Reviews

Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

spencer0o7's review against another edition

2.0

this book is okay if you can ignore the antiblackness and the fact that asian, indigenous, and south american people are grouped in w black people which I find very strange. just throughout this whole book I had this feeling of not truly being able to relate to it since I know the author didn’t GENUINELY have my experiences in mind while writing it. Besides that the book is enjoyable and does a nice job at describing the world the characters live in.

kirahvireads's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

au_conn1's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

chloevictoria8's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

qt_neesha's review against another edition

informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A true love letter to women of colour everywhere! 

mercbubble42's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

cubaitlubin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

Such a cool piece. So specific in its detail, making it unexpectedly universal, especially with its plural first person "we" POV. Poetic composition and compelling narration on the audiobook. This is girlhood and legacy and identity and sense of place.

standardchaos's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook of Brown Girls if you have the chance. It was read like it was poetry and was so beautiful, the narrator, Tashi Thomas, did a wonderful job.

I definitely saw myself, my mother, and a lot of other women in my family in many aspects of this novel. There are so many great quotes, especially on being Brown in the diaspora. I can't believe this was a debut novel!

vicisbookblog's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

theeuphoriczat's review against another edition

3.0

I read this book in one sitting because it just flowed so well. Brown Girls is a coming-of-age novel that follows a group of young women of colour as they navigate love, media perceptions, politics, working in corporate jobs, education, relationships, immigration, diversity and friendship. I think on thing this book did really well was how it highlighted the differences between the girls even with the similar universality of their experiences.

It just says Brown girls are not a monolith, some will try to disappear the part of them that relates with other members of their group and will "... listen as these white people deem us and our families the good immigrants, the hard-working ones-not like the lazy people in this country who are a burden on the system. (It dawns on us that some of our families have parroted these arguments, too.) No, we are the grateful brown people. Thank you for colonizing our ancestors' countries, for the wars and dictators! We are so thankful for your civilizing religion and visas! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you".

Others will absolutely refuse to be assimilated or erased, they will question and stand up to those trying to reduce their existence, undermine their country and place and they will teach that love to their friends (because brown girls believe in community and responsibility) until they are able to come to the realisation that home is always within us and we do not need to change or renounce ourselves to be home.

Quote of my favourite quotes from this book;
"But our rage does not banish our humiliation and fear, which we will never shake off, no matter how hard we try."

"Why did we ever believe home could only be one place? when existing in these bodies means holding many worlds within us."