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jaz_gets_literary's review
5.0
@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.
Makeda is black and was adopted into an all white family as a baby. She is in middle school and coming into an age where she is beginning to have questions about her birth mother and herself. Where do black girls like her belong? The ones with no other black friends around? The ones who's mother doesn't know how to properly do her hair or the type of lotion that she needs to properly moisturize her skin?Who loves Black girls like her? Who's there for black girls like her when they want to know which way to turn. Makeda has a ton of questions that will resonate with young girls and women alike. Mekeda's life is a mess. Dealing with her mother's newfound mental illness, her dad being away on tour, her sister seeming not to have time with her because she's becoming a teen. It's just a lot for her but in the end she finds her voice. Please run out and grab this book when it is released on July 30, 2019.
Makeda is black and was adopted into an all white family as a baby. She is in middle school and coming into an age where she is beginning to have questions about her birth mother and herself. Where do black girls like her belong? The ones with no other black friends around? The ones who's mother doesn't know how to properly do her hair or the type of lotion that she needs to properly moisturize her skin?Who loves Black girls like her? Who's there for black girls like her when they want to know which way to turn. Makeda has a ton of questions that will resonate with young girls and women alike. Mekeda's life is a mess. Dealing with her mother's newfound mental illness, her dad being away on tour, her sister seeming not to have time with her because she's becoming a teen. It's just a lot for her but in the end she finds her voice. Please run out and grab this book when it is released on July 30, 2019.
kristinakg's review
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? It's complicated
4.0
toryhallelujah's review
4.0
YES. DIVERSITY IN THE BEST WAY. The phenomenal perspective of a black girl adopted into a white family. Mental health, race, adoption, BAM. This is GOOD! -- but, is it meant to be middle grade? Because the voice and tone felt decidedly YA to me. Some pretty intense topics handled here!
littlesmaug's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I take issue with this being referred to as a children’s book/middle grade book. This book was many things. Exceptionally written. Emotionally driven. Heavily triggering (as someone who dealt with many of the things). Wonderful representation. Educational — on racism, bipolar, and adoption. Chock full of words that yes, I would love to teach my students.
However — just because a book is about a middle schooler does not mean it is appropriate for middle schoolers. I’m not ignorant, I know and understand that young students are capable of grasping concepts that educators/parents/adults assume are beyond them. The things I was dealing with from the age of eight were horrific. This book touches on them. I talk to students that see drug abuse and more on a daily basis. But this book just... was not written well for it’s target audience. It handles the topics beautifully... For an adult. But to hand this to a kid? I’d need to see emotional maturity beyond their years.
“But you rated it 5 stars.” Yes, I did. For many reasons, some that are outlined above. It was exceptional. Exquisite. It hit me in a way that has me curled up crying while I tackle this review (which I wanted to write while I was feeling all the things). As someone who was adopted, I felt a lot of what Keda felt. That disconnect. I was white, but I was darker than my family and many people pinpointed me as not belonging. The book tackles racism and micro-aggressions among your own family, including the white savior complex. And the bipolar representation! I was floored by the honesty of it. But despite the heaviness of it and how REAL the pain was, it also fought to explain what bipolar was and how the character was feeling.
However — just because a book is about a middle schooler does not mean it is appropriate for middle schoolers. I’m not ignorant, I know and understand that young students are capable of grasping concepts that educators/parents/adults assume are beyond them. The things I was dealing with from the age of eight were horrific. This book touches on them. I talk to students that see drug abuse and more on a daily basis. But this book just... was not written well for it’s target audience. It handles the topics beautifully... For an adult. But to hand this to a kid? I’d need to see emotional maturity beyond their years.
“But you rated it 5 stars.” Yes, I did. For many reasons, some that are outlined above. It was exceptional. Exquisite. It hit me in a way that has me curled up crying while I tackle this review (which I wanted to write while I was feeling all the things). As someone who was adopted, I felt a lot of what Keda felt. That disconnect. I was white, but I was darker than my family and many people pinpointed me as not belonging. The book tackles racism and micro-aggressions among your own family, including the white savior complex. And the bipolar representation! I was floored by the honesty of it. But despite the heaviness of it and how REAL the pain was, it also fought to explain what bipolar was and how the character was feeling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Racism, and Racial slurs
Content warnings: n-word (hard r) usagesweetea_55's review
5.0
I loved this book. It was brilliant, touching, fast paced and memorable. Slight spoilers ahead, so you've been warned.
Makeda Kirkland is an eleven-year-old adoptee, who's being raised by two white parents in a majorly white neighborhood. Although she feels loved, she struggles with her own identity, as she's the only black girl in the family and during most social situations. Her mother Anna likes to think that she relates to her daughter and that she doesn't see color but her behavior sometimes leaves Makeda feeling alone.
The family moves from Baltimore to New Mexico for their father's job and Makeda leaves behind the only black friend she's ever had. Along with this struggle, Makeda must deal with racism from her school and coping with her mother's abrupt mood swings. The isolation that she feels from being the only black girl in most social settings is super relatable, along with the microaggressions she has to deal with from everyone, including her sister Eve. I do wish Anna would have tried to relate to her daughter more and not just sweep racial issues under the rug but I suppose this made it more realistic.
This book touches on heavy subjects like bipolar depression and suicide attempts but the way the author wrote about everything, gave you a better grasp at understanding Anna and making you see that she truly loves both her daughters, despite her many mistakes.
The story was beautiful and I finished it in two days, which is fast for me. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and am sure others will as well.
Makeda Kirkland is an eleven-year-old adoptee, who's being raised by two white parents in a majorly white neighborhood. Although she feels loved, she struggles with her own identity, as she's the only black girl in the family and during most social situations. Her mother Anna likes to think that she relates to her daughter and that she doesn't see color but her behavior sometimes leaves Makeda feeling alone.
The family moves from Baltimore to New Mexico for their father's job and Makeda leaves behind the only black friend she's ever had. Along with this struggle, Makeda must deal with racism from her school and coping with her mother's abrupt mood swings. The isolation that she feels from being the only black girl in most social settings is super relatable, along with the microaggressions she has to deal with from everyone, including her sister Eve. I do wish Anna would have tried to relate to her daughter more and not just sweep racial issues under the rug but I suppose this made it more realistic.
This book touches on heavy subjects like bipolar depression and suicide attempts but the way the author wrote about everything, gave you a better grasp at understanding Anna and making you see that she truly loves both her daughters, despite her many mistakes.
The story was beautiful and I finished it in two days, which is fast for me. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and am sure others will as well.
andeez's review
4.0
I’m all about pushing “mirrors” to the students. This book will be a full size mirror for so many.
I’ve read books about Black girls, but I can’t remember the last book I read about a Black girl living with her white family. I have lots of white friends who have adopted children of color. This book put things I’d never thought about in perspective. It’s tough enough for middle schoolers to find their identities. Add in looking completely different and having different needs than your parents and sister and it may seem impossible to find the “real you”.
The book also covers a bipolar parent, capturing the manic and depression phases so well. I never felt like the story was covering too much or trying too hard. The book kept my interest from the first chapter to the last.
Can’t wait to recommend this to ages 10 and up.
I’ve read books about Black girls, but I can’t remember the last book I read about a Black girl living with her white family. I have lots of white friends who have adopted children of color. This book put things I’d never thought about in perspective. It’s tough enough for middle schoolers to find their identities. Add in looking completely different and having different needs than your parents and sister and it may seem impossible to find the “real you”.
The book also covers a bipolar parent, capturing the manic and depression phases so well. I never felt like the story was covering too much or trying too hard. The book kept my interest from the first chapter to the last.
Can’t wait to recommend this to ages 10 and up.
frankisib's review
5.0
There are very few books about adoption that deal with race and the issues around interracial adoption, especially for middle graders when often the issues become so complex. I thought this was a good book sharing some of the issues a black child faces as part of a white family. There is a huge thread about the mother's depression/undiagnosed bipolar and I thought it was a lot--the adoption/race issues as well as the depression/parenting issue. But it was done well and I think it is an important book. It seems more middle school than middle grade to me.
estam1's review
5.0
I couldn't put stop listening to this book. It is a serious and heartbreaking read about a Black girl who has been adopted by a white family and her search for identity. Trigger warnings for racist language, mental health issues and a suicide attempt.