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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Heart breaking and heart warming all at the same time.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a powerful book!
Really enjoyed this sad tale. It gives a real insight into social services, life growing up black and in care all set in the 1980’s. It’s heartbreaking to see Leon trying to look after his new baby brother and his mentally unwell mother. It’s heartbreaking to see how it goes on for so long without anyone noticing.
The story was written so well, it is written from Leon’s perspective and it was so believably like a 9 year old child. You are really taken on a journey through his thoughts and feelings, seeing him trying to navigate his situation and seeing just how damaging his early life was is very thought provoking. Most of it is with the simplicity of a child, the way he doesn’t almost realise how bad his situation is. You, the reader, read his experiences through the mind as an adult and see what he is going through so differently than him. So when you get little snippets of how hurt he is, honestly they are quite hard to read.
I enjoyed reading how he gets interested in gardening, it was joyful to see that. ‘He’s always been good at looking after things.’ A great quote that give’s a full circle moment there.
Really enjoyed talking this book with my bookclub. It generated lots of questions and discussion.
https://tbrstack.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-my-name-is-leon.html
Leon is nine and his home life is a mess.
‘As soon as the summer holidays start, things get jangled up at home’.
His mother has a baby and Leon becomes the parent to his brother and mother. In time, it all falls apart and social services are involved. As his brother is a white baby he is adopted, Leon is not, and is passed onto a foster carer.
Leon relates his desperate story; the sadness of abandonment, his love for his brother and mother, and his realisation that he is black, and therefore in 1980s Britain, at a disadvantage. He chances upon an allotment where he finds a couple of equally lost souls, who become the father figure that Leon craves.
I was moved by Leon’s predicament. He desperately wants his mother and his brother, but feels that his mother must love his brother more than him. At one of the contact meetings he says
‘You could come back for me, and sometimes, I could be him’.
Equally his frustration at the scheming that goes on between Social Services and the carers is well written.
‘while they make their plans about him, while they make their plans without him’.
A fantastic book which left me grateful to have had a happy childhood and heartbroken for Leon.
Copy from Netgalley for review
‘As soon as the summer holidays start, things get jangled up at home’.
His mother has a baby and Leon becomes the parent to his brother and mother. In time, it all falls apart and social services are involved. As his brother is a white baby he is adopted, Leon is not, and is passed onto a foster carer.
Leon relates his desperate story; the sadness of abandonment, his love for his brother and mother, and his realisation that he is black, and therefore in 1980s Britain, at a disadvantage. He chances upon an allotment where he finds a couple of equally lost souls, who become the father figure that Leon craves.
I was moved by Leon’s predicament. He desperately wants his mother and his brother, but feels that his mother must love his brother more than him. At one of the contact meetings he says
‘You could come back for me, and sometimes, I could be him’.
Equally his frustration at the scheming that goes on between Social Services and the carers is well written.
‘while they make their plans about him, while they make their plans without him’.
A fantastic book which left me grateful to have had a happy childhood and heartbroken for Leon.
Copy from Netgalley for review
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So this one was a simple, quick read (2-3 days) and I moved onto next book right after just because I was on this ~reading high~; looking back I should've taken time to at least jot down a few points because despite the simplicity of the book's writing style it was rather loaded on the side of its discussed topics.
As I just mentioned, 'My Name Is Leon' is a novel that isn't too mind-boggling to read, yet underneath its sweet and heart-warming surface, grapples serious subjects that I've personally never really pondered about. More precisely, the book presented heavy topics - i.e. mental illness; culture and racism; and foster care - through the lens of an innocent nine-year. Exploring such issues with the perspective of person who is shaping their understanding of the world offers the reader a unique insight on them.
So. I returned the book to the library this morning after hoarding it for way too many weeks in scope of writing a super detailed review (and after paying a few late fees, of course). Here are the points it touched upon that still stuck to me to this day, 3 months after reading it (quite a while for my bad memory):
• How dealing with mental illness, left untreated and only to exacerbate, can take a toll on close family members and loved ones. It did so without villainizing it, yet didn't shy away prom depicting its rawness and ugliness. It was heartbreaking to see the way in which Leon and Jake's mother, Carol, spiralled downwards, but even more tragic to witness Leon's account of the whole situation.
• In response to the whole situation, Leon has the initiative to take care of his 1-year-old brother once he realizes his mother isn't equipped to do so anymore. This highlights two things about Leon: first, an undeniable sense of maturity that he has no choice but to develop when taking onto this huge task that requires a tremendous amount of responsibility. Second, his compassionate nature transcends in the way he handles his brother, by always making sure Jake feels comfortable and safe, indicative of the strong bond shared between the two.
• Soon after, the reader is made to witness the flaws of the foster care system, once the social workers in charge of Leon and Jake decide 'it would only be best' to separate the two. Again, two/three things to note here. It brings attention how cruel the system is... like, who-tf-actually-thinks-this-is-a-good-idea-i'm-lowkey-fuming-just-thinking-about-it?????? It also further strengthens the depiction of Leon as this loving and caring brother (and showcases his perseverance, since this event eventually fuels the whole plot surrounding his plan involving finding Jake and running away with him). Lastly, it was Leon's first encounter with racism, as Maureen, her foster parent, briefly explained to him that the reason Jake was took into care without Leon was due to his skin color.
• Quick props to Maureen. She's amazing. If people like her actually exist irl, I love you guys, keep doing what you do, you deserve the world tbh. Probably my favorite character of the book: she stuck to her opinions, helped Leon maintain a relationship with his mother, and showed great warmth in regards of all of her foster kids - she was sick and still insisted of taking care of Leon once she got out of the hospital.
• While she was in the hospital though, Leon was under the care of Portia, Maureen's sister. Leon would take his bike and ride through the neighborhood, and discovered this community garden where he meets Dougie. I believe that this character served in a way as a paternal figure to Leon: Dougie seemed from the get-go naturally good with kids (perhaps because he had some of his own; the book hinted at having lost them, and maybe in turn Leon also allowed him to fill that void), and transmitted bits of Black culture to Leon. However, not everything can be reduced to the appeal and curiosity of forging this new part of his identity, as Leon was unfortunate enough to witness first-hand racial inequality and violence.
The book finished on a high note, the ending was constructed in a way to leave the reader time to breath a sigh of relief after having accompanied Leon through his journey of his discovery of himself, his history, and the sometimes inhumane world surrounding him.
If this text got wack as the lines went by, it's bc I'm tired and probably wrote a review longer than the book itself. What am I doing with my life? Idk.
As I just mentioned, 'My Name Is Leon' is a novel that isn't too mind-boggling to read, yet underneath its sweet and heart-warming surface, grapples serious subjects that I've personally never really pondered about. More precisely, the book presented heavy topics - i.e. mental illness; culture and racism; and foster care - through the lens of an innocent nine-year. Exploring such issues with the perspective of person who is shaping their understanding of the world offers the reader a unique insight on them.
So. I returned the book to the library this morning after hoarding it for way too many weeks in scope of writing a super detailed review (and after paying a few late fees, of course). Here are the points it touched upon that still stuck to me to this day, 3 months after reading it (quite a while for my bad memory):
• How dealing with mental illness, left untreated and only to exacerbate, can take a toll on close family members and loved ones. It did so without villainizing it, yet didn't shy away prom depicting its rawness and ugliness. It was heartbreaking to see the way in which Leon and Jake's mother, Carol, spiralled downwards, but even more tragic to witness Leon's account of the whole situation.
• In response to the whole situation, Leon has the initiative to take care of his 1-year-old brother once he realizes his mother isn't equipped to do so anymore. This highlights two things about Leon: first, an undeniable sense of maturity that he has no choice but to develop when taking onto this huge task that requires a tremendous amount of responsibility. Second, his compassionate nature transcends in the way he handles his brother, by always making sure Jake feels comfortable and safe, indicative of the strong bond shared between the two.
• Soon after, the reader is made to witness the flaws of the foster care system, once the social workers in charge of Leon and Jake decide 'it would only be best' to separate the two. Again, two/three things to note here. It brings attention how cruel the system is... like, who-tf-actually-thinks-this-is-a-good-idea-i'm-lowkey-fuming-just-thinking-about-it?????? It also further strengthens the depiction of Leon as this loving and caring brother (and showcases his perseverance, since this event eventually fuels the whole plot surrounding his plan involving finding Jake and running away with him). Lastly, it was Leon's first encounter with racism, as Maureen, her foster parent, briefly explained to him that the reason Jake was took into care without Leon was due to his skin color.
• Quick props to Maureen. She's amazing. If people like her actually exist irl, I love you guys, keep doing what you do, you deserve the world tbh. Probably my favorite character of the book: she stuck to her opinions, helped Leon maintain a relationship with his mother, and showed great warmth in regards of all of her foster kids - she was sick and still insisted of taking care of Leon once she got out of the hospital.
• While she was in the hospital though, Leon was under the care of Portia, Maureen's sister. Leon would take his bike and ride through the neighborhood, and discovered this community garden where he meets Dougie. I believe that this character served in a way as a paternal figure to Leon: Dougie seemed from the get-go naturally good with kids (perhaps because he had some of his own; the book hinted at having lost them, and maybe in turn Leon also allowed him to fill that void), and transmitted bits of Black culture to Leon. However, not everything can be reduced to the appeal and curiosity of forging this new part of his identity, as Leon was unfortunate enough to witness first-hand racial inequality and violence.
The book finished on a high note, the ending was constructed in a way to leave the reader time to breath a sigh of relief after having accompanied Leon through his journey of his discovery of himself, his history, and the sometimes inhumane world surrounding him.
If this text got wack as the lines went by, it's bc I'm tired and probably wrote a review longer than the book itself. What am I doing with my life? Idk.
emotional
slow-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
Read for uni — not a bad book, just just not for me