It takes great skill to render the wide variety of characters, male and female, young and old, that populate a memoir like Buck.

... Asante’s memoir will find an eager readership, especially among young people searching in books for the kind of understanding and meaning that eludes them in their real-life relationships.

[11]Salon wrote: The debut of a remarkable talent ... Asante’s prose is a fluid blend of vernacular swagger and tender poeticism.

[12] Publishers Weekly wrote: Asante's noir chronicle is imaginative, powerful, and electric, written with passion and conviction.

[11]Booklist wrote: This is an inspiring story about perseverance and finding purpose that is sure to appeal to readers interested in hip-hop, black studies, and American pop culture in general.

[11]Kirkus Reviews wrote: The book’s strength lies in Asante’s vibrant, specific observations, and, at times, the percussive prose that captures them.

[13]In 2014, Asante received a Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Grant to write and direct the movie adaptation of Buck, currently in-development.

The soundtrack is MK Asante's debut as a rapper and features production and vocals from Talib Kweli, Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, J Dilla, Madlib and others.

However, comedian Annie Lederman noted in an interview with Ryan Sickler that Asante did not know the extent of child sexual abuse occurring at The Crefeld School when writing Buck.