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mischief_in_the_library's review against another edition
3.0
The number of perspectives in this book was quite confusing for about a third of the book, but once I figured out who all of the characters were, and how they connected, the changing narrators worked pretty well. That said, flipping through all of them so fast meant that I never felt we got much depth for any one character.
liftyourheavyeyelids's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It is an easy read, but at the same time not at all. I think everyone should read this, regardless of their political views. One note I would make is that in most cases I would not recommend it for middle school kids or younger ( but that's ultimately up to parents to decide and if a kid came to my library asking for this book I would of course give it to them no matter their age).
katie_christie's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
4.75
cathiedalziel's review against another edition
5.0
If you are looking for a read with a conclusion, don't pick up this book. Like in real life there is no ending, just a continuing on that sometimes doesn't supply any answers.
This is a fictional story about Tariq Johhson, who was shot in the street in his neighbourhood, by a white man. This is the story of all the people in that neighbourhood's feelings, thoughts, interactions, funeral, media coverage, rally, life after the shooting. Multiple point of views are given from his family (mother, grandmother, sister), friends (Tyrell, Sammy, Noodle, Brick), shopkeepers, etc. This is a great portrayal of how everyone has a snippet of a story, a feeling, the impact it has on their lives after the shooting happened.
This is about community and being shaped by what you see; experience and biases that form from experience or lack of understanding, connection. It's about being treated unfairly because of your skin colour. A victim seen as possibly deserving it because he was black, because he came from "Underhill", a black community considered by others (ie. white population, affluent black population, etc. ) to be "dangerous", underdeveloped, any other descriptive text can be inserted here to convey the meaning of "ghettoized". Somehow a life lost from such a community takes on a shameful hint of they deserved it. Police and the public question the rights of the victim and somehow come up with an answer that says they must have been doing something wrong.
Tariq's only crime may have been not getting the right change for some groceries his mother had sent him to pick up. And that he was carrying a Snickers bar, maybe. We never find out, because, as in real life, we only get to hear and form opinions based on what we think. We sit from afar and judge or we sit close because we are part of the neighbourhood and know the unfairness and hardness.
Kekla Magoon does a wonderful job in portraying how blacks and crime is viewed in American society. She reaches into her characters hearts and minds and puts into words feelings and heartaches and dreams and fears that only those close to the center of bigotry and racism can feel.
This is a powerful story not far removed from experiences many live every day.
I read for entertainment and for escapism. I read because it offers up new worlds and viewpoints that I alone would not have on my own. Sometimes, in reading, there comes that rare story that allows me to briefly live in someone else's shoes realistically. This is one of those times. No matter what I have experienced in my past, I have done so as a white female. I have never had to live this world as a black person. This is a glimpse into living life in that skin colour and history. It's an experience that I can retreat from. My heart feels heavy today that I can do that while so many cannot, it is their reality.
Everyone should read this book.
This is a fictional story about Tariq Johhson, who was shot in the street in his neighbourhood, by a white man. This is the story of all the people in that neighbourhood's feelings, thoughts, interactions, funeral, media coverage, rally, life after the shooting. Multiple point of views are given from his family (mother, grandmother, sister), friends (Tyrell, Sammy, Noodle, Brick), shopkeepers, etc. This is a great portrayal of how everyone has a snippet of a story, a feeling, the impact it has on their lives after the shooting happened.
This is about community and being shaped by what you see; experience and biases that form from experience or lack of understanding, connection. It's about being treated unfairly because of your skin colour. A victim seen as possibly deserving it because he was black, because he came from "Underhill", a black community considered by others (ie. white population, affluent black population, etc. ) to be "dangerous", underdeveloped, any other descriptive text can be inserted here to convey the meaning of "ghettoized". Somehow a life lost from such a community takes on a shameful hint of they deserved it. Police and the public question the rights of the victim and somehow come up with an answer that says they must have been doing something wrong.
Tariq's only crime may have been not getting the right change for some groceries his mother had sent him to pick up. And that he was carrying a Snickers bar, maybe. We never find out, because, as in real life, we only get to hear and form opinions based on what we think. We sit from afar and judge or we sit close because we are part of the neighbourhood and know the unfairness and hardness.
Kekla Magoon does a wonderful job in portraying how blacks and crime is viewed in American society. She reaches into her characters hearts and minds and puts into words feelings and heartaches and dreams and fears that only those close to the center of bigotry and racism can feel.
This is a powerful story not far removed from experiences many live every day.
I read for entertainment and for escapism. I read because it offers up new worlds and viewpoints that I alone would not have on my own. Sometimes, in reading, there comes that rare story that allows me to briefly live in someone else's shoes realistically. This is one of those times. No matter what I have experienced in my past, I have done so as a white female. I have never had to live this world as a black person. This is a glimpse into living life in that skin colour and history. It's an experience that I can retreat from. My heart feels heavy today that I can do that while so many cannot, it is their reality.
Everyone should read this book.
moniquemaggiore's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a powerful read, especially during this time. It was a great narration with many viewpoints told throughout the novel. Each chapter told in a different perspective but no two accounts are the same. I did feel there were too many characters and too many point of views that I did feel myself getting confused. This is an important, discussion-prompting book.
jwinchell's review against another edition
3.0
I like and applaud a lot about this book: naming violence as a societal disease; giving voice to the impact one act of gun violence can have on many interconnected lives; helping us experience 9 consecutive days of community mourning; placing white-on-black aggression and issues of racism front and center; complicating our assumptions about innocence and guilt; existing as an accessible, contemporary novel that asserts Black Lives Matter. But for high-low YA fiction, this is just too long and has too many voices. I couldn't keep separate Sammy from Junior from Will, and Tariq's sister Tina's voice felt wildly inauthentic. Also, why should I care about the Rev. Sloan's sexual frustrations and moral hangups? That storyline with Kimberly felt disconnected from the bulk of the novel. Also, I found it weird that Tariq's friend Tyrell became the star of the show as the story went on, and it felt like Magoon had written herself there: oh, HE'S who I am really writing about. I'd hand this to a persistent, interested reader who isn't afraid of length and storytelling lulls.
whitneymouse's review against another edition
3.0
I read this for BookishFirst's February Bingo. The only reason it wasn't a 5-star is because I feel like the book is different than what the synopsis would lead you to believe and some characters didn't make sense to me. For that reason, it went down to a 3.5.
Yes, the plot revolves around the shooting of Tariq Johnson, but in order for it to work, the reader is forced into assumptions about what's happening and then told later what you thought wasn't correct (lesson being, no one has all of the information to say, 100% accurately, "how it really went down"). I was unsatisfied with some of the questions that are raised and never answered (e.g. "Was Tariq part of the Kings or no?", "Did Tariq have a weapon or no?", etc.). These are super important to the story, but I personally would have liked more concrete answers than "it depends on who you talk to."
My main gripe is that it's really more about gang culture and characters trying to avoid falling into the gang or trying to escape the gang than it is about them dealing with Tariq's shooter. The shooter only gets a handful of narrative chapters and it is left VERY open-ended in regards to whether or not he ever gets brought to justice for a very clear case of "not self-defense". Instead, we get a character grappling with if he really knew Tariq or not and that causing him to hem and haw about whether or not he wants to join the Kings. We also get a character who's dating one of the Kings who wants out. These two take up a lot of the narrative and change the focus. I thought the way this was left was unrealistic, as well. Gangs are notoriously hard to refuse or get out of. It can be deadly. While Tariq's shooting is the catalyst for these decisions, I feel like the decisions made wouldn't have changed if Tariq had survived the shooting. It just may have taken longer.
Lastly, we get narrative characters from the dads of friends of Tariq. People who don't even know Tariq. So why are they there? They don't really add anything to the story. They misunderstand their kids (or, in one case, are downright nasty because of something that wasn't the child's fault). I don't understand what they're supposed to be bringing to the narrative as characters. They could be written out and the story would be just as effective. I was confused by that.
I liked the book. It just wasn't what I was expecting based on that synopsis.
Popsugar Reading Prompt: A book with a bird on the cover
Yes, the plot revolves around the shooting of Tariq Johnson, but in order for it to work, the reader is forced into assumptions about what's happening and then told later what you thought wasn't correct (lesson being, no one has all of the information to say, 100% accurately, "how it really went down"). I was unsatisfied with some of the questions that are raised and never answered (e.g. "Was Tariq part of the Kings or no?", "Did Tariq have a weapon or no?", etc.). These are super important to the story, but I personally would have liked more concrete answers than "it depends on who you talk to."
My main gripe is that it's really more about gang culture and characters trying to avoid falling into the gang or trying to escape the gang than it is about them dealing with Tariq's shooter. The shooter only gets a handful of narrative chapters and it is left VERY open-ended in regards to whether or not he ever gets brought to justice for a very clear case of "not self-defense". Instead, we get a character grappling with if he really knew Tariq or not and that causing him to hem and haw about whether or not he wants to join the Kings. We also get a character who's dating one of the Kings who wants out. These two take up a lot of the narrative and change the focus. I thought the way this was left was unrealistic, as well. Gangs are notoriously hard to refuse or get out of. It can be deadly. While Tariq's shooting is the catalyst for these decisions, I feel like the decisions made wouldn't have changed if Tariq had survived the shooting. It just may have taken longer.
Lastly, we get narrative characters from the dads of friends of Tariq. People who don't even know Tariq. So why are they there? They don't really add anything to the story. They misunderstand their kids (or, in one case, are downright nasty because of something that wasn't the child's fault). I don't understand what they're supposed to be bringing to the narrative as characters. They could be written out and the story would be just as effective. I was confused by that.
I liked the book. It just wasn't what I was expecting based on that synopsis.
Popsugar Reading Prompt: A book with a bird on the cover
nmmac's review
challenging
emotional
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
kaitburesh's review against another edition
5.0
Wow wow wow. Very surprised by how much I loved this book. I was weary in the beginning because I felt like there were so many perspectives and that I might get confused, but as I kept going I loved how distinct each character was. It was truly fascinating to read how one action affected each character in such a different way. The story just had so many layers to it and I really enjoyed how honest everything felt. I of course loved the bits about Tina because what a heartbreaking and beautiful story told in so few words. I also really enjoyed Jennica's story and her eventual stand against noodle. Even Noodle who was loathsome, he was a character you lived to hate and you were able to feel his pain just as much as the other characters.
Very well done and would recommend to anyone teaching early high school.
Very well done and would recommend to anyone teaching early high school.