You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
This book is about the ways in which we become ourselves, and haunting way that our lives become memories. It is about friendship, family, loss, grief, and how to cope with all of that.
It is told in fits and starts, memories weaving in-between real life. Time feels woven like a braid.
It is a beautiful story.
The journey of this story is worth more than the way it ended. It is not driven by a plot, but held together with pieces. In some ways, that made it feel lackluster as I finished it, but no less beautiful as I read it.
It is told in fits and starts, memories weaving in-between real life. Time feels woven like a braid.
It is a beautiful story.
The journey of this story is worth more than the way it ended. It is not driven by a plot, but held together with pieces. In some ways, that made it feel lackluster as I finished it, but no less beautiful as I read it.
Jacqueline Woodson is a household name in YA, known for writing amazing books that are different from the majority out there right now. Up until last week, she was one of those authors that I knew I was supposed to have read, but never did. When I saw the cover of her gorgeous new novel, Another Brooklyn, I knew I had to read it. Technically, this book isn't sold as YA, but I'm pretty sure that any reader from 14 to 100 can enjoy and learn from this novel.
Another Brooklyn is the story of August coming of age. As August tells the reader at the beginning of the story: 'I know now what is tragic isn't the moment. It's the memory.' While this is August's story, it is also an ode to memories, tragic and not, and how our remembrances can shape us. August is an adult, thrown back into Brooklyn due to a tragic event, and tells the reader about her youth. She isn't reliable, but she is so lyrical and honest, that this book is a joy to read.
August grew up in Brooklyn with three close friends, Gigi, Sylvia and Angela. Throughout the novel, the backstory of all girls is revealed and their mutual, and very different, struggles are displayed next to each other. The book is an ode to the strength of girls, even if everything and everyone is against them.
There are a lot of time jumps in Another Brooklyn and the writing isn't a straight forward narrative. Things are left out or only alluded to, left there for you to fill the gap. However, that is what makes it so powerful. Filling the gap with an endless list of what possibly could have happened makes you relate to the characters so much more. The beautiful writing, mostly poetic throughout the story, makes it easy to relate to the girls.
I finished this novel in a day, but the story still hasn't left me. I want to know more about August. I want to hug her and Angela, Gigi, Sylvia. I want to crawl into the story and prevent certain things from happening. I want to protect them, but also experience with them. Another Brooklyn is unlike other books with its focus on memory and lyrical writing, but it is beautiful and I'm so glad Jacqueline Woodson shared this story with the world.
Another Brooklyn is the story of August coming of age. As August tells the reader at the beginning of the story: 'I know now what is tragic isn't the moment. It's the memory.' While this is August's story, it is also an ode to memories, tragic and not, and how our remembrances can shape us. August is an adult, thrown back into Brooklyn due to a tragic event, and tells the reader about her youth. She isn't reliable, but she is so lyrical and honest, that this book is a joy to read.
August grew up in Brooklyn with three close friends, Gigi, Sylvia and Angela. Throughout the novel, the backstory of all girls is revealed and their mutual, and very different, struggles are displayed next to each other. The book is an ode to the strength of girls, even if everything and everyone is against them.
There are a lot of time jumps in Another Brooklyn and the writing isn't a straight forward narrative. Things are left out or only alluded to, left there for you to fill the gap. However, that is what makes it so powerful. Filling the gap with an endless list of what possibly could have happened makes you relate to the characters so much more. The beautiful writing, mostly poetic throughout the story, makes it easy to relate to the girls.
I finished this novel in a day, but the story still hasn't left me. I want to know more about August. I want to hug her and Angela, Gigi, Sylvia. I want to crawl into the story and prevent certain things from happening. I want to protect them, but also experience with them. Another Brooklyn is unlike other books with its focus on memory and lyrical writing, but it is beautiful and I'm so glad Jacqueline Woodson shared this story with the world.
I've wanted to read Jacqueline for so long and after watching an interview between her and Ocean Vuong at the Strand, I found this audiobook to listen to. Ocean said he gathered inspiration for his novel, Once We Were Briefly Gorgeous and could feel the similarities of the characters processing emotions as a young person and compare them to their parents and the people in their lives. I loved reading about another side of Brooklyn too.
I listened to this book on audio, and it was a short listen wonderfully performed. The stories of these young African American girls will both warm and break your heart. Woodson allows the story to unfold like a conversation, exploring the experiences of a group of young African American women who aspire to be more than the expectations their neighborhood holds for them. Parenting has a central role in this narrative, with a paternal perspective that struck me as underrepresented. Love and loss, the roles friendship plays in our growth and development, and how heartache and tragedy shape us but don't completely define us.
A short, enchanting story of a girl growing up in Brooklyn in the 70s. Very beautifully written.
3.5 stars
A story about friendship, self love and black love. Great and fast read!
A story about friendship, self love and black love. Great and fast read!
I read this in one day, I could not put it down. It is a beautifully written coming of age story. The author's writing is like a beautiful poem or lyric that draws you in immediately and keeps you completely captivated until the last sentence.
A beautiful little book about girlhood. This book felt very fluid and wove together some high highs and low lows in just under 200 pages. There is the sparkly magic of childhood friendships fused with the harsh realities of growing up as a black girl in America.
I loved Woodson's RED AT THE BONE but I think I loved ANOTHER BROOKLYN even more.
Read if you enjoyed:
LAST SUMMER ON STATE STREET
THE POET X
I loved Woodson's RED AT THE BONE but I think I loved ANOTHER BROOKLYN even more.
Read if you enjoyed:
LAST SUMMER ON STATE STREET
THE POET X