Publisher's Synopsis
Determined to make enough money to launch his European art career, Phillips accepts a job for low wages at the Dummheit Cafe, branch of a worldwide corporation with investments in South Africa. There his coworkers' petty politics and hysterically erotic lifestyle ensnare him. Although he resents his exploitation, the need for money daily lures him back, and fear of his true feelings. Finally, when his mother steals the pittance he saved from his wages, he retaliates by swiping her jewelry and all the money from Dummheit's safe and feeling to Istanbul.
Life of Death creates a stunning narration of a young black man's initiation into adult life and the American workplace. It is a remarkable debut from a writer unafraid of exploding the comforting myths masquerading as contemporary American culture.
