Author Ishmael Reed discussed his latest novel, “Juice!” at Time Tested Books Sunday.

According to owner Peter Keats of Time Tested Books, he said this was the first time Reed had made an appearance and was contacted to host the well-known writer at the bookstore.

“We sold lots of books,” Keats said.

“Juice!” is about protagonist Paul Blessings, a diabetic political cartoonist who obsesses about the O.J. Simpson trial during the early 21st century America. The novel provides a look into how the media distorted Simpson’s trial and reflects on how the media influences present culture and politics.

“The one thing that the case did was expose media’s sloppiness of evidence gathering of the police departments of the whole country, which sends thousands of innocent people to jail,” Reed said.

Reed, along with being a novelist, is a poet, essayist, songwriter and UC Berkeley lecturer. His works include “Mumbo Jumbo” and “Flight to Canada,” and many of his controversial writings have received critical praise.

“I can address serious issues, but I use humor,” Reed said.

In addition to his comments on his latest novel, Reed discussed a broad range of topics, from the crimes of pharmaceutical companies to what he stated in a New York Times opinion piece back in December about President Barack Obama.

“I go to the business section (of the New York Times) to see where the real crimes are at,” Reed said. “They (big companies) should pay these poor black street criminals well for distracting from their problems, because black people were never good at crime.

“The point of the article of the New York Times, was that I got tired of these progressives calling themselves Obama’s base,” Reed said. “What propelled Obama in the White House did not come from the West Village or the Upper West Side or Beverly Hills or Berkeley Hills, it came from Iowa.”

Poet and host of New Day Jazz on Davis’ freeform radio station KDVS, Justin Desmangles, organized the event and interviewed Reed.

Desmangles said he has known Reed for about 10 years, and they started working together on a radio show in San Francisco.

“I think it was a rare opportunity to explore issues that usually don’t get talked about,” Desmangles said. “I think that it’s the sort of conversation we need to have. It creates dialogue that is rooted in our personal experience and not categorized by class or race, although those categories are important and shouldn’t be ignored. It’s events like this that help us strengthen our roots.”

The event attracted roughly 75 people, ranging from writers, students and locals interested in Reed’s work.

Dale Burney said he received an email about the event through a writer’s group.

“I enjoyed it,” Burney said. “Each answer is more like an essay from his experiences, and (he looks) at the grander things.”

Attendee Iris Goldman said she heard about the event through Desmangles.

“I thought it was really interesting to hear Reed speak with his breadth of knowledge and experience about art, politics, media and the deceptions and distortions of the media in particular,” Goldman said. “I also felt that he is a big-hearted person and that he cares about all ethnicities, and he really cares about this country.”

Sacramento City College student Kabir McKitrick said he heard about the event through several professors.

“I enjoy how much of a deep thinker he is,” McKitrick said. “He spoke the truth. Whenever you speak the truth, it can be disturbing and optimistic.”