Reviews

American Street by Ibi Zoboi

ddillon154's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed the little notes of magical realism and the larger doses of Creole language and spirituality. I was more interested in the jarringly out of place portion on the house's relationship with death than much of the interpersonal drama that drives the plot. The latter was fairly straightforward immigrant assimilation and I'm just not about that.

kdaniels's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

palmpages's review against another edition

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5.0

*4.5*
I am a mountain

A beautiful multi-layered novel that addresses the experiences of black immigrants; attaining the good life isn’t always easy.

It's a story that reminds us of the hope that still lives within, and around us. Often times, we just need to remember where we came from and what propelled us to take the journey in the first place.

This was a very intimate experience for me. As an immigrant myself, I was able to relate to Fabiola's need to find her footing in a new world.

I realize that everyone is climbing their own mountain here in America. They are all tall and mighty and they live in the hearts and everyday lives of the people.

We're all trying to find une belle vie - a good life. We're all trying to find our way. And we will!

kimcheel's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

caitlinmw15's review against another edition

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tense

4.0

mard3ytv's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

This book was a solid read, however it panders to an audience that is not me. 

mepereyra6's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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? No

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ashamb's review against another edition

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emotional tense

3.0

reneephan's review against another edition

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2.0

No shade here, but I'm the type of person who judges by the book cover, especially the blurb. When I picked up this book from the library, I found out it was one of the top books of 2017. This interested me and I started to read the blurb.
Talking about immigration basically summarises one of the most important social issues in the world. And this book talks about it! No shocker, but that got me hooked. As I started to read the book, I tried my best to be optimistic on the fact that the main character is trying to brave the new world without her mom but with relatives around her. Just like the book 'Home of the brave' by Katherine Applegate, I assumed the worlds would be similar.
Turns out, I may have just missed it, but I did not really know the age of this character, assuming she was just a young girl struggling to cope without her mother. As I got deeper into this story, I started to change my viewpoint and started to become slightly confused. Was this girl a teenager in middle school or high school? Usually, I do fine with these books, because this book's reading level is slightly easier than my normal books.

Soon after the intro, the book started to become too cliche. For example, the main character gets a boyfriend, assists police on drug connections, all because she wants her mother released from the detention center for immigrants. I know what you're thinking. Very weird indeed.

To summarize, I thought the social issue was very well displayed, it just let a reader like me lose heart after the beginning as the story was too cliche as well as it was not really much of a relatable situation lots can deal with, considering the police, immigration and drugs are all in one picture.

( I would not recommend this book to younger readers as this book contains mature content. ) - These kinds of books should have a stamp on it to let readers know before they pick it up on the bookshelf don't you think?

- Renee

trippalli's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense

3.5

An immigrant experience with community culture love and challenges like finding out people you care about are selling drugs and the consequences.. Which can be dire. Does end with some hope and optimism for a bright future despite failures sadness and disappointments