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laurlovesliterature's review against another edition
4.0
My ONLY critique would be that I felt that all of the POV’s got a little hard to follow, especially between the girls and guys that were all with each other. Otherwise, I thought it was beautiful.
_rowenaravenclaw_'s review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely heartbreaking. An important read especially with what is going on in the world today.
whenweplay1950's review against another edition
5.0
I have CHILLS. People are SLEEPING ON THIS BOOK.
It really hurts that this is actually how the world works. I tried to explain it to a family member, and they said "well, it isn't based on a true story, so why be upset?" I mean, it might as well be.
Anyways, long story short, read this book.
It really hurts that this is actually how the world works. I tried to explain it to a family member, and they said "well, it isn't based on a true story, so why be upset?" I mean, it might as well be.
Anyways, long story short, read this book.
mserin's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
anitaraile's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I loved How It Went Down for how concise it was in telling the same story from the points of view of a whole neighborhood. The sequel, Light It Up, tells a story about another shooting incident that is too timely - a cop somehow finds a 13yo Black girl a threat and shoots her in the back. This takes place in the same neighborhood as Tariq’s shooting, so the same characters are back. It’s nice to see what they’ve been up to, and I love how this book selves a bit more into their lives.
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
1.0
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Light It Up
Author: Kekla Magoon
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 1/5
Diversity: African American main character and characters.
Publication Date: October 22, 2019
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed, but this does talk about an officer involved shooting of a young child (13).
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Pages: 368
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Told in a series of vignettes from multiple viewpoints, Kekla Magoon's Light It Up is a powerful, layered story about injustice and strength—as well as an incredible follow-up to the highly acclaimed novel How It Went Down.
A girl walks home from school. She's tall for her age. She's wearing her winter coat. Her headphones are in. She's hurrying.
She never makes it home.
In the aftermath, while law enforcement tries to justify the response, one fact remains: a police officer has shot and killed an unarmed thirteen-year-old girl. The community is thrown into upheaval, leading to unrest, a growing movement to protest the senseless taking of black lives, and the arrival of white supremacist counter demonstrators.
Review: This book was really good for the most part, but it got to a point where it got really confusing for me. There were a lot of narrators and it didn’t feel like there was any character development. Also, I felt like most of the book was about the romance rather than the murder, which I thought would be the focal point of the book. I made it pretty far, 76%, but I had to DNF it unfortunately. I would recommend this book for people who love books that touch on the reality of our unfair world involving race and racism and I commend the author on writing such a hard book!
Verdict: It wasn’t for me, but might be for you!
Book: Light It Up
Author: Kekla Magoon
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 1/5
Diversity: African American main character and characters.
Publication Date: October 22, 2019
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed, but this does talk about an officer involved shooting of a young child (13).
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Pages: 368
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Told in a series of vignettes from multiple viewpoints, Kekla Magoon's Light It Up is a powerful, layered story about injustice and strength—as well as an incredible follow-up to the highly acclaimed novel How It Went Down.
A girl walks home from school. She's tall for her age. She's wearing her winter coat. Her headphones are in. She's hurrying.
She never makes it home.
In the aftermath, while law enforcement tries to justify the response, one fact remains: a police officer has shot and killed an unarmed thirteen-year-old girl. The community is thrown into upheaval, leading to unrest, a growing movement to protest the senseless taking of black lives, and the arrival of white supremacist counter demonstrators.
Review: This book was really good for the most part, but it got to a point where it got really confusing for me. There were a lot of narrators and it didn’t feel like there was any character development. Also, I felt like most of the book was about the romance rather than the murder, which I thought would be the focal point of the book. I made it pretty far, 76%, but I had to DNF it unfortunately. I would recommend this book for people who love books that touch on the reality of our unfair world involving race and racism and I commend the author on writing such a hard book!
Verdict: It wasn’t for me, but might be for you!
cweichel's review against another edition
4.0
As in How It Went Down, Kekla Magoon makes space for multiple perspectives. This time she deals with the killing of a black special needs teen by a white policeman. It is not only about the reality of the shooting, but about how it is experienced, twisted, and justified by different segments of the community. What was especially fascinating was connecting with many of the same characters in the first book. The cast of narrators were brilliant.
che11eo's review against another edition
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
themusingsofmsb's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book!
This book is an incredibly powerful and thought-provoking story, told from multiple viewpoints, about how members of the community deal with the police killing of an unarmed 13-year-old Black girl.
Given the number of Black folx murdered by police in recent years, this story obviously felt very realistic. The way the author uses the voices of different characters (members of the community who knew the girl who was killed, interviews with professors, artists, folx who left the community, social media posts, etc.) really helped to move the plot along and invoke several emotional responses as I read. Learning more details about several of the characters’ pasts (and how they were all connected) made me feel invested in their stories and enabled me to feel like I was able to experience a bit of their world.
The viewpoints of the white characters in this story really helped give voice to how racism works both covertly and overtly in our society. Readers get to see how a well-meaning yet sheltered white college student (whose middle name clearly should’ve been “microaggressions” when we first meet him) begins to grow into a more knowledgable and empathetic person who actually decides to become an accomplice for POC. Readers also get to experience some of the disgustingly blatant racism POC experience, via social media posts and protestors who show up to the young girl’s funeral saying she got what she deserved.
Light It Up is a painful and realistic look at our society, that will hopefully challenge readers to have honest conversations about how to combat microaggressions, police brutality, and systemic racism - and promote dignity and humanity for all.
This book is an incredibly powerful and thought-provoking story, told from multiple viewpoints, about how members of the community deal with the police killing of an unarmed 13-year-old Black girl.
Given the number of Black folx murdered by police in recent years, this story obviously felt very realistic. The way the author uses the voices of different characters (members of the community who knew the girl who was killed, interviews with professors, artists, folx who left the community, social media posts, etc.) really helped to move the plot along and invoke several emotional responses as I read. Learning more details about several of the characters’ pasts (and how they were all connected) made me feel invested in their stories and enabled me to feel like I was able to experience a bit of their world.
The viewpoints of the white characters in this story really helped give voice to how racism works both covertly and overtly in our society. Readers get to see how a well-meaning yet sheltered white college student (whose middle name clearly should’ve been “microaggressions” when we first meet him) begins to grow into a more knowledgable and empathetic person who actually decides to become an accomplice for POC. Readers also get to experience some of the disgustingly blatant racism POC experience, via social media posts and protestors who show up to the young girl’s funeral saying she got what she deserved.
Light It Up is a painful and realistic look at our society, that will hopefully challenge readers to have honest conversations about how to combat microaggressions, police brutality, and systemic racism - and promote dignity and humanity for all.