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miszjeanie's review against another edition
5.0
In Genesis Begins Again, thirteen-year-old Genesis grapples with intense self-hate worsened by her father's verbal abuse and her grandmother's backward ideologies about skin color.
Told in Genesis's slangy voice, Genesis Begins Again flows naturally. My heart ached for Genesis as she does everything from bathing in milk to scrubbing with a scouring pad to rid herself of her black skin. Her naivete is shocking and often hard to believe, but the rise of bleaching creams shows me otherwise.
Genesis Begins Again is a phenomenal middle-grade debut with a strong message about colorism, self-love, and the power of music.
full review on https://readingmiddlegrade.com/review-genesis-begins-again/
Told in Genesis's slangy voice, Genesis Begins Again flows naturally. My heart ached for Genesis as she does everything from bathing in milk to scrubbing with a scouring pad to rid herself of her black skin. Her naivete is shocking and often hard to believe, but the rise of bleaching creams shows me otherwise.
Genesis Begins Again is a phenomenal middle-grade debut with a strong message about colorism, self-love, and the power of music.
full review on https://readingmiddlegrade.com/review-genesis-begins-again/
teyn's review against another edition
4.0
This was a slow read because it's incredibly hard-hitting and the way Genesis talks about herself broke my heart in places, but it was also such an important read.
katieproctorbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This was more like 4.5 stars... I really enjoyed it, but got bogged down a little bit in the tween angsty-ness of it. But Genesis will rip your heart right out—her ideas of self worth and beauty and how she came to those conclusions. I loved her relationship with her mom, though, and the new friendships she forms in the book. And the ending was really beautiful.
cheesehead_reader's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know what else to say except that I Loved this book. I love Genesis. This book had me laughing and crying and cheering. I just loved it.
ireanirean's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Colorism
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Well THAT just ripped my heart out.
2020 Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
2020 Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
notesonbookmarks's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, sweet Genesis. I just want to hug her. And tell her she is beautiful and loved.
caitlyn888's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those middle grade novels that isn't afraid to tackle the hard hitting subjects and go deep. A truly powerful read.
kiperoo's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Genesis immediately settles into your heart and won't let go. Amazing book.
brittsky's review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
2.5
This book has a purpose and an audience, but I don't think it understands either very well.
The first thirty percent, it was squarely in the 3.5 star range. I felt that the themes (mostly those of colorism and alcoholism) were handled very well for the age range and felt very true-to-life. Unfortunately, the overarching plot began to become so asinine that it was all I could do to keep reading, and the themes, especially colorism, began to become too simplified. Someone in my class mentioned that colorism is often implied instead of overt, but it feels like the author did not trust her audience to understand subtlety. Everything was stated directly to the reader, and it became very patronizing. I think an important consideration in YA literature is that kids are actually a lot smarter than many adults give them credit for. If, in real life, kids pick up on undertones and social cues in conversation, they can and should be encouraged to do so in books as well. Not everything needs to be spelled out.
Speaking of spelling things out, the resolution was frustratingly abrupt. She renounced all of the self-hate she'd been struggling with all book in the span of a two-minute conversation with her mother, and it felt like there were too many loose ends still dangling to suddenly take such a positive, everything-will-work-out tone in the last chapter. I was very disappointed by the absence of a realistic self-love arc after we spent the whole book mired in self-loathing. Because of how rushed the ending is, I don't think this book does its due diligence if it's trying to counsel other young people who struggle with similar issues of identity and self-image.
I also found Genesis's voice annoying, quite frankly, because of the way the author felt so compelled to make her sound casual while narrating. The slang (something like, "he really wasn't diggin' me, but then I rocked his socks off") and the informal exclamations (e.g. "oh, wait" or "oh my gosh!") felt forced and purposefully childish, and I just wasn't rockin' with that, ya dig?
The first thirty percent, it was squarely in the 3.5 star range. I felt that the themes (mostly those of colorism and alcoholism) were handled very well for the age range and felt very true-to-life. Unfortunately, the overarching plot began to become so asinine that it was all I could do to keep reading, and the themes, especially colorism, began to become too simplified. Someone in my class mentioned that colorism is often implied instead of overt, but it feels like the author did not trust her audience to understand subtlety. Everything was stated directly to the reader, and it became very patronizing. I think an important consideration in YA literature is that kids are actually a lot smarter than many adults give them credit for. If, in real life, kids pick up on undertones and social cues in conversation, they can and should be encouraged to do so in books as well. Not everything needs to be spelled out.
Speaking of spelling things out, the resolution was frustratingly abrupt. She renounced all of the self-hate she'd been struggling with all book in the span of a two-minute conversation with her mother, and it felt like there were too many loose ends still dangling to suddenly take such a positive, everything-will-work-out tone in the last chapter. I was very disappointed by the absence of a realistic self-love arc after we spent the whole book mired in self-loathing. Because of how rushed the ending is, I don't think this book does its due diligence if it's trying to counsel other young people who struggle with similar issues of identity and self-image.
I also found Genesis's voice annoying, quite frankly, because of the way the author felt so compelled to make her sound casual while narrating. The slang (something like, "he really wasn't diggin' me, but then I rocked his socks off") and the informal exclamations (e.g. "oh, wait" or "oh my gosh!") felt forced and purposefully childish, and I just wasn't rockin' with that, ya dig?