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papertraildiary's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, this book. This book is intense. It’s Black Lives Matter but almost written like a dystopian war at times. It’s like The Hate U Give x10. It’s a really tough but worthwhile read.
Moss is struggling with a lot. He saw his father shot by a cop for no reason when he was a kid, and he’s been dealing with extreme anxiety ever since. He’s recognized in public during protests. There’s also Javier, a cute boy Moss meets on the subway. Moss just wants to live a normal teen life, but it gets even more difficult when his school’s employed cop assaults a student and then metal detectors are installed. A huge group of Moss’s friends and family get together wanting to do something but not sure what. I thought it was interesting to show that part, the long talks and strategizing, the reaching out to the community, the planning and outreach, the backlash, the stress. Everything in Moss’s life escalates quickly and he has to figure out what he wants to do about it.
I struggled a bit with the style of writing at first – I found myself getting confused a lot either between how many characters there were but not enough defining characteristics to set them apart. But once I got over that I sprinted through the book, needing to know what would happen next. It’s disturbing and powerful, and it will stay with me.
Moss is struggling with a lot. He saw his father shot by a cop for no reason when he was a kid, and he’s been dealing with extreme anxiety ever since. He’s recognized in public during protests. There’s also Javier, a cute boy Moss meets on the subway. Moss just wants to live a normal teen life, but it gets even more difficult when his school’s employed cop assaults a student and then metal detectors are installed. A huge group of Moss’s friends and family get together wanting to do something but not sure what. I thought it was interesting to show that part, the long talks and strategizing, the reaching out to the community, the planning and outreach, the backlash, the stress. Everything in Moss’s life escalates quickly and he has to figure out what he wants to do about it.
I struggled a bit with the style of writing at first – I found myself getting confused a lot either between how many characters there were but not enough defining characteristics to set them apart. But once I got over that I sprinted through the book, needing to know what would happen next. It’s disturbing and powerful, and it will stay with me.
bickie's review against another edition
4.0
Moss, a Black teen, lives in Oakland, CA, and goes to West Oakland HS. His friend Esperanza (Latina? adopted by an affluent white couple) expertly helps him deal with his anxiety and panic attacks. One day on the way home on BART (the metro system), they meet a cute guy their age who turns out to be gay like Moss. Javier and Moss swap numbers, starting off a sweet romance. As Moss starts the school year (both Javier and Esperanza go to different schools than Moss), changes come in the form of random locker checks by the "school resource officer" (AKA police officer). Moss's trans friend is the first victim, and when the SRO finds a baggie of pills (her anti-seizure medicine, it turns out), he assaults her, enraged that she would "deal drugs" at "his" school. Moss, who likes to stay as far away from police as possible after one shot his dad as he exited a grocery store, stands up for his friend. School admin uses this "altercation" as an excuse to install metal detectors at the entrance. Moss and his friends, assisted by Moss's mom (who has mad organizer skills), stage a peaceful protest that ends up in unthinkable violence. Moss's peaceful protest of that protest's violence also results in unthinkable violence.
Great illustration of the gross misuse of power on the part of SROs and metropolitan police. Lots of LGBTQ+ rep, some disabled rep (anxiety, seizures, long-term difficulty walking due to leg injury). Exploration of white fragility and white saviorism, among other problematic elements of outsiders and proximate people who think they are being allies. Discussion of male body image and fight to remain positive about a body that is not totally ripped.
Best for 7th and up though OK for 5th/6th who are particularly interested and/or knowledgeable about criminal justice reform.
My only real complaint is that the book is really long. At 456 pages of very small print, it could be tough for some kids to read.
Great illustration of the gross misuse of power on the part of SROs and metropolitan police. Lots of LGBTQ+ rep, some disabled rep (anxiety, seizures, long-term difficulty walking due to leg injury). Exploration of white fragility and white saviorism, among other problematic elements of outsiders and proximate people who think they are being allies. Discussion of male body image and fight to remain positive about a body that is not totally ripped.
Best for 7th and up though OK for 5th/6th who are particularly interested and/or knowledgeable about criminal justice reform.
My only real complaint is that the book is really long. At 456 pages of very small print, it could be tough for some kids to read.
angelina3803's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
4.25
The realness of this novel is devastating.
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
5.0
I saw Mark Oshiro at Beach City Con in October 2017, where he presented a few wonderful panels and got me intrigued about his work. He mentioned having a book coming out the next year. On a bit of a whim, I ordered it while watching the panel and kind of...forgot about it.
I was a bit surprised when it arrived, and I did take some weeks to get around to reading (or listening, as it were, since I did the audiobook), and I am so glad I did. Mark Oshiro has given us something real and painful, and very necessary.
I live not too far from Oakland. The scenarios he describes are familiar. And, it's so true, as in the book, that people in power look for--and fabricate--any excuse they can to avoid responsibility.
I rushed through this book. I had to finish it. The first night I was listening, I came into the office and told my husband, "This book is about to piss me off." I came back in five minutes later and yelled "I WAS RIGHT." My anger wasn't for the book's quality--perfection--but for the actions of the Oakland PD in the book. Fiction, yes, but I was able to predict their actions so accurately that it was infuriating. Because I've seen it before.
At times, the book does feel a bit...schmaltzy? But not in a way that made me want to even so much as slow down. The diversity of the characters is completely believable for anyone that has spent the last few years in the Bay Area, but it was more the cultural references that made me snicker a bit. It reminds me a little of Cabot's early "Princess Diaries" books. The artists and memes referenced will date this book within a few years, but the main themes of discrimination, police violence, gaslighting, and activism will resonate for quite a while longer.
And, oh, how I wish they wouldn't resonate. Because that might mean we've fixed the problems. But I doubt we will. So, when I finished this book and stomped about for a few minutes in righteous anger, I realized I wasn't allowed to just sit down, do a simple review, and be done with things.
I finished this book about an hour ago. In the middle of writing this review, I went to AdoptAClassroom.org and fully funded an Oakland teacher's classroom. Then I set a calendar reminder to do it again every August 1st. I know I'm privileged, and likely in ways I haven't even considered. And I know I need to use that privilege wisely. And, to be honest...I do kind of throw my money at problems. But, sometimes, that's a good thing.
I love this book. I've recommended it for my book club. I'll be putting it in my bag-o'-books Christmas gift for my book club. I'll be handing out my copy to anyone who looks at my shelves and asks for a recommendation. This is, simply, an excellent book.
I was a bit surprised when it arrived, and I did take some weeks to get around to reading (or listening, as it were, since I did the audiobook), and I am so glad I did. Mark Oshiro has given us something real and painful, and very necessary.
I live not too far from Oakland. The scenarios he describes are familiar. And, it's so true, as in the book, that people in power look for--and fabricate--any excuse they can to avoid responsibility.
I rushed through this book. I had to finish it. The first night I was listening, I came into the office and told my husband, "This book is about to piss me off." I came back in five minutes later and yelled "I WAS RIGHT." My anger wasn't for the book's quality--perfection--but for the actions of the Oakland PD in the book. Fiction, yes, but I was able to predict their actions so accurately that it was infuriating. Because I've seen it before.
At times, the book does feel a bit...schmaltzy? But not in a way that made me want to even so much as slow down. The diversity of the characters is completely believable for anyone that has spent the last few years in the Bay Area, but it was more the cultural references that made me snicker a bit. It reminds me a little of Cabot's early "Princess Diaries" books. The artists and memes referenced will date this book within a few years, but the main themes of discrimination, police violence, gaslighting, and activism will resonate for quite a while longer.
And, oh, how I wish they wouldn't resonate. Because that might mean we've fixed the problems. But I doubt we will. So, when I finished this book and stomped about for a few minutes in righteous anger, I realized I wasn't allowed to just sit down, do a simple review, and be done with things.
I finished this book about an hour ago. In the middle of writing this review, I went to AdoptAClassroom.org and fully funded an Oakland teacher's classroom. Then I set a calendar reminder to do it again every August 1st. I know I'm privileged, and likely in ways I haven't even considered. And I know I need to use that privilege wisely. And, to be honest...I do kind of throw my money at problems. But, sometimes, that's a good thing.
I love this book. I've recommended it for my book club. I'll be putting it in my bag-o'-books Christmas gift for my book club. I'll be handing out my copy to anyone who looks at my shelves and asks for a recommendation. This is, simply, an excellent book.
cayeman's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
11corvus11's review
4.0
I grabbed this as an audiobook from the library, not realizing it was YA. YA is not usually my thing so I can't speak to how it stands in reference to the genre. It was a difficult book for me to rate for other reasons though, which I will explain below. The writing style seems like it would be good for youth. There is representation of LGBTQ youth of color with many identities. There are realistic exchanges regarding oppressive experiences but characters are in a loving environment with friends and family. It involves radical resistance. These are the things that make it good for who YA is aimed at in my opinion.
That said, I believe the plot could have been advanced in multiple ways without the level of trauma, sometimes devolving into trauma porn, contained in the book.
***Spoilers***
.
.
.
.
Do we really need yet another story of queer people and/or people of color being beaten and murdered over and over again? The story starting out with Moss' traumatic history with his father and police as well as having PTSD from that is enough to build a compelling story. When Javier was murdered in front of Moss, I became angry. The entire school protest scene was horrific enough to build the following events without killing Moss' first love. Queer people and people of color always have to be killed as plot points. How about a story about Javier and Moss fighting the police together?
Also, the protests are unrealistic and the author again used these scenes to create constant graphic trauma and violence to advance the story. I've been to a LOT of protests. Small ones to mass actions, permitted ones to illegal ones, "peaceful" ones to "violent" ones, etc. Cops don't just bring war weaponry to every single protest- those are usually used at mass actions like the G20 or RNC. They don't kill people at every single protest. They are sometimes even more lenient in protests of police murdering people because they want to look good for the cameras. Sometimes, your protest sucks because literally no one gives a shit. Sometimes your protest sucks because no one shows up. Sometimes your protest sucks because the media never shows up. And yes, sometimes your protest sucks because people get arrested. Sometimes your protest sucks because cops attack people violently. This idea that police in full on riot gear are beating, murdering, and using very expensive war weaponry on teens and everyone else at every protest is not helpful.
I worry that young people who do read this will be discouraged from ever speaking up, thinking that every time they do anything they will be murdered. I worry that queer kids will see themselves represented in characters who are then violently beaten and murdered. Queer teens of color definitely deal with all sorts of struggles, including police brutality. But, it felt like more time was being dedicated to people being hurt than people being empowered.
I am not saying it should have all been rainbows. There were things I found realistic in a good way- such as Moss struggling with trauma in diverse ways and not being suddenly "cured" and the ways that the cops just continuously resisted any accountability were important. I liked how people stuck together through the struggles. I just don't think there needed to be so much violence and trauma porn. I'm an adult in my 30s who has experienced a lot of things and it was too much for ME. I almost put it down.
.
.
.
***End Spoilers***
In the end I gave it 4 stars because I like the author, I liked the subject and plot, I liked the representation. I think if I were to pass it on to queer youth, I would want to read it with them and talk about it.
That said, I believe the plot could have been advanced in multiple ways without the level of trauma, sometimes devolving into trauma porn, contained in the book.
***Spoilers***
.
.
.
.
Do we really need yet another story of queer people and/or people of color being beaten and murdered over and over again? The story starting out with Moss' traumatic history with his father and police as well as having PTSD from that is enough to build a compelling story. When Javier was murdered in front of Moss, I became angry. The entire school protest scene was horrific enough to build the following events without killing Moss' first love. Queer people and people of color always have to be killed as plot points. How about a story about Javier and Moss fighting the police together?
Also, the protests are unrealistic and the author again used these scenes to create constant graphic trauma and violence to advance the story. I've been to a LOT of protests. Small ones to mass actions, permitted ones to illegal ones, "peaceful" ones to "violent" ones, etc. Cops don't just bring war weaponry to every single protest- those are usually used at mass actions like the G20 or RNC. They don't kill people at every single protest. They are sometimes even more lenient in protests of police murdering people because they want to look good for the cameras. Sometimes, your protest sucks because literally no one gives a shit. Sometimes your protest sucks because no one shows up. Sometimes your protest sucks because the media never shows up. And yes, sometimes your protest sucks because people get arrested. Sometimes your protest sucks because cops attack people violently. This idea that police in full on riot gear are beating, murdering, and using very expensive war weaponry on teens and everyone else at every protest is not helpful.
I worry that young people who do read this will be discouraged from ever speaking up, thinking that every time they do anything they will be murdered. I worry that queer kids will see themselves represented in characters who are then violently beaten and murdered. Queer teens of color definitely deal with all sorts of struggles, including police brutality. But, it felt like more time was being dedicated to people being hurt than people being empowered.
I am not saying it should have all been rainbows. There were things I found realistic in a good way- such as Moss struggling with trauma in diverse ways and not being suddenly "cured" and the ways that the cops just continuously resisted any accountability were important. I liked how people stuck together through the struggles. I just don't think there needed to be so much violence and trauma porn. I'm an adult in my 30s who has experienced a lot of things and it was too much for ME. I almost put it down.
.
.
.
***End Spoilers***
In the end I gave it 4 stars because I like the author, I liked the subject and plot, I liked the representation. I think if I were to pass it on to queer youth, I would want to read it with them and talk about it.
alexisrt's review against another edition
3.0
I don't read a lot of YA, and rarely review it when I do, but a friend specifically recommended this book to me.
The good: the book portrays important social issues with power and immediacy. The portrayal of life in an underfunded school is spot on. (The metal detectors, though. At least he explained it with the magnetic body scanner, but it still doesn't 100% make sense: they'd put such an expensive piece of equipment in a high school? Even suspending my disbelief that they would not train officers in how to use it. I get that he was trying to work in the militarization of the police, but the way it was squashed in made it feel like he hadn't done enough research on actual implementation. And ICE didn't exist when Esperanza was born.)
The bad: characterization is, for the most part, weak. The novel reads too much like Oshiro decided he wanted to write a Very Important Novel with a Very Diverse Cast. The characters lack individuality. I remember who is black, who is Muslim, who is nonbinary--but I remember very little about them as individuals, just as identities. Only Bits stuck out at all. They fit into slots in his diverse cast. Esperanza exists as a bridge between her parents (white, well off, well meaning individuals) and the diverse teens of color of Moss' world. She serves a function, but isn't enough of a person. Meanwhile, her parents exist as a plot function--the well meaning white people who betray the kids. Mr. Jacobs plays a similar role. The characters aren't afforded moral complexity--instead, the story functions as a morality play with predetermined slots.
The good: the book portrays important social issues with power and immediacy. The portrayal of life in an underfunded school is spot on. (The metal detectors, though. At least he explained it with the magnetic body scanner, but it still doesn't 100% make sense: they'd put such an expensive piece of equipment in a high school? Even suspending my disbelief that they would not train officers in how to use it. I get that he was trying to work in the militarization of the police, but the way it was squashed in made it feel like he hadn't done enough research on actual implementation. And ICE didn't exist when Esperanza was born.)
The bad: characterization is, for the most part, weak. The novel reads too much like Oshiro decided he wanted to write a Very Important Novel with a Very Diverse Cast. The characters lack individuality. I remember who is black, who is Muslim, who is nonbinary--but I remember very little about them as individuals, just as identities. Only Bits stuck out at all. They fit into slots in his diverse cast. Esperanza exists as a bridge between her parents (white, well off, well meaning individuals) and the diverse teens of color of Moss' world. She serves a function, but isn't enough of a person. Meanwhile, her parents exist as a plot function--the well meaning white people who betray the kids. Mr. Jacobs plays a similar role. The characters aren't afforded moral complexity--instead, the story functions as a morality play with predetermined slots.
andi_mush's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
rhi_g's review against another edition
1.0
there is some spoilers below but this is copy pasted from my notes app and it’s 230am so i don’t want to read through my rant to find where they are
i’m angry. i’m angry because this book should’ve been a five star, because is should have been an impactful story about police brutality and resistance and instead i got a mess. my first issue is the sheer number of characters, all of which have literally zero personality. every character exists to further moss’ growth and do not exist on their own. also this book gets praise for its great queer rep. like i think i should feel seen by this book as a nonbinary ace lesbian but no, the side characters just list of their sexualitities and genders like checking off boxes. it lacks any real emotion mostly because the side characters have again, literally no personality. my next problem is how the book treated Esperanza. moss treats her terribly all the time and i have a genuinely hard time believing they are friends. moss implies she deserves abuse she’s endured and the panic she feels in the final protest because “maybe now she understands it”. page 427 of the hardcover is the worst of it. she says “i’m sorry i never understood until now” and his thoughts “now you know…This was what it took. this was the line she had to cross. he didn’t know if it was enough” wtf. he acts like she’s super privileged, but she was taken from her mother as an infant, adopted by a well meaning but not understanding white couple and then is also a latina lesbian. the worst part though is that this book seems to want to bring light to the atrocities that the police force commits and fails so miserably because it felt the need to exaggerate. as far as i know this book is set in modern day/roughly the year it came out and is not a near future dystopian. the silent guardian, the heat ray weapon that terrorized the crowd in the final chapters, has never been used in the history of the world. the silent guardian is a smaller version of a non-lethal weapon known as the Active Denial System. by smaller i mean it’s still massive. it weights like 10000 pounds. the active denial system developed by raytheon was created in the early 2000s. specifically from 2002-2007. it has been deployed once. in afghanistan where it was sent back without ever being used. that was in 2010. the silent guardian was supposed to be installed in an LA jail but that never ended up happening either. and that’s it. there has never been an instance of this weapon being used at all, never mind to disperse a US protest. my question is why did the author feel the need to exaggerate, to paint a reality that is not our own when the world already has seen so much injustice. i didn’t need pain rays in the book, i wanted a real reflection of the horrible ways power is abused by police and about the real weapons used against peaceful protesters. i wanted to feel angry about the world and not about this book
i’m angry. i’m angry because this book should’ve been a five star, because is should have been an impactful story about police brutality and resistance and instead i got a mess. my first issue is the sheer number of characters, all of which have literally zero personality. every character exists to further moss’ growth and do not exist on their own. also this book gets praise for its great queer rep. like i think i should feel seen by this book as a nonbinary ace lesbian but no, the side characters just list of their sexualitities and genders like checking off boxes. it lacks any real emotion mostly because the side characters have again, literally no personality. my next problem is how the book treated Esperanza. moss treats her terribly all the time and i have a genuinely hard time believing they are friends. moss implies she deserves abuse she’s endured and the panic she feels in the final protest because “maybe now she understands it”. page 427 of the hardcover is the worst of it. she says “i’m sorry i never understood until now” and his thoughts “now you know…This was what it took. this was the line she had to cross. he didn’t know if it was enough” wtf. he acts like she’s super privileged, but she was taken from her mother as an infant, adopted by a well meaning but not understanding white couple and then is also a latina lesbian. the worst part though is that this book seems to want to bring light to the atrocities that the police force commits and fails so miserably because it felt the need to exaggerate. as far as i know this book is set in modern day/roughly the year it came out and is not a near future dystopian. the silent guardian, the heat ray weapon that terrorized the crowd in the final chapters, has never been used in the history of the world. the silent guardian is a smaller version of a non-lethal weapon known as the Active Denial System. by smaller i mean it’s still massive. it weights like 10000 pounds. the active denial system developed by raytheon was created in the early 2000s. specifically from 2002-2007. it has been deployed once. in afghanistan where it was sent back without ever being used. that was in 2010. the silent guardian was supposed to be installed in an LA jail but that never ended up happening either. and that’s it. there has never been an instance of this weapon being used at all, never mind to disperse a US protest. my question is why did the author feel the need to exaggerate, to paint a reality that is not our own when the world already has seen so much injustice. i didn’t need pain rays in the book, i wanted a real reflection of the horrible ways power is abused by police and about the real weapons used against peaceful protesters. i wanted to feel angry about the world and not about this book
my rating 0/5
final thoughts: read the hate u give