Paul Beatty is a contemporary African American author born in Los Angeles in 1962.
Beatty went to Boston University where he acquired an MA in Psychology. This was after acquiring an MFA in creative writing from Brooklyn College.
Beatty’s love for writing and, especially poetry manifested quite early; by 1990, the author was the Nuyorican Poets Café Poetry Champion. He went on to produce and publish a volume of poetry, a feat he accomplished as a result of the book deal his Nuyorican Poets Café prize earned him.
Beatty is heavily entrenched in the African American community and it shows in the books he writes as well as the topics he tackles. Despite his love for storytelling, Beatty spent quite a few years playing within the field of poetry.
Books in order of publication:
Standalone Novels
| The White Boy Shuffle | (1996) | |
| Tuff | (1998) | |
| Slumberland | (2008) | |
| The Sellout | (2015) |
Non-Fiction Books
| Hokum | (2006) |
Oak Lawn Library Friends 