Don of the Q

An American Don Quixote for the Atomic Age

Fiction - Humor/Comedy
342 Pages
Reviewed on 07/10/2020
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Author Biography

Michael Guillebeau's book MAD Librarian (Madison Press, 2017) won the Foreword Reviews Gold Medal for Humor Book of the Year. His first novel, Josh Whoever (Gale/Five Star Mysteries, 2013) was named a Debut Mystery of the Month by Library Journal. Guillebeau has published six novels, thirty-five short stories and a handful of poems and essays.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Risah Salazar for Readers' Favorite

Michael Guillebeau's Don of the Q is an adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote. The classic Spanish satire is made contemporary, reflecting the world's most important issues for modern-day readers. Don, a twenty-two-year-old American guy, finds himself manning Quick Stop's counter, Q for short, without knowing what happened to him before that moment of "awakening". He first befriends Sancha, another Q staff who is half-Black, half-Mexican, and then a few more people outside of the Q. Together, they plan to take on America, one comical mission at a time.

With a bunch of misfits helping each other and becoming heroes in their own way, Don of the Q is a much-needed book in these times. It's relevant, diverse, feminist, and LGBTQ-friendly. Reimagining Sancho Panza as a female person of color in this adaptation makes all the difference. Don's illusions and shallow personality are now balanced with Sancha's more realistic views and background as a minority. The book is a good combination of inspiring humor and mystery. The chapter headings, like the chapter themselves, are short and catchy. The characters and the story are realistic, relatable, and angsty. The group's adventures are entertaining and beneath all the social commentary the message is compelling. Don of the Q by Michael Guillebeau teaches about kindness and how simple yet significant it can be. A person doesn't need much to be kind; one can start small, whenever and wherever. In this quick and unputdownable read, the American Quixote and his friends touch hearts while being witty.