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the_lissauros's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book which tells a story about police brutality and the black community in America. Beautifully written and with a theme and tone you don't see often in books, this story manages to both be relevant, but also abstract and give you a whole new experience of what it's like to live with fear because if the colour of your skin.
Just amazing!
Just amazing!
djkirsikirs's review against another edition
2.0
If I had a dollar for every time a character in this book says some version of "What the fuck?" or "What the hell?" I'd have a good amount of money. If I had another dollar for every time the main character talks about wanting to cry and throw up at the same time, I'd have enough to buy a different book.
I really like Jay Coles as an author and was excited to finally read his first novel after reading all his others. After finally doing so however, I was so disappointed. A lot of the dialog was bland and/or repetitive and I kept finding myself wishing that the narrator was showing rather than telling how he and the other characters in the book felt. Marvin would think about how he felt upset, but you couldn't really see that in his actions or words. Maybe part of that was because the reader doesn't really ever get to know Marvin at all.
No one in the book, not even Marvin, was really fleshed out at all. His best friends didn't really have personalities and neither did his brother, which left me feeling less invested once Tyler died.
I also was really put off by the letters that the main character receives from his father. They read more like the father's journal entries rather than letters to his son.
I think the subject matter that this story is exploring is so important, I just wish that it was a little more engaging. Maybe I'm just not the target audience for this book.
I really like Jay Coles as an author and was excited to finally read his first novel after reading all his others. After finally doing so however, I was so disappointed. A lot of the dialog was bland and/or repetitive and I kept finding myself wishing that the narrator was showing rather than telling how he and the other characters in the book felt. Marvin would think about how he felt upset, but you couldn't really see that in his actions or words. Maybe part of that was because the reader doesn't really ever get to know Marvin at all.
No one in the book, not even Marvin, was really fleshed out at all. His best friends didn't really have personalities and neither did his brother, which left me feeling less invested once Tyler died.
I also was really put off by the letters that the main character receives from his father. They read more like the father's journal entries rather than letters to his son.
I think the subject matter that this story is exploring is so important, I just wish that it was a little more engaging. Maybe I'm just not the target audience for this book.
pachypedia's review against another edition
4.0
Este libro es estremecedor. Además leerlo teniendo tan recientes los acontecimientos de semanas atrás en EEUU es tremendo. Me ha gustado mucho el personaje de Marvin y su evolución, también la forma tan real de mostrar cómo se enfrenta a los sucesos tan terribles que tiene que pasar, quizás porque el autor se basa en su propia experiencia con la pérdida de un familiar por la brutalidad policial. Sí es cierto que el libro tiene algunos problemillas, como que los buenos son muy buenos y los malos son muy malos, y me hubiera gustado saber más sobre el padre de Marvin y Tyler, pero me parece un libro muy recomendable. Y la cubierta es preciosa.
bcat0124's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
cosmicjess's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars
(triggers at the end)
this was fantastic. it showed the sides to police brutality that would only be heard from stories of those who'd lived it, and this book very much tells that story in the forefront. like other books in this subgenre of hard-hitting contemporary, it looks at the tough, and difficult aspect to police brutality, gang violence, and racism that plague the lives of black people and our journey day in and day out. something i thought to myself while reading this was how close to home it all hits, sometimes it got overwhelming with it.
but then honestly, ask most black folk, and we'll have similar answers: it hits close to home for expereiences we deal with in our white, eurocentric, homogenous society.
besides the message, i thought it was well-written and gripping, but i found myself connecting with the characters kind of shallowly. we had similar experiences, but i wasn't connecting with them like i would in other ways, like their personalities weren't fleshed out incredibly much or their relationships, past the brotherly relationship between marvin and tyler. that was magnificent and heartbreaking to read about.
trigger warnings for
racism, colourism, police brutality, gang violence, drug/alcohol abuse, death of a loved one, grief
(triggers at the end)
this was fantastic. it showed the sides to police brutality that would only be heard from stories of those who'd lived it, and this book very much tells that story in the forefront. like other books in this subgenre of hard-hitting contemporary, it looks at the tough, and difficult aspect to police brutality, gang violence, and racism that plague the lives of black people and our journey day in and day out. something i thought to myself while reading this was how close to home it all hits, sometimes it got overwhelming with it.
but then honestly, ask most black folk, and we'll have similar answers: it hits close to home for expereiences we deal with in our white, eurocentric, homogenous society.
besides the message, i thought it was well-written and gripping, but i found myself connecting with the characters kind of shallowly. we had similar experiences, but i wasn't connecting with them like i would in other ways, like their personalities weren't fleshed out incredibly much or their relationships, past the brotherly relationship between marvin and tyler. that was magnificent and heartbreaking to read about.
trigger warnings for
racism, colourism, police brutality, gang violence, drug/alcohol abuse, death of a loved one, grief
chessandsunflowers's review against another edition
2.0
I honestly want to give this book something between a 2 and a 3. There’s something about it that just fell short for me. I enjoyed some of the imagery the book used, and the cover is absolutely stunning. But, the first chapter just felt disjointed from the rest of the book and was never really revisited ever again which made it all feel flat. There are quite a few times where scenes happen in this book, but they don’t all connect together. It also feels a taste like the book was trying to tackle too much at once, like how Dear Martin felt for me. I found myself being taken out of the book and having a ruined suspension of disbelief just because.... like, clearing these things happen, and Black Lives Matter forever and always, a-freaking-men, BUT the events of this book just don’t hit like they should. They just don’t have that real feel to me. And, the ending felt incredibly rushed and wasn’t satisfying at all. I just wish there was more power to this read, I guess. It was just missing that oomph for me. I wanted a bit more from it.
postitsandpens's review against another edition
4.0
This was a solid book that did a good job dealing with some very tough subjects, like police brutality, racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, and why such a movement is necessary. Jay Coles doesn't pull any punches; he lets you see exactly what being Black in America is like in so many places throughout the country. Marvin is an idealist, who's brought up assuming that if he simply listens to the police and does as they say he'll be alright. This belief, however, disintegrates when his twin brother, Tyler, is killed by a white police officer, and the murder is caught on camera. What results is an uptick of racial tension, with some people siding with the police officer, and others standing up for Tyler, and all of the other Black men and women who've been killed by police solely because of the color of their skin.
If you're looking for a good "own voices" title to add to your TBR, I'd definitely recommend this one. It's just unfortunate that the people who need to read a book such as this will be the ones who won't.
If you're looking for a good "own voices" title to add to your TBR, I'd definitely recommend this one. It's just unfortunate that the people who need to read a book such as this will be the ones who won't.
moorealexa's review against another edition
4.0
"All i am left thinking is: What lesson did i have to be taught?
Not to be a concerned individual?
Not to care about someone else's innocent life, the boy lying unconscious across from me?
Not to care about my own life?
Not to be a member of my own race?"
3.5 rounded up!
i really enjoyed this! obviously loved the message and think this is really important. but unfortunately i felt this lacked a bit of something for me. this book was very short and i think the way the story was told i found it hard to fully connect with the MC. i think this would be perfect for younger readers!
Not to be a concerned individual?
Not to care about someone else's innocent life, the boy lying unconscious across from me?
Not to care about my own life?
Not to be a member of my own race?"
3.5 rounded up!
i really enjoyed this! obviously loved the message and think this is really important. but unfortunately i felt this lacked a bit of something for me. this book was very short and i think the way the story was told i found it hard to fully connect with the MC. i think this would be perfect for younger readers!