Reviews

Is this a perfect book? No. Is it an important book that tackles current issues around racial justice? Yes. Does it get even my most reluctant readers invested and turning pages? Without fail.

ghostmentality's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

kara_reardon35's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

waterbottle57's review against another edition

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hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

leafblade's review against another edition

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4.0

Absolutely outstanding and excellent audiobook

ksonnev's review against another edition

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5.0

4.6?

morgob's review against another edition

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5.0

This book made me so angry, but in a good way. In the same way it made all those people angry enough to protest and march. I think this is an important book. I think it's a good way to frame what is going on in the country for younger readers, especially what is going on with white people witnessing police brutality or hearing about it in the news. I think Quinn's perspective was really important for several reasons. He had inner conflict the whole time. He faced choosing sides multiple times, and on several occasions he tried to convince himself that he wasn't picking a side, that he didn't have to, until he realized what he was really doing by choosing to not pick a side or choosing to not let it bother him. It especially made me think about how I would react if someone I knew and loved had done that to someone, like Paul did to Rashad. How would I react if it was my relative or friend who was the one doing the beating? That would be extremely hard to come to terms with, I think. I think, also, Quinn's thought process was really mature (perhaps too mature for a senior in high school, but I have hope) and I am glad he did all that thinking on the pages. It made for a great result.
The sad thing about this book is that it is a story told a hundred different times, a hundred different ways, with most of the same outcomes. We are still working for change. It has not happened yet.
Two critiques, minor on my part, with minor spoilers. First, it kind of bugged me the way the teachers reacted because I would not be allowed to do that at all. Maybe things have changed so drastically in the past 8 years in education that it used to be more like that, but it made me upset that if the same thing were to happen to one of my students, I would not be able to do the same things those teachers did--like organize a protest with the students, talk about police brutality in the classroom, give them statistics regarding institutionalized racism, or any of that.
My other criticism is that that very last chapter, the one with both Rashad and Quinn together, fell flat for me. I was disappointed in the ending because of that chapter. It just felt so disconnected and really disingenuous after all the rest of the book. I don't know how I wanted it to end, but that ending for me just didn't do it justice.
Overall, I really loved this book. I hope some of my students will pick it up at some point.

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