Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I struggled with what to write about this book because so many things were going on that I feel like I would need a flowchart to explain how everything was connected. So many things popped up while reading this book for me and I a lot of different memories running through my brain about my own family.
I thought that this book by April Sinclair was brilliant. Overall, I loved this book. There were some minor issues that I had, but not enough to rate the book below five stars.
I emphasized with the main character Jean (known as Stevie) throughout this entire book. Stevie wants to be part of the cool girls at her school. She is at times frustrated with her mother who she sees as having no friends and life and only seems to be around to make Stevie do chores and for her to talk "white". Stevie is doing a delicate balancing act of having friends and trying not to do or say anything to alienate them, while also trying to still be involved with things that she wants to.
The other characters in the story, such as Stevie's father, and her brother's don't seem to be written as richly as Stevie, her mother, and her grandmother.
Additionally, the book being broken up into parts showing Stevie at middle school and then high school and we get to see her becoming aware that she may not be like the other girls she has grown up with. Included with that we get to see her reactions to the Civil Rights and Black Power movements in Chicago at the time was very informative. Seeing Stevie struggle to fit in with the cool group to having an epiphany that if her friends don't like that she may be a certain way, that they were not good friends after all was great to see.
I thought that the writing was very crisp though at times it was odd to read Stevie's thoughts (written perfectly) but then trying to decipher what someone was saying since Ms. Sinclair wrote the words as they would sound if pronounced sometimes.
The setting of Chicago in winter, summer, spring felt very real to me. You can tell that the author actually lived or at least visited this city since everything she wrote in the story rang true.
I did not grow up in the 1960s in Chicago like the main character Stevie did. However, I did grow up with a close knit family that had some of the same discussions that Stevie's family did about race. I remember hearing about the paper bag test when I was growing up. And I totally eavesdropped all of the time and heard people discussing "good hair".
I can also speak to the double-edged sword of being too light or too dark in the black community. Being too light was not great since you were accused of trying to look white, and being too dark was not great since you were told you were too black. The same issue would emerge if you talked correctly since you were told you were trying to sound "white" or putting on airs.
I now want to read Ain't Gonna be the Same Fool Twice, the sequel to Coffee Will Make you Black in order to see what happened with Stevie.
I thought that this book by April Sinclair was brilliant. Overall, I loved this book. There were some minor issues that I had, but not enough to rate the book below five stars.
I emphasized with the main character Jean (known as Stevie) throughout this entire book. Stevie wants to be part of the cool girls at her school. She is at times frustrated with her mother who she sees as having no friends and life and only seems to be around to make Stevie do chores and for her to talk "white". Stevie is doing a delicate balancing act of having friends and trying not to do or say anything to alienate them, while also trying to still be involved with things that she wants to.
The other characters in the story, such as Stevie's father, and her brother's don't seem to be written as richly as Stevie, her mother, and her grandmother.
Additionally, the book being broken up into parts showing Stevie at middle school and then high school and we get to see her becoming aware that she may not be like the other girls she has grown up with. Included with that we get to see her reactions to the Civil Rights and Black Power movements in Chicago at the time was very informative. Seeing Stevie struggle to fit in with the cool group to having an epiphany that if her friends don't like that she may be a certain way, that they were not good friends after all was great to see.
I thought that the writing was very crisp though at times it was odd to read Stevie's thoughts (written perfectly) but then trying to decipher what someone was saying since Ms. Sinclair wrote the words as they would sound if pronounced sometimes.
The setting of Chicago in winter, summer, spring felt very real to me. You can tell that the author actually lived or at least visited this city since everything she wrote in the story rang true.
I did not grow up in the 1960s in Chicago like the main character Stevie did. However, I did grow up with a close knit family that had some of the same discussions that Stevie's family did about race. I remember hearing about the paper bag test when I was growing up. And I totally eavesdropped all of the time and heard people discussing "good hair".
I can also speak to the double-edged sword of being too light or too dark in the black community. Being too light was not great since you were accused of trying to look white, and being too dark was not great since you were told you were too black. The same issue would emerge if you talked correctly since you were told you were trying to sound "white" or putting on airs.
I now want to read Ain't Gonna be the Same Fool Twice, the sequel to Coffee Will Make you Black in order to see what happened with Stevie.
I think the author really captures the teen voice and emotional swings in this novel. However, the most intriguing part I wondered about is how she came up with the dialogue for teens in the 60s. The main characters phrases totally work, but some of them sound so familiar, like things I was hearing in the 90s. It really got me thinking about the history of teen slang and how it evolves over time.
marketed as lgbt but i think it’s pretty basic teen fic. full review coming soon.
full review:
i dont often times read historical fiction because my daily life reminds me of the long term oppression black women face/faced. but for some reason this book captivated me on the description that it highlights lesbian identity in the late 60’s.
i really enjoyed this journal entry style writing and the insight to black girlhood. but it did feel a bit loose on the plot of black, queer identity. i would like to believe most youth experience some type of questioning of their sexuality especially when exposed to it at a young age. i wish that was explored more. on top of that having the crush be an older white lady at the peak of the bpp movement was a … choice. i have to ask what’s the point of that? given the time this novel was released i think it would’ve had different effects but in 2024 it’s like :|. i enjoyed it but not enough to check out the rest of the series.
full review:
i dont often times read historical fiction because my daily life reminds me of the long term oppression black women face/faced. but for some reason this book captivated me on the description that it highlights lesbian identity in the late 60’s.
i really enjoyed this journal entry style writing and the insight to black girlhood. but it did feel a bit loose on the plot of black, queer identity. i would like to believe most youth experience some type of questioning of their sexuality especially when exposed to it at a young age. i wish that was explored more. on top of that having the crush be an older white lady at the peak of the bpp movement was a … choice. i have to ask what’s the point of that? given the time this novel was released i think it would’ve had different effects but in 2024 it’s like :|. i enjoyed it but not enough to check out the rest of the series.
This was a good one. A couple of places have this book classified as LGBT teen fiction, but I don't think I'd go that far. Honestly, it sounded more like your standard teen fiction. The LGBT issue was raised now and then, but it certainly wasn't a focal point IMO. Maybe that's just because I had periods in my life where I was just as sexually confused and questioning like Stevie, so I didn't even notice all the gayness.
A lot about Stevie's childhood reminded me of my own. Her desire to fit in often clashed with her desire to remain herself. There's so much about Stevie's life that has to do with the times she was living in, but also a great deal are things that young women still face today. I'm eager to read the sequel, that this book so beautifully set me up for. I got this book from a swapping website, which usually means I put it back on my list of books to be swapped and pass it along. I think I'll hang onto this one. It was a quick read, and I'm sure there will be some more people in my life who would get some joy out of reading this one.
A lot about Stevie's childhood reminded me of my own. Her desire to fit in often clashed with her desire to remain herself. There's so much about Stevie's life that has to do with the times she was living in, but also a great deal are things that young women still face today. I'm eager to read the sequel, that this book so beautifully set me up for. I got this book from a swapping website, which usually means I put it back on my list of books to be swapped and pass it along. I think I'll hang onto this one. It was a quick read, and I'm sure there will be some more people in my life who would get some joy out of reading this one.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
This book was just really lovely. Stevie is such a charismatic character and a great one to follow through the trials of coming of age as a black woman in 1960s Chicago. The intersections between personal and political relationships and the development of all the characters are both astute and interesting, but it’s really the fun, bright prose and attitudes that make this just such a heartwarming discovery of oneself.
I knew I was losing my boyfriend, but I felt relieved. I realized that I had never been in love with Sean, just impressed with him. And that was a different feeling. It hadn’t made me want to run outside and taste a snowflake.
I knew I was losing my boyfriend, but I felt relieved. I realized that I had never been in love with Sean, just impressed with him. And that was a different feeling. It hadn’t made me want to run outside and taste a snowflake.
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
À coming of age story of Jean ‘Stevie’ Stevenson set in the sixties in Chicago. Reminiscent of the turbulent times but the main focus is on Stevie navigating adolescence- parental expectations, friendships, colorism, beauty standards and sexuality.
Great look at being a teenager struggling to find your own voice and space. Narrative provides highlights rather than a smooth transition to Stevie’s development.
Great look at being a teenager struggling to find your own voice and space. Narrative provides highlights rather than a smooth transition to Stevie’s development.
This book represents everything I love and want to see in YA fiction. April Sinclair is a storyteller!!!! And her writing is so refreshing and immersive and honest! love love stevie justice for willie jean and protect Roland at all costs!
story told from the perspective of a black girl growing up during the 60s in Chicago, and all the changes she witnesses, both in her world and in herself.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
Loveable characters:
Yes
That was perfect. It was full of so much heart and really spoke to me. An immaculate coming of age story