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zids's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I have never been annoyed by first person until this story. Kiara isn't an annoying character, but she constantly 'realises' 'doesnt understand' 'wonders' things about the characters around her. The author, Leila Mottley, is a poet, which I could've guessed from the prose, which bombarded me with flowery sentences about Every Single Thing the character witnesses and experiences.
I couldn't help but think of that scene from the trailer of American Fiction, where Issa Rae's character says "Where's OUR representation?" before reading an excerpt from her book thay goes "Yo Sharonda, girl you be pregnant again??" I tried not to think about it cause it seemed harsh, but still.
I am not from Oakland and have never experienced desperation like this. I don't know if I'm bad for hoping for a positive ending. To me, the story was too bleak. Kiara had zero allies except for Trevor, who was so young that she needed to shield him from the truth of what happened to her. And after everything she experiences, after her best friend and her brother disavow her for her work (they come around but still, my ass would NOT have forgiven them), after being dragged into media spotlight and humiliated by the police, she gets nothing. The story ended on a kind of lighthearted note? She has consensual sex for the first time and Trevor comes to see her, it just doesn't feel satisfying considering the shit they put her through.
Not that stories need to have a happy ending, this just felt in serious want of one.
I hope I'm not being too brutal. I was tossing up between a Three (I didn't enjoy reading this book) and a four (it had something important to say, very beautiful language, and I think promises much from the author's future) So I settled on a 3.5.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Rape
bessadams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Death of parent
Moderate: Self harm, Drug use, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Death, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, and Violence
baratheonbooks's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Abandonment
ireadtoescape_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Rape, and Self harm
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Vomit, Pedophilia, Drug use, Excrement, Bullying, Rape, Suicide attempt, and Blood
Minor: Transphobia
zoinkie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Alcohol, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Death of parent
_meeg's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Grief, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Child death, Death, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Gun violence, Abandonment, Sexual content, Violence, Addiction, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Hate crime, Police brutality, Classism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence
anna_in_the_spring's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The writing is lyrical, which I only like sometimes. While I thought it was okay in this book, maybe that was because I had a much bigger problem with the language that is being used. In dialogue and sometimes also in internal speech African American dialect is being used. And I hated that. Let me explain. I am a non-native English speaker with dyslexia. Slangs and dialects in written English ( and any other written language I understand) irritate me greatly. I am at a level of reading comprehension with regular English where I can just read the text. Written dialects trigger my dyslexia and slow me down a great deal and make understanding difficult. They are like another foreign language. And I don't have the energy to deal with that. I just want to read a book, not struggle with a language that to me, who had such a hard time learning the original language, seems just wrong and like someone is playing a malicious prank on me.
I understand that this is not the intention and I don't have a problem with the existence of dialects. Just with having to read them. I try avoiding these kind of books.
I still struggled through the book , skimming over some parts, because it is a good book. And I understand why the language is as it is. It just wasn't for me. That's fine.
I didn't enjoy the plot, but I don't think you're supposed to. I'm not a big fan of tragedies, so again, not really for me. The subject matter is also thankfully very far removed from me. Still, if the dialect hadn't been there, I might have been able to enjoy the book, the way one enjoys a tragedy. Like this, I was never really able to get into it. But without the dialect it would have been a different book. So, again, this was just not for me. And that's fine.
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Trafficking, Drug use, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicide
thisbookrox's review against another edition
4.25
definitely read CWs before reading.
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Blood, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Trafficking, Violence, Abandonment, Vomit, and Child death
Minor: Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use
tesslw's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
17 year old Kiara and her big brother, Marcus are living on the brink. With their father dead, mother in a halfway house and rents rising, Marcus’ decision to quit his job and commit all his time to his promise to ‘break through’ as a rap artist is wearing as thin as the clothes on their backs. Desperate, and seeking ways to pay their rent and buy food as well for 9 year old Trevor next door, whose mother is rarely home (more often out searching for her next fix) Kiara begins to walk the streets of Oakland to try to stay afloat - and keep everybody housed. What begins as a dark curiosity quickly becomes a necessity, and then the circle tightens and Kiara finds herself unable to leave - until things turn really sour.
Let me be really clear when I say that this book is BLEAK. Beautifully lyrical in its searching desperation, but it is cold, and barren in so many ways other than the language in which Kiara’s story is told. It’s heartbreaking and uncomfortable but so compelling. I’ve seen a few reviews say the same thing but I genuinely don’t think I can do this book justice in a short review - I would urge you to read it for yourself (but please be wary of trigger warnings and content - this is about as far from an upbeat read as you can get!). It’s an incredibly important story, even more so knowing that the author took inspiration from a true case in which the Oakland police department were embroiled in a scandal involving the sexual exploitation of a minor at the hands of a number of serving officers - from which no criminal charges were faced.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Drug use, and Addiction
jamieruwen's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Death of parent, Excrement, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, and Vomit