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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
mshoneyyy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The book starts off slow, but once part two hits the emotional rollercoaster starts in a way only Jones can depict. It's gut wrenching but beautifully written.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
allthingstajah's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Kidnapping
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
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Leaving Atlanta is the debut novel of Tayari Jones, better known as the author of An American Marriage. It is set in Atlanta in 1979, the beginning of the period of “The Atlanta Child Murders” when at least 22 children, mostly Black males, were murdered.
The book unfolds in three sections, each from the perspective of a different child, all fifth-grade classmates. Tasha’s section is told in the third person, Rodney’s in second person and Octavia’s in first person. I found the second person narrative especially effective, possibly because it is the less common choice. The other interesting narrative choice was that the book features a minor character named Tayari Jones. Since the author was a child growing up in Atlanta at the time of these murders I’m really curious to know how much of this character is autobiographical.
For me as a reader it was interesting to read about this period through the eyes of children; to see the extent to which it impacted their childhood, and the extent to which it didn’t. The kids had to cope with parental concerns, new limits on what they were permitted to do, worrying about classmates who disappeared and grieving for them once their bodies were discovered, and dealing with their fears. Imagine being a child left at home alone at night while your mother worked, and imagine being the mother who has to leave her child alone when there is a serial child killer on the loose. Yet at the same time regular school and home life continued and had to be navigated - coping with the mean girls or the teacher who didn’t like you, being ostracised for poverty or the shade of your skin, dealing with an abusive parent, getting your first period and more. The juxtaposition of the ordinary with the anything-but-ordinary was well done and helped me view both through a different lens.
With a topic like the kidnapping and murder of children I was pleasantly surprised that the book didn’t get graphic and gory. However, the tension is ever present and the book had more than one understated but devastating moment.
Final verdict: An interesting story told in an interesting way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Murder, and Kidnapping
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