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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Rating = 4.5 stars, but I am rounding up due to my fondness for a little magical realism
American Street challenges the reader to look at issues of immigration, race, class, abuse, gender, etc. It is an unflinching look. This book is gritty (there is sex, drug use, gun violence, depictions of abuse, etc.), but it is also beautiful and unique. It explores many of the same conflicts that are really popular right now in literature, but does so in a way that I have not seen any other book do. The book is told from Fabiola's point of view (and what a pov it is!), but there are moments that allow us to peek into the perspectives and backstories of other characters (including two that come late in the book at are real gut punches). I also love how Fabiola's Haitian Vodou faith is woven into the narrative with a depiction of Papa Legba that keeps a reader wondering what is real and what is not. Ibi Zoboi also has a really lyrical style that allows the reader to find beauty in some of the ugliest moments. American Street has kept me thinking long after I read the final page.
American Street challenges the reader to look at issues of immigration, race, class, abuse, gender, etc. It is an unflinching look. This book is gritty (there is sex, drug use, gun violence, depictions of abuse, etc.), but it is also beautiful and unique. It explores many of the same conflicts that are really popular right now in literature, but does so in a way that I have not seen any other book do. The book is told from Fabiola's point of view (and what a pov it is!), but there are moments that allow us to peek into the perspectives and backstories of other characters (including two that come late in the book at are real gut punches). I also love how Fabiola's Haitian Vodou faith is woven into the narrative with a depiction of Papa Legba that keeps a reader wondering what is real and what is not. Ibi Zoboi also has a really lyrical style that allows the reader to find beauty in some of the ugliest moments. American Street has kept me thinking long after I read the final page.
I have enjoyed every book by Ibi Zoboi that I've read, and this is no exception. I love how she weaves together the lilting Haitian accent with the sometimes soft, sometimes harsh sounding American/Detroit accents. It was equal parts tragedy and triumph. The characters were well developed and felt true to life.
Age: High School
Culture: Haitian immigrant
First line: "If only I could break the glass separating me and Manman with my thoughts alone."
City: Detroit
I enjoyed all the pieces of this book but, unfortunately, there were so many that I did not love it as a whole. One part that felt lackluster was the detention of Fabiola's manman in New Jersey. Her detention drives Fabiola's bravery throughout the book in order to get Manman released but there is only one phone call between the two. It baffles me that there would be so little communication access or information. Perhaps this is the case, but I wish there was more discussion about it.
I loved the seamless, matter-of-fact inclusion of Fabiola's Vodou religion and Pri's attraction to females. Both Fabiola and Pri are comfortable with this part of their identity and don't spend the book defending it--it's just flavor to the story and their characters. And this is where Zoboi excelled. Her characters where full of dimension and distinction. The love interest, Kasim, felt unique from many male love interests I've read. He was forward and smooth and expressive in his sexual attraction to Fabiola. The relationship was very cat-and-mouse-esk which is off-putting to me but may be appealing to other readers. Although, even giving props to this unique relationship, this was perhaps that which unglued the story and detracted from the other storylines.
All in all, an excellent contribution to fictional immigrant stories--especially from an author who has lived one--with a touch of magical realism through the real-life inclusion of Vodou gods, but I wish the plot wasn't as scatterbrained.
Culture: Haitian immigrant
First line: "If only I could break the glass separating me and Manman with my thoughts alone."
City: Detroit
I enjoyed all the pieces of this book but, unfortunately, there were so many that I did not love it as a whole. One part that felt lackluster was the detention of Fabiola's manman in New Jersey. Her detention drives Fabiola's bravery throughout the book in order to get Manman released but there is only one phone call between the two. It baffles me that there would be so little communication access or information. Perhaps this is the case, but I wish there was more discussion about it.
I loved the seamless, matter-of-fact inclusion of Fabiola's Vodou religion and Pri's attraction to females. Both Fabiola and Pri are comfortable with this part of their identity and don't spend the book defending it--it's just flavor to the story and their characters. And this is where Zoboi excelled. Her characters where full of dimension and distinction. The love interest, Kasim, felt unique from many male love interests I've read. He was forward and smooth and expressive in his sexual attraction to Fabiola. The relationship was very cat-and-mouse-esk which is off-putting to me but may be appealing to other readers. Although, even giving props to this unique relationship, this was perhaps that which unglued the story and detracted from the other storylines.
All in all, an excellent contribution to fictional immigrant stories--especially from an author who has lived one--with a touch of magical realism through the real-life inclusion of Vodou gods, but I wish the plot wasn't as scatterbrained.
3.5 stars!
Edit: It's almost been a whole month since I finished listening to this, and I've felt compelled to write down my thoughts and reasons for my rating ever since. You see, it's not a bad book. Quite the opposite. I think it's very important, and while I'm not an immigrant myself which means my review isn't an own voices one, I come from an immigrant family. My grandparents immigrated to Sweden from Greece, and my dad was actually born in Greece as well. I know the importance of representation, and that's why I think this book is super super important and I think everyone should read it. My problem with it, which lowered my rating from a 4 star to a 3.5, was not about that, but about the girl on girl hate and the casual way that an abusive relationship was being talked about and portrayed.
It almost took me an entire month to realize why I didn't love it, and now that I've finally gathered my thoughts I figured it was time to write them down, because while the overall plot is important there are aspects in this novel I personally didn't like. A lot of other reviews stated that the book tried to cover too many topics, and I agree with that as well. We also could've had a beautiful f/f romance that kept being hinted at, but it was never properly played out and that made me sad.
I'm sure this could be written better, but I'm currently neglecting so many things while writing this. Ah well, at least I finally got to share my thoughts!
Edit: It's almost been a whole month since I finished listening to this, and I've felt compelled to write down my thoughts and reasons for my rating ever since. You see, it's not a bad book. Quite the opposite. I think it's very important, and while I'm not an immigrant myself which means my review isn't an own voices one, I come from an immigrant family. My grandparents immigrated to Sweden from Greece, and my dad was actually born in Greece as well. I know the importance of representation, and that's why I think this book is super super important and I think everyone should read it. My problem with it, which lowered my rating from a 4 star to a 3.5, was not about that, but about the girl on girl hate and the casual way that an abusive relationship was being talked about and portrayed.
It almost took me an entire month to realize why I didn't love it, and now that I've finally gathered my thoughts I figured it was time to write them down, because while the overall plot is important there are aspects in this novel I personally didn't like. A lot of other reviews stated that the book tried to cover too many topics, and I agree with that as well. We also could've had a beautiful f/f romance that kept being hinted at, but it was never properly played out and that made me sad.
I'm sure this could be written better, but I'm currently neglecting so many things while writing this. Ah well, at least I finally got to share my thoughts!
You jump into the story right away. Girl gets separated from mom at border trying to get into country.
This was such a good read! The novel revolves around Fabiola, who immigrated from Haiti to start a new life in Detroit with her relatives. Her mother is not able to go with her, so she navigates life in Detroit with the help of her aunt and cousins. Fabiola soon realizes that things are not what they seem and the choices you make can have grave consequences.
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
I found this book captivating and relatable, even while being about subjects I am completely unfamiliar with. Ibi Zoboi has fast become one of my favorite authors and has a way of pulling the reader into the story. American Street is full of African American, Haitian, and immigrant culture and history. I highly recommend American Street, as well as any of Ibi Zoboi's other books.
This book had some beautiful pieces of magical realism and vodou culture woven into a very grounded contemporary exploration of an immigrant experience. I loved how we got little pieces of the characters stories from their own perspective without it messing up the flow of the overall narrative, and I loved getting to know the family portrayed. That said, Fabiola (the main character) read much younger than she was. I think the author was trying to portray her naivety, but it came off as her just sounding young. This is the kind of book that I might have been much more in love with when I was a bit younger, but I didn't find that it had the same grit that I was looking for in some ways. That said, it was a creative and unique spin on the immigrant experience, police corruption and brutality, violence, and growing up. The inclusion of Creole words and magical realism made it super beautiful.