All Joe Knight

by Kevin Morris

A prominent figure in the entertainment world who has turned to fiction in the last decade, Kevin Morris received wide literary acclaim with his story collection White Man’s Problems, praised by David Carr as “remarkable” and Tom Perrotta as “revelatory.” Now Morris cements his place as a bold new voice in American literature with his muscular debut novel, All Joe Knight.

1961. Outside Philadelphia, a soon-to-be father runs into a telephone pole while driving drunk; nine months later, his widow dies in a smashed up T-Bird. From the start, the orphaned Joe Knight is a blank slate. Taken in by a kindly aunt in a tough-skinned suburb, Joe finds his family in high school with the Fallcrest basketball team—the kind of team that comes around once in a lifetime. White guys, black guys, speed, height, raw athleticism, every element is perfectly in synch. All these kids want, all they dream of, is to make it to the Palestra, UPenn’s cathedral of college basketball.

Fast-forward thirty years. Joe is newly divorced with one kid and certain he is unfit for love. Ever since selling the ad firm he built from the ground up for millions, he’s had time on his hands, and now he wiles it away in strip clubs, the only place where he can quiet his mind. But then he hears from Chris Scully, a former Fallcrest teammate who is now District Attorney. It seems the Justice Department is sniffing around the deal that got Joe rich years ago—a deal he cut every member of the basketball team into, except for Scully. As the details about Joe’s possible transgression are unreeled, he is forced to face the emptiness inside himself and a secret that has haunted him for decades.

Genres: Fiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published December 6, 2016

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

In part.....
I felt this story was:
.......a wonderful tribute to Philadelphia- "Philly", Pennsylvania: including background history, culture, sports, demographics,
....... Partly a "DUDE BOOK".....We meet Joe's people.... "Pennsylvanians" are his people....people who built brick buildings, and won wars. The English, Welchman, Irish, Dutch, Swedes, and Scotch. Quakers and Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Calvinists, Adventists, Abolitionists, and slaves. These people built houses, churches, courthouses, schools from red bricks and stone.
Whiskey drinking, strip clubs, sports, guy-chat-dialogue. "you're shitting me": yep: A DUDE BOOK! -
........I also felt this was a human interest story : yep: UNISEX! woman are invited into the club. There is plenty of warm and intimate storytelling for fans of 'women's fiction' to enjoy. Dilly Bar with nuts at the Dairy Queen....( eternal old fashion unisex bonding in everyone's world). There is also a moral tale going on throughout.

Joe tells his Philadelphia story:
"When people ask how I got so smart, I say television. When people ask me what I love, I say music. When people ask me what made me successful, I say basketball. When people ask me my plans for the future, I say getting out of here".

By the time Joe was six 'months' old, both his parents were dead. His aunt Dottie and Artie raised him-- and he knew that his birth was 'an accident'. He was "a blank slate...starting from zero"!

At age 40, he's teaching Economics at Kane College, ( a semi-retired investor having already made millions), and is divorced. He has one child whom he doesn't feel worthy of. He's also been holding in a secret for years....and soon we'll learn what that secret costs him.
The ending is sad...... I didn't see it coming -I'm not sure how I expected it to end.... but when it came, my jaw dropped a little . Then - of course I flashed back through the entire story. Joe did tell us ....he was telling us his story... and that's what we get.
Clean Slate.....starting from zero".
Personal storytelling... at times 'too much detail about specifics for my taste - sports -and 'guy-talk'...but overall I enjoyed the 'heart' of this novel and I appreciated the flavor
for a city I've only visited once myself - back in 1974. ( some of you were not even born yet).


Thank you Grove Atlantic, Netgalley, and Kevin Morris

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A drunk driver, who was soon to be a father, runs into a telephone pole. Nine months later his wife dies in a smashed up T-Bird.

Joe Knight is now an orphan and is taken in by a kindly aunt.

Thirty years later Joe is divorced. He had sold the firm he built up for millions. He now spends his time in strip clubs. He then hears from a District Attorney that the justice department is sniffing around the deal Joe got rich from.

I quite enjoyed this book even though it's mostly about men's sport, strip clubs, whiskey drinking etc.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and the author Kevin Morris for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Writemoves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philadelphia and basketball. That’s what made this book interesting for me. There were visits to the Palestra and Big 5 games. References to Big 5 players. An apt description of the Walt Whitman Bridge. References to Walt Whitman, Camden and William Penn. Celebrating Stanley Cup victories of the Flyers. Watching Larry Kane and Al Meltzer. This story had a local flavor.

I enjoyed the recounting of basketball stories, some big upsets and some nasty defeats. I found the chemistry of the basketball team and their families interesting.

I was confused around the story of Joe Knight’s legal troubles caused by his multi-million dollar sale of his company. This part of the story was almost an afterthought as it covered Joe Knight’s youth, marriage, family life etc.

I was unsympathetic to Joe Knight based on how he treated his Aunt Dottie (surrogate mother) who sacrificed and doted on him. How he handled her death tells you all you need to know about Joe Knight’s character.

I did plow through the book as I was curious as to how it would end. There were some surprises...Like most of his life, Joe did not catch any breaks.

[Texjim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't beleive this is great literature but I found it an enjoyable read. There are two parallel intertwined stories. The first is the story of the orphaned boy who literally has no identity and strives throughout to find one. The other theme, is about powerful bond that arises among the members of scholastic sports teams. The author is also very much enamored with the heritage of William Penn, Walt Whitman and the founding principals of the city of Philideliphia. As a formal high school sports wannabee who grew up during the same period in the same Delaware valley, the familiar places and names clearly added to my appreciation of the book.

In all, it is a book for guys. There are some explicit adult themes. So, if you like sports books with a little extra substance to them, I think you will like this one. (I received this as a GR-Giveaway).

[Gregory Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Loved how it ties in the side stories of William Penn, Walt Whitman, and a few other things along the way. Loved the use of music. Enjoyed Joe Knight’s narration and the use of direct, crass language when applicable. I’m a basketball fan, too. So, this book is a winner for me. Was recommended by an old friend who passed last year. Just wish he was still around to talk about it.

[Kathy Heare Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am paying it forward by donating it to my local library.

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. Distasteful characters. Maybe it didn't translate well to audible, but I found it boring and I had no investment in any of the characters. most disliked book this year.

[Tim Shortt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early on I thought this was the book I needed. Punchy sentences, a caustic first person narration, very male. But it bounces around in time, goes off on descriptions of Philadelphia, of William Penn and Quakers and of Fred Shero and his Flyers, all without developing a strong center. The basketball teammates never distinguished themselves - I tried sorting them by height to keep clear which was which. And the crime of the main character never feels that substantial. In the end it seems allegorical, punishment for a failure to relate to other people. And that was unsatisfying.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

review to come

[Jule · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The fault of this book is not to be found in itself. For a debut novel, it showcases amazing language with a peculiar and engaging style of plays on words, repetitions and patters, as well as lists. It really draws you in. And then there are these nuggets of wisdom seemingly thrown in at random, which is also great. In addition, I admire the way all the storylines tied together - from basketball to business to divorce - great job not loosing your bearings in there!

The reason for the 3/5 star rating lies with me - and will lay there with many other readers, too, I suppose. This is a Pennsylvania novel, it is a men's novel, it is a 70s and 80s novel, it is music novel, it is a business novel, it is (maybe above all) a basketball novel. And I am a German girl born in the 1990s who studies literature and can not throw a ball straight to save her life. All those references, jokes, details - and no relieving topic to relate to once in a while... I enjoyed this book artistically - a lot, but the plot was sort of dry and uninteresting.

[Sean Branson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of an unlikeable character whose personality was largely shaped by circumstances out of his control, and growing up in suburban Philadelphia. As the story jumps from past to present, you gradually unlock the reasons Joe Knight became the cold, unfeeling man that puzzles his friends and acquaintances. As a Marylander myself, I could relate to some of the characters and language, but the story never fully grabbed my attention.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried. I tried. I tried. Sorry but this just wasn't for me. I kept picking it back up because I had an ARC and I wanted to like it= the writing is fine and it's got a good plot line. I could almost see this as a movie. You will like this if you like muscular writing and strong characters.

[Cheryl Aro]

I am sorry to say that what seemed to be the continuous need to use foul language overtook the story.