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kevinmccarrick's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hmwoodward's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
I wish this book was longer because it goes so quickly and it is shorter in length. I think there was more that could have been written, but I'm thankful we did get some closure in the end. I really enjoyed seeing the world through Claude's eyes and loved all the character he introduces along the way. The topics are mostly dark and sad, but they are written with the casualness and sense of humor of someone who has experienced it firsthand. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Violence, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Abandonment, Police brutality, and Gun violence
Moderate: Racial slurs and Cursing
Minor: Car accident, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping
earthseeddetroit's review
3.0
I enjoyed it. The style of writing was very different than I was used to, I’m not well-versed in different writing styles so I’m not sure if it has a definite name to it but it is full of Conversations and experiences that explain the characters and their interactions instead of a lot of narration and backstory. I don’t know if that makes sense…
I liked the characters in this book a lot although my heart broke for them because this is a book about life’s struggles.
The main character is a young boy growing to young adult and dealing a lot with issues such as abandonment, violence, race, and fitting in. And gritty, messy love is in this book too. I enjoyed it. It kept me reading. It was a quick read and I would love to hear if anyone else has read this book.
I liked the characters in this book a lot although my heart broke for them because this is a book about life’s struggles.
The main character is a young boy growing to young adult and dealing a lot with issues such as abandonment, violence, race, and fitting in. And gritty, messy love is in this book too. I enjoyed it. It kept me reading. It was a quick read and I would love to hear if anyone else has read this book.
booksaremypeople's review
5.0
This book is about a boy named Claude McKay Love who grows up in The Southside (South Shore) of Chicago in a rough neighborhood. His parents up and abandon him, leaving him under the care of his kick ass Grandma and her roommate, Paul. The novel looks at Claude's day to day life on the surface level, but truly explores much more complicated and serious themes such as police violence and civil unrest with both heft and humor. Claude gets into trouble at school, but no matter what, in public, his Grandma always has his back, standing up to his principal and other people who she feels has wronged him. He often thinks about how there’s no place for peace in his neighborhood and the history books in school don’t reflect the world he is currently living in. Fantastic, surprising read that quietly crept up of me and I loved it.
asparker's review
5.0
Definitely a good book for a reread to look into the symbolism and double meanings that Bump included. The easy read made it a quick summer book. Lots of good commentary on the intersectionality of Black identity in the US.
bookofcinz's review
3.0
Why did it take me so long to read this book?!!!!
Everywhere You Don’t Belong is Gabriel Bump’s debut novel that perfectly explores race, violence, love, regret, family and societal pressures. We are thrown into the world of Claude McKay whose parents left him with his grandmother at a very young age and never returned. Claude’s world is his grandmother and her friend Paul who lives with both of them. He lives in Chicago and is currently battling the pressures to stay in school and not be deterred by the violence around him. That fails when there is a major to throws his world off course.
Honestly, there is a lot happening in the book. Some parts felt unfinished but on a whole I felt the writing was immersive and honest in a way I will remember. Being in the world of a young black man from South Side Chicago who is raised by his grandmother because his parents abandoned him- well, I kinda didn’t want to leave- I wanted to cheer for him so very bad!
I also love how hilarious some moments were… I genuinely loved how the characters were jumping off the page- specifically Paul and Claude’s grandmother. This one is truly a gem and I cannot wait to see what the author writes next.
Everywhere You Don’t Belong is Gabriel Bump’s debut novel that perfectly explores race, violence, love, regret, family and societal pressures. We are thrown into the world of Claude McKay whose parents left him with his grandmother at a very young age and never returned. Claude’s world is his grandmother and her friend Paul who lives with both of them. He lives in Chicago and is currently battling the pressures to stay in school and not be deterred by the violence around him. That fails when there is a major to throws his world off course.
Honestly, there is a lot happening in the book. Some parts felt unfinished but on a whole I felt the writing was immersive and honest in a way I will remember. Being in the world of a young black man from South Side Chicago who is raised by his grandmother because his parents abandoned him- well, I kinda didn’t want to leave- I wanted to cheer for him so very bad!
I also love how hilarious some moments were… I genuinely loved how the characters were jumping off the page- specifically Paul and Claude’s grandmother. This one is truly a gem and I cannot wait to see what the author writes next.
bexrecca's review
4.0
The kind of book that sits with you after you finish. I don't read a lot of dialogue driven novels and this makes me think I should. A dynamic read.
jvillanueva8's review
5.0
I deeply loved every page of this book. It’s deeply tragic and traumatic but filled with a dark humor and ironic discomfort. Am I describing literary postmodernism? I’m not sure. Claude is a fantastic character and this is a refreshing imagination of the bildungsroman for non-white folks.
Edit to add - I am 100% here for stories where POC don’t have to be exceptional. Claude is average when measured by the metrics our capitalist society uses to grade people, but his emotional depth is heart wrenching. Normalize POC not having to excel against inherently exploitative standards.
This was a Heidi recommendation.
Edit to add - I am 100% here for stories where POC don’t have to be exceptional. Claude is average when measured by the metrics our capitalist society uses to grade people, but his emotional depth is heart wrenching. Normalize POC not having to excel against inherently exploitative standards.
This was a Heidi recommendation.