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Spoilers: Essays That Might Ruin Your Favorite Hollywood Movies

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A collection of essays that examine America and the things that make it great through satirical lenses

Carlos Greaves’s book, SPOILERS: Essays That Might Ruin Your Favorite Hollywood Movies, is a collection of thought-provoking and satirical essays.  Regarding some of the things that make America great, this collection leaves the readers in the world of What Ifs, doing so humorously. For instance, what if the U.S. Department of Homeland Security writes to one Clark Kent, a superhero, mind you, explaining why they can’t give him a visa?  Or Dad comes home to find a mysterious hole on the roof of his house, and the only person answerable is the son, who’s been home hosting a bunch of kids in the house. Or one Dominic Toretto is facing it off with Bernard Sanders during a budget committee session in which Dominic must justify why Americans should fund his exorbitant world-saving program. And what if the great kingdom of Wakanda is real and occupies land in Africa? Given its recent fame, especially after the Wakanda movie, suppose African countries under the AU umbrella decide to write a letter to the Wakanda chief. What will be the letter’s tone and content? Greaves has imagined such a scenario for us.


Carlos Greaves addresses several issues through these essays, including racism, sexism, and politics.  Greaves’ tone is humorous, and his writing style is accessible to all as it’s easy to understand, further making the book interesting. Highlighting his relationship with the Greaves and circumstances that may have contributed to him introducing Greaves to the readers, the unreal Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum’s Forward is also funny and is one of the reasons I turn the pages. Based on popular movie tropes, these essays attest to creativity put to good use. They are inspiring, especially for writers, confirming that there is always a story worth exploring beneath anything under the sun. A Joint Letter From the Member States of the African Union to Wakanda appeals to me the most since, in my opinion, it’s a true depiction of reactions you’d expect from Africa if there was an African country called Wakanda.


This collection is inappropriate for young readers as it contains adult content. Adult readers will enjoy it, particularly those who love brilliantly written comical pieces. Writers should read this book, no matter the genre they’re writing in.

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About the author

CARLOS GREAVES is an electrical engineer turned comedy writer—a career move that haunts him to this day. When he’s not busy questioning his life choices, he teaches online classes at The Second City, is a features contributor at The Onion, and runs the topical satire newsletter, Shades of Greaves. view profile

Published on October 02, 2023

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50000 words

Contains mild explicit content ⚠️

Worked with a Reedsy professional 🏆

Genre: Humor & Comedy

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