Reviews

The Other Americans by Laila Lalami

jcgrenn_reads's review

5.0

Okay, yeah, that’s a good book. Lalami is a photographer with this one: she captures desert landscape as well as she does current politics and the difficulties in human relationships. There’s a lot of empathy and love here. Very glad I read it, very deserving of being on the NBA longlist at the time of this review.

I... I also am ashamed to say but on page 167... Jabba the Hutt should have two T’s instead of one. And I’m just... there I said it I’m sorry I loved the book it’s really good and that’s all and I’m sorry I am who I am.

hcooper333's review

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

machenn's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Infidelity, Alcohol, Hate crime, and War

Minor: Bullying, Racial slurs, and Islamophobia

happamaki's review

reflective 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

4.0

yerggggggg's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kittey2ng's review

5.0

Very well written. Enjoyed this alot

aliceboule's review

4.0

I have been a fan of Lalami's work since "Hope and other endless pursuits" so I wasn't surprised that I liked this book. It is a testament to how consistently amazing Lalami's writing is. "The Other Americans" is gritty, unpleasant, beautiful and thought-provoking. I left off the fifth star because although I was a fan, it isn't a book I will read again (which is what that fifth stars means to me).

readtotheend's review

challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

This is the first book by Lalami I've picked up and now I'm interested to read her backlist.  This story starts with the fatal hit and run of a Moroccan immigrant in a small Mojave town in California.  There are multiple characters and perspectives that we follow and the audiobook has a cast which made it a wonderful listening experience.  There's some family drama, a hit and run mystery and wonderful character development that makes this a really lush book. As a daughter of immigrants and small business owners, I could feel the tensions of this small town and how one incident can really highlight the underlying issues that exist within a community.  I could very much relate to Nora's desire for justice and feeling quite hopeless.  And then there's the story between Nora and Jeremy - both experiencing displacement in different ways. If you enjoyed A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza I think you might enjoy this one as well. 

checkplease's review

4.0

4.25 Stars

lindej342's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this as an audiobook, as there are distinct voices for the many perspectives