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piperlee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Steve is a young Black budding movie-maker who desires to show the true stories behind his community. He is also implicated in a robbery gone wrong, which could lead to the rest of his childhood spent behind bars. This book follows the trial that will decide where Steve will spend the next 25 years - either in prison or at home with his parents and little brother. I loved the unique formatting of the book - the majority written as a screenplay that Steve is creating to tell the story of his trial, mixed with a handful of first-person journal accounts that allow the reader to get a better glimpse into what Steve is thinking while awaiting his verdict. Throughout the book, the author allows the reader to choose who and what to believe, creating a commentary on truth and life circumstances rather than steering the reader to believe something specific. I was expecting more substantial commentary on racism and systemic injustice, and while these themes are definitely part of the story, the focus was placed more on the individuals and the circumstances they found themselves in. By the end, there are still questions left unanswered and the reader can wrestle with how to approach these questions, but this only creates a stronger case for the broader questions and ideas it seems the author wants us to think about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault
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