Texts from Bennett is a

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

created by Mac Lethal (born David McCleary Sheldon), purportedly based on text messages exchanged between Lethal and his "cousin" Bennett.

Website

Gawker ''Gawker'' was an American blog founded by Nick Denton and Elizabeth Spiers that was based in New York City and focused on celebrities and the media industry. According to SimilarWeb, the site had over 23 million visits per month in 2015. Fo ...

reported in late 2011, "The

Tumblr Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...

displays iPhone screenshots of text message conversations between the site's creator and Bennett, his 17-year-old cousin who 'thinks he's a Crip, works at Amoco, has a girlfriend named Mercedes, and is one of the most unintentionally funny and brilliant souls on the planet.'" While

The Smoking Gun The Smoking Gun is a website that posts legal documents, arrest records, and police mugshots on a daily basis. The intent is to bring to the public light information that is somewhat obscure or unreported by more mainstream media sources. Most ...

reported that Bennett was purely an invention, Lethal maintained the veracity of his creation, telling

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

, " he Smoking Gun storyis absolutely 100 percent inaccurate."

Book publication

''Texts from Bennett'', the novel, was released on September 3, 2013. The book proposal was sold to

Gallery Books Gallery Publishing Group is a general interest publisher and a division of Simon & Schuster which houses the imprints Gallery Books, Pocket Books, Scout Press, Gallery 13, and Saga Press. Jen Bergstrom is the Senior Vice President and Publisher. ...

, an imprint of

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, in May 2012, by Lethal's

William Morris Endeavor Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (formerly William Morris Endeavor and WME-IMG) is an American holding company for talent and media agencies with its primary offices in Beverly Hills, California. The company was founded in April 2009 after the me ...

agents. The book is described as " family story for the twenty-first century, based on the phenomenally popular Texts from Bennett Tumblr blog, this epistolary novel chronicles the year that Bennett and the rest of his freeloading family moved into his cousin Mac's household." According to the author, "the book is an ode to how I met my wife and it's a love story." ''Texts from Bennett'' was a ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' "pick of the month" for "African American Fiction". Writing for the journal, Rollie Welch notes "The author’s portrayal of poverty, drug use, and the working poor white folks’ struggle to get by has serious street cred." According to Welch, although "lengthy sidebars drag down the story," "it's an interesting and impressive debut." ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'', a trade publication "from the trusted experts at the American Library Association", calls Lethal's book a "well-intended, albeit a little uneven, first novel... the heart of the novel is pure." Reviewer Mark Eleveld says, "This is a necessary novel that follows the phenomenon of poor white teens diving into black cultural stereotypes. The language is rough but true, and tough issues are addressed with care and understanding."

TV show

On November 4, 2013, it was announced that FX had purchased the rights to produce a Texts From Bennett TV show.

References

External links

* {{Tumblr, textsfrombennett-blog American comedy websites 2013 American novels Gallery Books books