LeVar Burton Reads · LeVar Burton and Stitcher

"The Appropriation of Cultures" by Percival Everett

April 2, 2024·34 min·2 clips

Daniel plays 'Dixie' straight and from the heart in a South Carolina jazz bar, reclaiming the song as his own Southern inheritance.

LeVar begins with restraint. He names Percival Everett, Graywolf Press, and Damned If I Do, then gets out of the way because the story does not need much setup. Daniel Barclay enters through the plain facts of inheritance, a house, money, and an education. Then comes the truck. Travis walks him around it while a woman watches from the porch and a Charger sits nearby. The details keep tightening: new clutch, new alternator, rust in the back, solid underneath, an engine that misses a little. Daniel sees the decal. Travis assumes the rebel flag on the rear window is coming off. Daniel says it is staying. That answer lands harder because Everett does not rush to explain it. The test drive stays quiet. Daniel passes the man and teenager working on the Charger, and their stare becomes part of the deal. The truck runs well enough. Daniel keeps his attention on the tires, the engine, the price, and Travis trying to read him. Cash makes the scene feel both ordinary and tense. Daniel offers $2,200 if Travis delivers the truck near the university. LeVar keeps the frame soft. After the story, he returns to credits, thanks Everett and Graywolf Press, and lets the fiction keep its bite.

As heard by us

A spare, sly reading that turns a truck sale into a quietly loaded exchange.

LeVar Burton treats Percival Everett's The Appropriation of Cultures as funny, beautifully spare, and deeply tangled, letting the story carry the weight while keeping the frame light.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a quiet story where a truck sale turns socially charged fast.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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