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monalyisha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
The author's choice to write in the first-person, present-tense, however, did not work for me. It felt too straight-forward & matter-of-fact for a story that held so much poetic promise. I think this choice also made the telling feel long-winded (I did this, then I did this, then I did this...) when, at 304 pages, it really wasn't that lengthy at all. The years of Echo's life felt long. I felt like I lived each of her days along with her, minute by minute. And I felt like I knew too much about each of the people she encountered, too (which is maybe how it felt to *live* those struggle-filled days in a gossipy, close, & crowded neighborhood). I should also acknowledge that another part of why it felt so long was probably because of the tough subject matter. It's an unflinching portrayal of hard realities & it hurts.
I'm rounding up because I think the ideas propelling this narrative, in terms of both subject and form, are ambitious. They aren't executed perfectly but it's still hard-hitting, interesting, and emotional. I may have cried the most during the acknowledgments, to be honest, knowing that the story IS true & hugely personal (in a lot of ways), and listening to the author get choked up thanking the important people in her life (including herself). Expect to feel overwhelmed. It's a journey.
TW: Rape, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, drug abuse, suicidal ideation, & more. Very heavy. Very sad. But also hopeful.
I think this would be a great choice for a Book Club. There's A LOT to work through. I can guarantee that readers will want to talk not just about the story but about a lot of the decisions that the author made, as well (e.g. genre, ending, et al).
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Self harm
infairveronaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
~April, Echo's mother
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Car accident and Medical trauma
Colorism, depressionlydiabader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Please be wary of triggers before picking up this book, it covers many different delicate subjectsvaleriabee's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
The book walks the line between memoir and novelization, reminding me a bit of Capote's In Cold Blood. It was stylistically reminiscent of Toni Morrison's Beloved, in particular the tone and the use of magical realism.
I loved the way the narration of this novel played with time. There were many instances in which Echo is recounting the details of various moments at the same time, as if they are happening at the same time. The style and format reminded me of cuts in movie scenes where it jumps from one scene to another by panning similar environments or movements. Or when two different conversations are being had in a movie and the scene jumps between them smoothly by connecting their words so it is as if the dialogues complete each other whilst being completely independent of one another. The fact that Brown created that visual effect in literature is astounding and incredibly powerful.
I love this book for its style and for its content. I love that it is set up in lessons and each chapter could be a stand-alone, it could be a short story but they work together to tell Echo's story. I love that the book is not shy, the characters are not shy. It is all very real and very forward and written so beautifully.
I found myself thinking about the ways that this book could be taught in the classroom, especially because of the way it is chaptered off and written into lessons, one wouldnt have to use the whole book (because you know how some schools are mad sensitive about the content they share with their students despite their willingness to require books about white supremacy, imperialism, and the enslavement of black people).
One of the most appealing things about this book is that it dares to show the bad with the good, show that greatness can be achieved. It provides hope whilst remaining honest about the pain.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Islamophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Bullying, and Confinement
Minor: Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Ableism, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Slavery
readandfindout's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Themes: 5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, Drug abuse, Addiction, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Pedophilia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death, and Domestic abuse
booksbynoe's review against another edition
4.0
I found this to be a very powerful memoir and one I highly recommend (TW for drug abuse, child abuse and sexual assault among others) although I did struggle somewhat at the beginning with the magical realism the author incorporated within her story.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Drug abuse
sh_reads4's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Sexual violence
eff_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
- the concept of echo being a wizard (the magic system and the idea wasn’t fully executed
- a lot of ideas and things mentioned in the story did not add to the plot line and felt very watered down. other goodreads reviews does a good job at explaining it so i would direct you to @BangBangBooks review on goodreads
- it often felt confusing at times and it was hard to keep up
things i liked:
- that it was an own voices novel
- the narration done by the author. i highly recommend the audiobook
- the bravery it takes to share a story like this
- the discussions of how often Black women are left out in the community by Black men
- discussions on rape culture and how it can be perpetuated by the Black community
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
renee_reads_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Echo grows up in a poor black community in which her stepfather is frequently drunk and her mother is always strung out on "the white rocks" (crack cocaine). Echo works to overcome the odds that are stacked against her: the disadvantage, the addiction, the access to quality education, the sexual abuse -- all things that affect black communities more than white people often feel comfortable acknowledging -- and she thrives.
I'm certain there are own-voices reviews of this book that are more useful than my review here, and I encourage you to read them. I found this book to be very moving and also thought-provoking because it isn't often that the focus is placed on black women in society (what I mean is, even though it's something we hear about, it's not something I've often seen in books). This had me learning a lot more about all the ways that systemic racism exists and all of the hardships people endure because of it. As a former teacher, I was particularly interested in the education angle and how Echo was able to piece her education together, as well as how she saw school as her safe space.
This book was really well done and I'm surprised that I haven't seen more people talking about it.
Graphic: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual content
locdbooktician's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence