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penniew79's review against another edition
1.0
I am not one to never finish a book. I believe in trying to finish even some of the worst books I’ve read. Sadly this was my first, and hopefully only, DNF. I tried so hard to like it. I just couldn’t get into it. I made it all the way to the middle and it just was not getting any better.
I won this ebook through a Goodreads giveaway. My review is my own honest opinion.
I won this ebook through a Goodreads giveaway. My review is my own honest opinion.
penniew79's review
1.0
I am not one to never finish a book. I believe in trying to finish even some of the worst books I’ve read. Sadly this was my first, and hopefully only, DNF. I tried so hard to like it. I just couldn’t get into it. I made it all the way to the middle and it just was not getting any better.
I won this ebook through a Goodreads giveaway. My review is my own honest opinion.
I won this ebook through a Goodreads giveaway. My review is my own honest opinion.
jaesting's review
4.0
Great perspective
I didn't think I would enjoy this story as much as I did. I liked seeing the perspective of police brutality from the view of the main character.
I didn't think I would enjoy this story as much as I did. I liked seeing the perspective of police brutality from the view of the main character.
andrewaackroyd's review
5.0
Now Lila Knows is a deeply thoughtful meditation on contemporary American issues. Nunez tracks everything from the opioid epidemic to police violence, allowing her to weave literary and social criticism into her moving central narrative.
jcinf's review
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This was an okay book, no doubt. But it wasn’t anything groundbreaking.
The characters were hard to like at times. A couple of the black characters were resentful toward Lila for not inherently understanding racial dynamics in the United States. Even tho how could she know? She’s not from America. She’s from the Caribbean. Teach her, sure. But stop alienating/punishing her for something that’s not her fault.
The racial points made felt very surface level. She tried to write about nuanced topics, but it missed the mark for me. It’s like that expression “Show. Don’t tell.” It was a lot of “telling” and not a lot of “showing.”
One character in particular did a lot of preaching and seemed to repeat himself. To me, his speeches seemed like lazy writing on the author’s part. She tried to make up in dialogue what she lacked in plot. In other words, the lectures served as a replacement for real plot points — instead of Lila having personal experiences and learning those lessons on her own.
And the laziest part is the end. In the last 10 pages of the book, Lila just basically regurgitated his speeches back to him to prove how much she has learned.
None of the concepts presented in this book were new to me. And that’s not me trying to seem like a “good white person.” That’s just me saying that for anyone who has done a decent amount of learning about racism in America, the concepts presented may read as elementary. Granted, my boyfriend is from west Africa, so I already knew about the dynamic of African people not seeing themselves as being “black” until spending time in the United States. So, while that isn’t new to me, that particular perspective might be new to some people.
Plot wise, this book didn’t have a whole lot happen. Lila had an internal conflict for the majority of the book, but when she made her decision… nothing happened? So all the back and forth she went through were kinda pointless. And the climax was kinda dull too. I couldn’t really tell you what the climax even was.
That said, I did think this was a decent book. It might seem like I really disliked the book, but it was pretty good. The idea of the book is just better than the execution of it. I didn’t think it was anything particularly profound or exciting. And it definitely could’ve been better.
If you’re looking for a book that gives a more detailed, nuanced, or profound exploration of racial identity in America (especially the difference in identity between being Black and being African) try Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
The characters were hard to like at times. A couple of the black characters were resentful toward Lila for not inherently understanding racial dynamics in the United States. Even tho how could she know? She’s not from America. She’s from the Caribbean. Teach her, sure. But stop alienating/punishing her for something that’s not her fault.
The racial points made felt very surface level. She tried to write about nuanced topics, but it missed the mark for me. It’s like that expression “Show. Don’t tell.” It was a lot of “telling” and not a lot of “showing.”
One character in particular did a lot of preaching and seemed to repeat himself. To me, his speeches seemed like lazy writing on the author’s part. She tried to make up in dialogue what she lacked in plot. In other words, the lectures served as a replacement for real plot points — instead of Lila having personal experiences and learning those lessons on her own.
And the laziest part is the end. In the last 10 pages of the book, Lila just basically regurgitated his speeches back to him to prove how much she has learned.
None of the concepts presented in this book were new to me. And that’s not me trying to seem like a “good white person.” That’s just me saying that for anyone who has done a decent amount of learning about racism in America, the concepts presented may read as elementary. Granted, my boyfriend is from west Africa, so I already knew about the dynamic of African people not seeing themselves as being “black” until spending time in the United States. So, while that isn’t new to me, that particular perspective might be new to some people.
Plot wise, this book didn’t have a whole lot happen. Lila had an internal conflict for the majority of the book, but when she made her decision… nothing happened? So all the back and forth she went through were kinda pointless. And the climax was kinda dull too. I couldn’t really tell you what the climax even was.
That said, I did think this was a decent book. It might seem like I really disliked the book, but it was pretty good. The idea of the book is just better than the execution of it. I didn’t think it was anything particularly profound or exciting. And it definitely could’ve been better.
If you’re looking for a book that gives a more detailed, nuanced, or profound exploration of racial identity in America (especially the difference in identity between being Black and being African) try Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Blood, and Gun violence
Minor: Slavery and Rape
bookdragon217's review
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
"It's not about resentments. It's about righting a wrong that people have been forced to suffer for hundreds of years. It's about justice."
Now Lila Knows by Elizabeth Nunez was a compelling and timely read. It was a reflective read that interrogated accountability, racism in academia and social justice, the disconnect between American Blacks and the Caribbean and the power dynamics at play when someone chooses to speak up. The core of the plot revolves around Lila, a Caribbean immigrant who witnessed police murder a Black professor who they perceived as harming a white woman when he was in fact performing CPR and saving her life. Lila, has to reckon with her own ideas about race, identity and race relations in the U.S. as she ponders whether she should disclose to police what she witnessed.
I really enjoyed this one because of how relevant it is. Nunez asks us to reckon with ourselves when we see injustices happen. Who is harmed and benefits when we are silent about injustices that happen to Black people? Who speaks for the victim when witnesses stay silent? Are we willing to risk it all for equity and justice? How do we live with ourselves when we allow people to continue to be killed without calling for accountability?
Nunez also illuminates the way the institution of academia is a reflection of greater U.S. society in the ways that it calls for diversity but in reality just wants to fulfill quotas and check boxes but doesn't care about leveling the playing field or about social justice. Academia is also a place where white supremacy goes unchecked and becomes a vehicle of oppression for BIPOC professors and students. Only when systems are challenged, can seeds of change be planted and bloom.
Another great point that Nunez made is that all Black people of the diaspora need to be a united front in social justice movements. Decolonization is the first step to unlearning the falsehoods we've internalized. White people who call themselves "allies" need to take the lead & be responsible for cleaning up the mess that they made & not expect Black people to do the work for them. Black lives are being lost while too many remain silent. The time for action is now.
I highly recommend this one because it was such a solid read from start to finish. The writing was thoughtful and beautiful. The multiple perspectives were illuminating. Nunez is a voice that is relevant, propulsive and necessary. Everything she writes, I will read.
Now Lila Knows by Elizabeth Nunez was a compelling and timely read. It was a reflective read that interrogated accountability, racism in academia and social justice, the disconnect between American Blacks and the Caribbean and the power dynamics at play when someone chooses to speak up. The core of the plot revolves around Lila, a Caribbean immigrant who witnessed police murder a Black professor who they perceived as harming a white woman when he was in fact performing CPR and saving her life. Lila, has to reckon with her own ideas about race, identity and race relations in the U.S. as she ponders whether she should disclose to police what she witnessed.
I really enjoyed this one because of how relevant it is. Nunez asks us to reckon with ourselves when we see injustices happen. Who is harmed and benefits when we are silent about injustices that happen to Black people? Who speaks for the victim when witnesses stay silent? Are we willing to risk it all for equity and justice? How do we live with ourselves when we allow people to continue to be killed without calling for accountability?
Nunez also illuminates the way the institution of academia is a reflection of greater U.S. society in the ways that it calls for diversity but in reality just wants to fulfill quotas and check boxes but doesn't care about leveling the playing field or about social justice. Academia is also a place where white supremacy goes unchecked and becomes a vehicle of oppression for BIPOC professors and students. Only when systems are challenged, can seeds of change be planted and bloom.
Another great point that Nunez made is that all Black people of the diaspora need to be a united front in social justice movements. Decolonization is the first step to unlearning the falsehoods we've internalized. White people who call themselves "allies" need to take the lead & be responsible for cleaning up the mess that they made & not expect Black people to do the work for them. Black lives are being lost while too many remain silent. The time for action is now.
I highly recommend this one because it was such a solid read from start to finish. The writing was thoughtful and beautiful. The multiple perspectives were illuminating. Nunez is a voice that is relevant, propulsive and necessary. Everything she writes, I will read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racism
2treads's review
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
"Catharsis makes you feel better; you have taken a load off your shoulders, but does catharsis make the world better? It doesn't matter what people feel; it matters what they do." —Kenton
Nunez writes simply, yet affectingly, a story of a Caribbean woman coming to a world where she is on the periphery of the deeply unsettling racial prejudices and outlooks in a mostly white college town.
Lila is light-skinned and is aware of the privilege that is afforded her and others who look like her in the Caribbean. What she is not prepared for or knowledgeable enough on, is the institutionalised racial perceptions of America.
So when she is confronted by and witnesses the murder of a college professor, she begins to question not only her legacy, but the legacy of her family, her island and her region. Interacting with the history and aftermath of this murder, Lila comes face to face with her reality of being under- informed about the politics of America and how that threads through every aspect of their society.
I love how Nunez incorporates the sense of staying on the outskirts of racial issues if one is from another diapsoric cohort, even when one belongs to the targeted minority race. The intellectual and personal interactions between Lila and her Black colleagues leads to tension, misunderstandings, and harsh exchanges. But it also allows for a bridge to be built where empathy and willingness to fight for our brothers no matter the country is the ultimate outcome.
Nunez writes simply, yet affectingly, a story of a Caribbean woman coming to a world where she is on the periphery of the deeply unsettling racial prejudices and outlooks in a mostly white college town.
Lila is light-skinned and is aware of the privilege that is afforded her and others who look like her in the Caribbean. What she is not prepared for or knowledgeable enough on, is the institutionalised racial perceptions of America.
So when she is confronted by and witnesses the murder of a college professor, she begins to question not only her legacy, but the legacy of her family, her island and her region. Interacting with the history and aftermath of this murder, Lila comes face to face with her reality of being under- informed about the politics of America and how that threads through every aspect of their society.
I love how Nunez incorporates the sense of staying on the outskirts of racial issues if one is from another diapsoric cohort, even when one belongs to the targeted minority race. The intellectual and personal interactions between Lila and her Black colleagues leads to tension, misunderstandings, and harsh exchanges. But it also allows for a bridge to be built where empathy and willingness to fight for our brothers no matter the country is the ultimate outcome.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, Racism, Pregnancy, and Murder
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