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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Jacqueline Woodson writes beautiful prose, her strength as a poet shines through in a novel as well. I read this in one sitting and would happily read more.
Why do we read fiction if not to get inside somebody else's skin? Another Brooklyn transports you into the life of a teenage girl of color, and one dealing with the loss of one of her parents at that.
There's a lot of threads you can pull here. The friendship with our heroine August and her young friends, the relationship between August and her brother and father, the maternal proxies in her life and ultimately her relationship with herself.
The abiding theme that drifts between all of them is impermanence and loss. You're born with the sense that this is the way things have always been and always will be, and change -- inevitable though it is -- comes as a serious blow. Part of becoming an adult is learning to cope with that change and develop a thicker skin to it.
In that way, Another Brooklyn was almost too raw for me to read much in one go. Jacqueline Woodson is so good at taking you back into the mind of a teenager in that period where you are most able to feel the pain of the world and least able to cope with it. It's a credit to her writing ability for sure, that she could tap that emotional well in her reader -- even one with a wildly different experience than her main characters.
There are lots of feels on display here, but the prose is fluid and crisp. You can tell she is an accomplished YA writer, but she's not pulling any punches. Terrific book.
There's a lot of threads you can pull here. The friendship with our heroine August and her young friends, the relationship between August and her brother and father, the maternal proxies in her life and ultimately her relationship with herself.
The abiding theme that drifts between all of them is impermanence and loss. You're born with the sense that this is the way things have always been and always will be, and change -- inevitable though it is -- comes as a serious blow. Part of becoming an adult is learning to cope with that change and develop a thicker skin to it.
In that way, Another Brooklyn was almost too raw for me to read much in one go. Jacqueline Woodson is so good at taking you back into the mind of a teenager in that period where you are most able to feel the pain of the world and least able to cope with it. It's a credit to her writing ability for sure, that she could tap that emotional well in her reader -- even one with a wildly different experience than her main characters.
There are lots of feels on display here, but the prose is fluid and crisp. You can tell she is an accomplished YA writer, but she's not pulling any punches. Terrific book.
Edit 2:
Okay I have no explanation for this, and i barely even remember the plot lmfao, but i still somehow keep reminiscing about the book??? And miss reading it??? Like the "no plot just vibes" except i want to lowkey live in those vibes??? Deserves a 5 star upgrade. Probably the first time in my life a book has aged fine like wine in my memory and i LOVE this. Universe, more of books like these please, I beg you.
Edit 1:
Increased to 4/5 solely because the writing stayed with me even days after reading, and I am yearning to read something as atmospheric as this again.
Review:
goodreads, when in the name of christ will you let me give half star ratings?
3.5/5
Okay I have no explanation for this, and i barely even remember the plot lmfao, but i still somehow keep reminiscing about the book??? And miss reading it??? Like the "no plot just vibes" except i want to lowkey live in those vibes??? Deserves a 5 star upgrade. Probably the first time in my life a book has aged fine like wine in my memory and i LOVE this. Universe, more of books like these please, I beg you.
Edit 1:
Increased to 4/5 solely because the writing stayed with me even days after reading, and I am yearning to read something as atmospheric as this again.
Review:
goodreads, when in the name of christ will you let me give half star ratings?
3.5/5
Not a perfect book - I wanted more of the four friends in their heyday - but the treatment of loss and memory deserves five stars (and some tears shed on the train and I listened to the end of the audiobook.)
The work of a master at her craft. Under 200 pages and you get a coming of age tale that hits on poverty, Nation of Islam, death, drug use, and Vietnam's impact on American families. Spectacular, beautiful, poetic. A fair finalist for the National Book Award.
Absolutely beautiful story paired with the most perfect prose I've read in years. A true joy to read.
A coming of age tale about growing up poor, Black in Brooklyn. I really enjoyed the writing in this, thought it was moving as well as thought provoking. Deals with difficult issues that are daily life for some people. The writing is lyrical, the characters are visceral and real and the setting is evocative of the time and place. Want to read more from this author.
Wow. I don't remember the last time I finished a book this fast. Loved the style and the story.
Woodson excelled at writing a novel that immerses you in being young in Brooklyn during the 60s/70s. Her writing had an ephemeral quality, where you never followed a story too deeply or were caught up in the details of a character's story. This left you with the feelings and sensations of the character's narratives. I will remember:
1. Woodson straddling the line between youth narrative and not quite reaching the point of a novel meant for adults. This helped enhance the sensation of a young girl's experiences but didn't help to leave the reader with any larger ideas/details, like how August becomes an anthropologist, etc.
2. August's friendships and the way they changed shape and revealed aspects of herself and the larger world. This included the way that men began to notice the girl's becoming womanly, their growing sense of their sexuality, and understanding more of the political and social contexts of their upbringing.
3. Beautiful, poetic writing that was easy to read
Loved this quote from Rilke in the authors note:
“the powerful, the uncommon, the awakening of stones” as a way to describe, remember, and imagine what it means to grow up a girl in this country
1. Woodson straddling the line between youth narrative and not quite reaching the point of a novel meant for adults. This helped enhance the sensation of a young girl's experiences but didn't help to leave the reader with any larger ideas/details, like how August becomes an anthropologist, etc.
2. August's friendships and the way they changed shape and revealed aspects of herself and the larger world. This included the way that men began to notice the girl's becoming womanly, their growing sense of their sexuality, and understanding more of the political and social contexts of their upbringing.
3. Beautiful, poetic writing that was easy to read
Loved this quote from Rilke in the authors note:
“the powerful, the uncommon, the awakening of stones” as a way to describe, remember, and imagine what it means to grow up a girl in this country