jordan’s early life and experiences. With the women telling the story, the author address race, identity, class, love and passion, and how they define one's place in life. An interesting read indeed.
June 29, 2010
It's been a long time since I've read a book in one sitting.
Semi SPOILER ALERT:
What started out as a satisfying look at a successful man torn between two women, falls flat at the end.
I had a hard time accepting his choice at the end of the book-but found it to be a really fun, quick read, which really kept me riveted.
Semi SPOILER ALERT:
What started out as a satisfying look at a successful man torn between two women, falls flat at the end.
I had a hard time accepting his choice at the end of the book-but found it to be a really fun, quick read, which really kept me riveted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2014
this might BE the most boring book I ever read. couldnt wait to be done with it!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews