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jessoehrlein's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
About being a poor Black student at an elite PWI. Lots of notes of what is the same or different about that experience from being an affluent Black student or a poor white student (which I really appreciated!), but mainly about pushing back on/revealing major acts of racism and classism on campus and the way the university systems rarely result in justice.
Very plot-driven and a quick read, and characters and relationships didn't feel fully developed. But there are moments of a lot of really interesting things -- the relationship to the near-ish by HBCU, the older Black woman that Savannah boards with vs. the Black woman who is president of the university.
Very plot-driven and a quick read, and characters and relationships didn't feel fully developed. But there are moments of a lot of really interesting things -- the relationship to the near-ish by HBCU, the older Black woman that Savannah boards with vs. the Black woman who is president of the university.
hannahb1533's review
3.0
A 3.5 for me.
As someone who works at a college there were many points in this book that felt very familiar to the sad truths of how certain members of administration see minority students. I will agree with what some others have said and say that more focus on smaller microagressions would have driven home the point of the book more rather than larger racial tensions (which are seen a bit less on campuses, but microagressions run wild). I understand that the bigger situations could be used to make the book more relatable to a larger audience and easier to focus on that less visible scenarios would have been, but I wish that extra layer was there.
I also do not work at a huge Ivy League school but the fact that Lucas was known by everyone at this giant school felt off to me. Even as a fraternity president, it is rare that everyone on campus is going to know one student in particular. I think the story could have been more focused on injustices from the college as a whole rather than the atrocious behavior of one student.
These are not my liver experiences though. This is how I perceived the boom from the mind set of a white college staff member. I will never pretend to know what it feels like to be a Black student at a PWI. I think this book can bring forward a lot of awareness, I just wish it was done in mildly different ways
As someone who works at a college there were many points in this book that felt very familiar to the sad truths of how certain members of administration see minority students. I will agree with what some others have said and say that more focus on smaller microagressions would have driven home the point of the book more rather than larger racial tensions (which are seen a bit less on campuses, but microagressions run wild). I understand that the bigger situations could be used to make the book more relatable to a larger audience and easier to focus on that less visible scenarios would have been, but I wish that extra layer was there.
I also do not work at a huge Ivy League school but the fact that Lucas was known by everyone at this giant school felt off to me. Even as a fraternity president, it is rare that everyone on campus is going to know one student in particular. I think the story could have been more focused on injustices from the college as a whole rather than the atrocious behavior of one student.
These are not my liver experiences though. This is how I perceived the boom from the mind set of a white college staff member. I will never pretend to know what it feels like to be a Black student at a PWI. I think this book can bring forward a lot of awareness, I just wish it was done in mildly different ways
waywordxwitch's review
5.0
~ ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion ~
This was such a great book. While the subject matter is always the bite in the butt - because why in 2022 are we still having to write books like this, because this is how the world still is. However, it's great to have books that fit the black girl experience, voice and soul. This is the first book this year going to the top of my readers advisory.
This was such a great book. While the subject matter is always the bite in the butt - because why in 2022 are we still having to write books like this, because this is how the world still is. However, it's great to have books that fit the black girl experience, voice and soul. This is the first book this year going to the top of my readers advisory.
gracelynnreads's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
4.75
lawbooks600's review against another edition
3.0
Representation: Black main character
Trigger warnings: Racism, childbirth
6/10, this wasn't a good novel, it's one of those books about social justice issues, sometimes they are executed well like Sugar Town Queens or When the Ground is Hard, sometimes they are not, like Off the Record or The Unpopular Vote. This book falls into the latter category mainly because it was just so preachy it was trying to drive the message of racism into my head over and over again and I felt really irritated. The plot is really unrealistic and too structured since it's just the main character going to a school just to find one racist guy called Lucas and then stop him eventually but it dragged as some of the characters fought over each other to try and solve the problem and she just did other things other than trying to stop Lucas.
All the characters were quite flat and the antagonist didn't really have any motive to his racist acts and he was privileged because of his rich family. That's it. The main character shouted at other characters at times which I didn't like. The ending was resolved rather quickly when Lucas and some other students were removed from the school and Lucas' father was under investigation. If you like a novel about racism try When the Ground is Hard instead of this book.
Trigger warnings: Racism, childbirth
6/10, this wasn't a good novel, it's one of those books about social justice issues, sometimes they are executed well like Sugar Town Queens or When the Ground is Hard, sometimes they are not, like Off the Record or The Unpopular Vote. This book falls into the latter category mainly because it was just so preachy it was trying to drive the message of racism into my head over and over again and I felt really irritated. The plot is really unrealistic and too structured since it's just the main character going to a school just to find one racist guy called Lucas and then stop him eventually but it dragged as some of the characters fought over each other to try and solve the problem and she just did other things other than trying to stop Lucas.
All the characters were quite flat and the antagonist didn't really have any motive to his racist acts and he was privileged because of his rich family. That's it. The main character shouted at other characters at times which I didn't like. The ending was resolved rather quickly when Lucas and some other students were removed from the school and Lucas' father was under investigation. If you like a novel about racism try When the Ground is Hard instead of this book.
adrianaeh's review
3.0
I liked it. It’s was fun but also realistic. Definitely spoke to me as a college student who attends a pwi. I’m happy that I listened to it because I know that made me enjoy the book more. I liked the characters. The white students who weren’t her friends reminded me of Star’s friends in The Hate You Give. I wish there was a little more. Like an epilogue in the future to see what happens because I want to know what happened next.
wintermomof4's review
challenging
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
skiracechick's review
3.0
This is a story that should be told more often. I was hoping for more depth to the story, which I did not get. It felt like a good start, but didn’t quite hit the mark. And with all the buildup of the story, the ending felt kind of like a letdown (Although, to be honest, the most realist ending you can get). It would have been nice to get more development of the characters and their relationships. I’m intrigued to see what else this author comes out with.
kylamari's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
msethna's review
4.0
Required Reading gives readers a glimpse into the type of racism that people of color face on college campuses. It doesn't matter how hard they work, they are expected to be better and are treated unfairly. I think many people of color will connect and relate to the situations in this book.