Reviews with content warning for Racism - We Are Not Like Them

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride, Jo Piazza

100 reviews

theblushbookworm's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Come for the friendship, stay for the social justice; the authors’ inside joke tagline for this novel encapsulates it perfectly! Jen, who’s White, and Riley, who’s Black, have been best friends since childhood, but when Jen’s cop husband plays a part in the murder of a young Black boy their lives are torn apart. This novel reminded me of “Such A Fun Age” in the alternating perspectives of White and Black women though the dynamic is very different. Riley ‘s struggles as she processes this event and tries to tell the story as an objective journalist was the most interesting part of the read for me. Jen felt a little one-dimensional at times, but then she’d hit me with a line of dialogue that showed her nuance. Jen was one-dimensional to brilliantly serve the purpose of illustrating the thinking of unconscious racism. Overall this is a must read for me, but check trigger warnings!

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lucyreadsbooks12's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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wellreadmegs's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was obviously a heavy but necessary read. I think this book is great for book clubs especially to have tough conversations and discuss the issues of race and police brutality in America. I thought the book started out strong and took a strong stance on the issue that unfortunately didn't carry throughout.

I thought the ending was swift and almost made it feel swept under the rug - as most of these cases do. I appreciated the authors didn't offer forgiveness or unloading of burdens for the Murphy's but I also feel like they got off pretty easy in the grand scheme of things.

I would have given this book 5 stars if it included the court proceedings, trial, and character witness statements. I think that would have been very impactful. Personally, I didn't think we needed a love story of any sort for Riley in this book - it felt like an afterthought until the end.

Again I think this book is great to start a dialogue, especially for white men and women, and would recommend to any book club but left a few things to be desired from the ending.

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d0505's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

i really disliked this. i can see what the authors were trying to do, but this just feels like a cheap caricature of police brutality. in the end, it feels like they are supporting it and trying to have us agree.

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lindsayerin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.75

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mollyedolly's review against another edition

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Heavy, heavy read. I’m not emotionally ready for it yet.

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stvnskp's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

I enjoyed reading this book as it gave deeper insight into a problem in our society. I wish the ending hadn’t been so abrupt. I felt there was more to learn about both women.

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gaby_fer's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

3.75

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cdoubet's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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