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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
There were times when I felt invested in this novel, and the dramatic moments really shine. But I also spent way too much time being frustrated with the characters. The stakes were so varied and there were so many plotlines, all of which, again, resolved themselves in dramatic and emotional ways, but overall it just kind of felt meh.
Life on the Rez isn't easy, but neither is life in the city. Set in 1980s upstate New York, on the Tuscarora reservation and nearby cities, this isn't a sequel to If I Ever Get Out of Here but is set in the same world, with many of the same characters. The blend of reservation life and life outside is skillful, and there's nothing about the lives of Carson, Maggi, Lewis and their families and friends that won't be both familiar and real for readers. The "real world" intrudes in the form of a racist diner, racist coworkers and John Lennon's death - and there's a squicky couple of relationships. For readers looking for another view of Indian life, this (and the previous book) are must reads.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
DNF about halfway, but not because it was bad! It just wasn't interesting? "Slice of life" bildungsromans are just really not my thing, and while the characters were interesting, it was not really exciting. I picked this up after hearing Gansworth speak on a panel about toxic masculinity, and I really wanted to love it. This belongs in the "great book but just not my genre" pile.
I almost bailed because of the pedophile but stuck it out and it wasn’t too bad in the end.
This book was oddly written (I had to reread bits because thoughts started and seemingly never ended) and slow to start, but I wish I could hand it to every 15-year-old girl I meet.
It's 1980 and Carson wants to win Battle of the Bands to get a free trip to NYC. But first he needs a band. That's the basic premise of this book, but it's so, so much more than that. Carson is a Tuscarora Indian living on a reservation and at the very beginning of the book his brother is shot and injured when he robs a local restaurant - a restaurant named after and honoring George Custer, famous Indian killer. This starts in motion a social justice movement that will have impact beyond what Carson could have imagined.
Magpie and her family have just moved back to the Reservation after years of living as City Indians. As Maggi relearns the ways of "the Rez" she also starts a job working at the school cleaning school buses and develops a crush on a white man twice her age who also seems interested in her. As Maggi and Carson's stories intertwine, the book explores much to do with race and the relationship between white people and Indians.
This is a complex story with characters that will stay with me for a long time. At times I wondered where the narratives were going, but when they came together everything fit into place. This is a novel with a strong sense of time and place, using the Beatles, specifically John Lennon, and Yoko Ono to tie everything together. Although we're revisiting characters from Gansworth's previous teen novel If I Ever Get Out of Here, this story stands on its own.
Hand this book to fans of John Green's thoughtful teen characters and teens interested in music and/or social justice.
Magpie and her family have just moved back to the Reservation after years of living as City Indians. As Maggi relearns the ways of "the Rez" she also starts a job working at the school cleaning school buses and develops a crush on a white man twice her age who also seems interested in her. As Maggi and Carson's stories intertwine, the book explores much to do with race and the relationship between white people and Indians.
This is a complex story with characters that will stay with me for a long time. At times I wondered where the narratives were going, but when they came together everything fit into place. This is a novel with a strong sense of time and place, using the Beatles, specifically John Lennon, and Yoko Ono to tie everything together. Although we're revisiting characters from Gansworth's previous teen novel If I Ever Get Out of Here, this story stands on its own.
Hand this book to fans of John Green's thoughtful teen characters and teens interested in music and/or social justice.
The story doesn’t get interesting until a little into the second half, when Carson starts the protest against the racist Custard.
The blurb was a bit misleading with the “first love” bit; I thought Carson and Maggi would get together, but instead Carson has an unrequited crush on her while she, a fifteen-year-old, gets into a disturbing relationship with the pervy Jim, a thirty-year-old white man. In fact, both Jim and Custard are disgusting, with the way they, grown-ass “men,” bully and prey on teenagers.
If anything, the one I rooted for was Lewis. The poor kid was bullied and picked on throughout the book, both by those assholes and his “friends,” but glad he stood up for himself in the end. Don’t know if I want to read his book, though; I hate bullies.
The blurb was a bit misleading with the “first love” bit; I thought Carson and Maggi would get together, but instead Carson has an unrequited crush on her while she, a fifteen-year-old, gets into a disturbing relationship with the pervy Jim, a thirty-year-old white man. In fact, both Jim and Custard are disgusting, with the way they, grown-ass “men,” bully and prey on teenagers.
If anything, the one I rooted for was Lewis. The poor kid was bullied and picked on throughout the book, both by those assholes and his “friends,” but glad he stood up for himself in the end. Don’t know if I want to read his book, though; I hate bullies.
Mixed bag for me. I started this in June or July but wasn’t engaged enough to read consistently or straight through. This is despite the John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Beatles references, the beautiful artwork, the story of finding one’s place, code switching, racist jerks, coming-of-age, good people, not-so-good people, art and music, friendships and sibling relationships.
In other words it should have been right up my alley, but largely I was bored. There would be periods of curiosity or interest, but my interest was never held until the last third of the book. The storytelling seemed hot and cold, certain characters felt never fully developed, and perhaps the author should have focused on fewer in richer detail. Also, I understand how the chronology built, but some storylines seemed drawn out and others rushed. The pacing felt off.
Between a particular glowing critical review and all the book’s themes, I thought this was going to be a page-turner. Hopefully others enjoy it more, but I’m not anticipating this being really popular at school (donating my copy).
In other words it should have been right up my alley, but largely I was bored. There would be periods of curiosity or interest, but my interest was never held until the last third of the book. The storytelling seemed hot and cold, certain characters felt never fully developed, and perhaps the author should have focused on fewer in richer detail. Also, I understand how the chronology built, but some storylines seemed drawn out and others rushed. The pacing felt off.
Between a particular glowing critical review and all the book’s themes, I thought this was going to be a page-turner. Hopefully others enjoy it more, but I’m not anticipating this being really popular at school (donating my copy).
This book was a little slow to grab me, but I definitely became very invested in these characters. There's such a mix of stakes at play here--will these teens win their battle of the bands? Will Maggi have sex for the first time with a shady older guy? will white people honor native treaties and respect native culture? And yet every level of conflict is ultimately so compelling.
This is such a good example of a YA historical fiction being grounded in a specific time and place--this isn't just set in 1980 because the author grew up then and didn't want to deal with cell phones, it's set in 1980 because of the political & pop culture context of specifically John Lennon's life and death, and Yoko Ono's life.
A great read, particularly for teens who are interested in music and/or social justice.
This is such a good example of a YA historical fiction being grounded in a specific time and place--this isn't just set in 1980 because the author grew up then and didn't want to deal with cell phones, it's set in 1980 because of the political & pop culture context of specifically John Lennon's life and death, and Yoko Ono's life.
A great read, particularly for teens who are interested in music and/or social justice.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Racism