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msilkwolfe's review
3.0
Was debating between 3 and 4 stars for this one. It feels like it’s half poem and half novel, which at first was confusing but I grew to really like its lyrical style. The racist events described are absolutely heart wrenching. I sort of wish it either resembled more of a poem or more of a novel, as opposed to falling somewhere in the middle. I also sometimes got confused at the jumping around in time, but maybe that’s because it’s less about chronology and more about the events described.
loverjessk's review against another edition
4.0
Truly went into this with no idea what to expect and came out sad and angry at the world we live in. Such a beautiful narrative that has a lyrical draw to it that is unlike anything I’ve read before. Well worth the read!
hattieb2000's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
readwithshiggy's review
5.0
wow y’all, this book? this book was poetic, beautiful, powerful, brutal— any and all the adjectives in the world you need to know it’s a must-read!! the atlas caught my eye a while back off a list of 48 books by women & nonbinary authors of color to read in 2019 and did! not! disappoint!
the story of this second generation bengali-american woman who only goes by ‘Mother’ begins with her lying in her own driveway bleeding after being shot by the police. what unfolds after is a web of all her experiences as a woman of color— the racism she faces in her own neigborhood, the stress of raising daughters who look like her in a world that is always trying to ‘send them back home’, the difficulty of doing it all on her own while her husband is always away, the fracture between her/her mother/her sister, the complexity of her work life as a journalist, the struggles of self identity & self worth.
Laskar creates this intricate story in only 253 pages (some of them just a line or two)— but also never lets us slip into Mother’s story too long to forget that she’s still on the ground and the police around her don’t seem to be doing much. It’s just very beautifully written, and I think there’s a weight to this story that will rest heavy on your heart for a *while*— especially considering parts of this story are inspired by the author’s own experiences with the police. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars and a high recommendation to all of you!
(Copied from my book review on Instagram @readwithshiggy!)
the story of this second generation bengali-american woman who only goes by ‘Mother’ begins with her lying in her own driveway bleeding after being shot by the police. what unfolds after is a web of all her experiences as a woman of color— the racism she faces in her own neigborhood, the stress of raising daughters who look like her in a world that is always trying to ‘send them back home’, the difficulty of doing it all on her own while her husband is always away, the fracture between her/her mother/her sister, the complexity of her work life as a journalist, the struggles of self identity & self worth.
Laskar creates this intricate story in only 253 pages (some of them just a line or two)— but also never lets us slip into Mother’s story too long to forget that she’s still on the ground and the police around her don’t seem to be doing much. It’s just very beautifully written, and I think there’s a weight to this story that will rest heavy on your heart for a *while*— especially considering parts of this story are inspired by the author’s own experiences with the police. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars and a high recommendation to all of you!
(Copied from my book review on Instagram @readwithshiggy!)
half_book_and_co's review
4.0
The Atlas of Reds and Blues is a wonderful novel told in often quite poetic vignettes. Devi S. Laskar is a photographer and poet, too, and that comes through in her metaphorical language and eye for textual snapshots. The novel is about Mother, a US American women whose parents had migrated from South Asia. At the beginning of the novel, Mother lies shot by police on the pavement in front of her house. She tries to remember how she got there. The vignettes of her life are not chronological but jump between timelines. They tell a story about how microaggressions of all kinds slowly chip away on one's sense of life. Beautiful and poignant novel.
annetjeberg's review
4.0
"Mother" moves to a predominantly white suburb of Atlanta GA, and never fits in. The microaggressions and intentional targeting by the police finally get to her. She says no, and ends up shot and lying on her driveway bleeding. Memories, thoughts and the presence all come together in that moment.
A haunting story of racism in contemporary America.
Recommended
A haunting story of racism in contemporary America.
Recommended
readingwithmygoldens's review
2.0
It was okay....
That's how I'm rating this one. I REALLY wanted to like this and thought I was going to be blown away. Again, I'm standing here and wondering, "What did I miss???"
It wasn't the structure of the book that bothered me. Normally, I'm fine with short paragraphs as chapters or even a sentence (in some cases). However, I think the structure of this and how choppy it was hurt my ability to read and relate or empathize as much as I could have. I'm not saying that every story has to be told in linear fashion. However, there were some pretty disgusting things that happened to the character and my reaction was more, "This can't possibly be true (I'm not calling the author a liar - I just had trouble stomaching people (white people) being so openly cruel and transparent about being so racist). I know the racist P.O.S are out there, I just have never seen it spoken so overtly before. To a person of Bengali descent! Anyway, I didn't feel the same gut punch of a reaction as I thought I should have been feeling. It also could have been the tone of voice the author was using? She came across very snarky about it so I don't know - maybe it was the delivery and I was meant to feel that way.
I guess my other problem was the fact that what the book slip cover describes as the time the narrator loses it and there is a police raid at her house as this big event and we learn almost nothing about it. We are introduced to the scene (again in short spurts) once it is happening. We don't know why it's happening, or what the resolution was. Maybe that doesn't matter - the point is that it DID happen and it DOES happen.
Obviously, I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book (do you like how this entire review is an inner dialogue with myself??), and I think it is GREAT to start a discussion and maybe that's worth more than feeling something sometimes. All I know is that I was left feeling disappointed because I wanted more.
That's how I'm rating this one. I REALLY wanted to like this and thought I was going to be blown away. Again, I'm standing here and wondering, "What did I miss???"
It wasn't the structure of the book that bothered me. Normally, I'm fine with short paragraphs as chapters or even a sentence (in some cases). However, I think the structure of this and how choppy it was hurt my ability to read and relate or empathize as much as I could have. I'm not saying that every story has to be told in linear fashion. However, there were some pretty disgusting things that happened to the character and my reaction was more, "This can't possibly be true (I'm not calling the author a liar - I just had trouble stomaching people (white people) being so openly cruel and transparent about being so racist). I know the racist P.O.S are out there, I just have never seen it spoken so overtly before. To a person of Bengali descent! Anyway, I didn't feel the same gut punch of a reaction as I thought I should have been feeling. It also could have been the tone of voice the author was using? She came across very snarky about it so I don't know - maybe it was the delivery and I was meant to feel that way.
I guess my other problem was the fact that what the book slip cover describes as the time the narrator loses it and there is a police raid at her house as this big event and we learn almost nothing about it. We are introduced to the scene (again in short spurts) once it is happening. We don't know why it's happening, or what the resolution was. Maybe that doesn't matter - the point is that it DID happen and it DOES happen.
Obviously, I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book (do you like how this entire review is an inner dialogue with myself??), and I think it is GREAT to start a discussion and maybe that's worth more than feeling something sometimes. All I know is that I was left feeling disappointed because I wanted more.
megatsunami's review
5.0
Caveat: If you like your fiction super narrative and linear, with a neatly tied up ending, this book is not for you.
Otherwise, 5 stars. This sharp, lyrical book opens with the protagonist being shot by government agents in the driveway of her own home. (It was inspired by an actual incident that happened to the author.) The descriptions of this scene are interspersed with portrayals of a series of different incidents from the protagonist's past, involving family, work, racism, sexism, and relationships.
Otherwise, 5 stars. This sharp, lyrical book opens with the protagonist being shot by government agents in the driveway of her own home. (It was inspired by an actual incident that happened to the author.) The descriptions of this scene are interspersed with portrayals of a series of different incidents from the protagonist's past, involving family, work, racism, sexism, and relationships.