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midnightmarauder's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-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
5.0
Leaving Atlanta follows the story of three young children—LaTasha Baxter, Rodney Green, and Octavia Fuller—as they grow up in Atlanta, Georgia during the infamous Atlanta Child Murders.
The book is split into three parts, which follow each child's point of view and is written in a different narrative point of view. Tasha's point of view is written in third-person; Rodney's is written in second-person; and Octavia's is written in first-person.
This book touched on a few different issues. One of the main themes of the book is the concept of childhood innocence and how it can lead a child into varying pathways. For instance, Tasha desires to fit in with her classmates so much that it leads her into hanging with the wrong crowd. Rodney, who has anabusive father , is so fed up with his home life that when an unnamed man pretending to be a police officer pulls up beside him , he purposefully gets in the car with him, never to be seen alive again . Finally, Octavia, whose mother feels unsettled by the all the disappearances, is sent away to live with her father in a different state, in attempt to protect her from being hurt .
Another issue that was tackled in the novel is how black people are overlooked when it comes to disappearances and murders. Black children were coming up missing back to back during that time, yet very little external effort (i.e. law enforcement, government agencies, etc.) was made was spent trying to solve the cases or find the children. Most of the work done to get the children's faces on the news was made by the children's families and people within their neighborhoods.
What I liked the most about this book is that it shed light on how the children felt during that time. The feelings of the children who didn't get abducted/murdered were definitely drown out by all of the commotion. It was nice to get a glimpse into how they might've felt, being told through the fictionalized stories of Tasha, Rodney, and Octavia.
The book is split into three parts, which follow each child's point of view and is written in a different narrative point of view. Tasha's point of view is written in third-person; Rodney's is written in second-person; and Octavia's is written in first-person.
This book touched on a few different issues. One of the main themes of the book is the concept of childhood innocence and how it can lead a child into varying pathways. For instance, Tasha desires to fit in with her classmates so much that it leads her into hanging with the wrong crowd. Rodney, who has an
Another issue that was tackled in the novel is how black people are overlooked when it comes to disappearances and murders. Black children were coming up missing back to back during that time, yet very little external effort (i.e. law enforcement, government agencies, etc.) was made was spent trying to solve the cases or find the children. Most of the work done to get the children's faces on the news was made by the children's families and people within their neighborhoods.
What I liked the most about this book is that it shed light on how the children felt during that time. The feelings of the children who didn't get abducted/murdered were definitely drown out by all of the commotion. It was nice to get a glimpse into how they might've felt, being told through the fictionalized stories of Tasha, Rodney, and Octavia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, Murder, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Child death, Classism, and Grief
Minor: Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
kylieqrada's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 ⭐s. First off, let me preface this review by saying that I absolutely love Tayari Jones, and consider her one of my favorite authors. I have read both of her more recent works, and wanted to dive into her backlist, so I started here. This being her debut novel, it was incredibly well-written, and I didn't have any real issues with it at all. Honestly, it just made me sad. And maybe now was not the best time for me to read it. I really don't read alot of books that center around serial murders anyway. I think if this synopsis sounds at all interesting to you, I would highly recommend picking it up! It's a very well-done example of it's genre. It just wasn't quite for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Racism
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