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cm1922's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I didn’t like how the past and present monologues were intertwined in this book, it could have been more cohesive but overall the book is hard hitting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Rape
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
dee_hzz's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Suicide, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death
bookbuyingwithkatie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: War
heypoetrygirl's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Addiction
maddysreads's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Suicide
alyssamakesart's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Even though the plot itself is very minimal - Woodson’s bueatiful writing keeps me coming back.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Racism, Dementia, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Religious bigotry and Gun violence
jcstokes95's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.5
This book is best enjoyed like a painting. I think the sooner you release the idea that a narrative is going to form, the better off your reading experience will be. Woodson is drawing vivid portraits of a place, time and its people. The stories here are heartbreaking, but presented as the mundane life of a community. Woodson doesn't dwell on the abuse, addiction or violence or at least, she doesn't present it for us to leer at. It feels so fluid, like you're moving through life with these girls. It also shares their moments of joy, of confidence and their friendship. Another Brooklyn manages to tell a real, dynamic story about young, Black girls and their different but intrinsically tied paths to adulthood.
It's really astonishing how full of a picture Woodson can draw in such a short book. I read it in audiobook form (highly recommend) and it felt like someone spilling their life history in a late night talk. It got straight to the heart of everything that could possibly touch girlhood without pulling punches or gawking. Woodson's always evocative writing is the centerpiece holding this together. Favorite quotes include:
"And she whispered how she was the queen of other places. ‘Close my eyes and boom, I’m gone. I learned it from my mother,’ she told us. ‘So many days you look in that woman’s eyes and she isn’t even there.’”
"We had blades inside our kneesocks and were growing our nails long. We were learning to walk the Brooklyn streets as though we had always belonged to them - our voices loud, our laughter even louder. But Brooklyn had longer nails and sharper blades."
There are so many of these gorgeous, lyrical moments here. I think this book will feel a bit plotless to some. I also am not sure if Woodson fully hammers home her message on memory at times; though I feel that may be because everything these young girls experience feels relevant and recent. In all, this books feels like a great doorway into lives of young girls not always fully seen.
It's really astonishing how full of a picture Woodson can draw in such a short book. I read it in audiobook form (highly recommend) and it felt like someone spilling their life history in a late night talk. It got straight to the heart of everything that could possibly touch girlhood without pulling punches or gawking. Woodson's always evocative writing is the centerpiece holding this together. Favorite quotes include:
"And she whispered how she was the queen of other places. ‘Close my eyes and boom, I’m gone. I learned it from my mother,’ she told us. ‘So many days you look in that woman’s eyes and she isn’t even there.’”
"We had blades inside our kneesocks and were growing our nails long. We were learning to walk the Brooklyn streets as though we had always belonged to them - our voices loud, our laughter even louder. But Brooklyn had longer nails and sharper blades."
There are so many of these gorgeous, lyrical moments here. I think this book will feel a bit plotless to some. I also am not sure if Woodson fully hammers home her message on memory at times; though I feel that may be because everything these young girls experience feels relevant and recent. In all, this books feels like a great doorway into lives of young girls not always fully seen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction
irenemarie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Drug use
Moderate: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Suicide
savannahtrice's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
The examination of female friendship while growing up was so beautifully described. Woodson's writing is so lyrical and moves the story along with grace. I just wish this book was longer! I really loved the "On Writing Another Brooklyn" section at the end of the book as well. Woodson closed off her note with, "At the day's end, a writer lives alone with her story, wrestling with characters and settings, and the way light filters into and out of a scene. The deeper messages often escape her. Sometimes I take for granted the journey through the telling. At other times I curse the muse's power. but through it all, I live each day in deep gratitude." Are you kidding me? I'd cut off a limb if it meant I could write like that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death of parent, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
sabrinames's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, and Death of parent