Reviews

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

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rainbowbookworm's review against another edition

5.0

This book broke my heart.

It is easy for people to dismiss books because they are aimed at middle school readers: To those people I offer up this book.

Genesis internalized racism is born in her father's broken psyche, but also in her grandmother's open disdain for darker skin. Throughout this book we see her try to lighten her skin in various ways--which include a disturbingly heartbreaking scene with an exfoliator.

As if that wasn't enough, she also faces housing insecurity as her father is an alcoholic and a gambler. The result of the constant moving is that she has not really made friends until... read this book and find out.

kathleenes's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

This is a great book. It’s a sad read, it’s meant to make you feel the feelings. It taught me things, it made me frustrated and sad and angry…but I also really liked it.

roseleaf24's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm having a hard time reviewing this book. It was really well written, and a rare gem in that character, plot, and setting were equally strong. We need diverse books. We need diverse books so that everyone can see themselves reflected on the page, and so that our eyes are opened to experiences beyond our own. This book I think serves the first purpose better than the second, at least for middle grade readers. I'm afraid my white, middle grade daughter growing up in a town without great diversity, would come away from this reading with more negative impressions of other races than positive ones, and I'm not sure that would be beneficial to her in the long run. As an adult reader, I really enjoyed this book and appreciated the layers and the issues raised and discussed. I also found it very stressful, as Genesis took on some big problems and tried to solve them herself.

julesrisica's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.0

brittneyfike's review against another edition

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5.0

What a fantastic book & perfect for middle schoolers. The audiobook was wonderful. Genesis is struggling with her identity and dealing with some tough situations at home. I loved the first person narrative POV. Highly recommend this one!