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rpanny's review against another edition
4.0
After seeing Asali Solomon do a reading at Villanova for this book, I've been dying to pick it up. From what I understood, Disgruntled was a coming-of-age in Philly story, that takes place in the '80s. Kenya, the protagonist, is forced to move to the Main Line (bougie Philly suburbs) after her parents separate and she must adjust to being in the wealthy, predominantly white neighborhood and new private school.
But there is a lot more to Solomon's novel, and the teenage section are only about a third of the book. We see Kenya grow up, come to terms with her parents separation and deal with her mother's suspicious new husband and eventually her father's commune-style polygamy. I found the writing really compelling, the characters complex and the pace of the novel really fast. My only complaint is that each new section felt like it was cutting off the previous one before that story was finished. I wanted more of Kenya's day-to-day life, more about the friend from NY who betrays her (we never see the emotional fallout from that). While everything in the novel worked, some scenes felt a little rushed. Overall, I really enjoyed Disgruntled - it's interested in growing up black, in activism and in community. It's a quick read and one I would recommend, and I'm excited to see what Solomon comes out with next.
But there is a lot more to Solomon's novel, and the teenage section are only about a third of the book. We see Kenya grow up, come to terms with her parents separation and deal with her mother's suspicious new husband and eventually her father's commune-style polygamy. I found the writing really compelling, the characters complex and the pace of the novel really fast. My only complaint is that each new section felt like it was cutting off the previous one before that story was finished. I wanted more of Kenya's day-to-day life, more about the friend from NY who betrays her (we never see the emotional fallout from that). While everything in the novel worked, some scenes felt a little rushed. Overall, I really enjoyed Disgruntled - it's interested in growing up black, in activism and in community. It's a quick read and one I would recommend, and I'm excited to see what Solomon comes out with next.
alixgb's review against another edition
4.0
This was a book I felt immersed in within the first page. The narrator has a clear voice and moves easily between childhood and more adult themes and thoughts. I liked how being a child of an activist was explored. Kenya was often the mirror to seeing her parents intimate parts; not so much their true selves as just their actions in contrast to their goals/wants. The level of detail in the everyday nicely balanced Kenya's internal world. Highly recommended.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
A classic bildungsroman set in the 1980s in/outside of Philadelphia following young Kenya as she comes to understand her family structure, as well as better appreciate her father and his passions (even if she doesn't come to agree with them or with him).
This is a quicker read, and I would have loved even more. The third person POV was interesting and a bit removed, but it definitely made this story feel like an adult novel, rather than a YA. It's not bad at all, and certainly teen readers who love literary fiction will dig this, but I wondered how different the story would have been had we been even closer to Kenya through her own perspective.
The 80s setting here is purposeful and not at all obnoxious. This isn't about the pop culture or an opportunity to make a teen cool by loving certain bands, but rather, it's about this particular moment in time.
This is a quicker read, and I would have loved even more. The third person POV was interesting and a bit removed, but it definitely made this story feel like an adult novel, rather than a YA. It's not bad at all, and certainly teen readers who love literary fiction will dig this, but I wondered how different the story would have been had we been even closer to Kenya through her own perspective.
The 80s setting here is purposeful and not at all obnoxious. This isn't about the pop culture or an opportunity to make a teen cool by loving certain bands, but rather, it's about this particular moment in time.
marnold's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism
teachergirl89's review against another edition
4.0
Would have given it a five, but that ending though.
maedo's review
4.0
I chose to read this book first and foremost because it's a Philly book, and I have read very few books set in Philly that (I think) truly capture the feel of this city.
Disgruntled quickly moves from West Philly to Ardmore and Bryn Mawr, so it technically doesn't capture the working class center city Philly that I'm interested in, either. However, it is an excellent bildungsroman about an African American girl, Kenya, raised by a father who organizes a group sort of similar to MOVE (which I use as a point of reference because it's set in the 80's) and wants to live out of the mainstream despite growing up on the Main Line, and a mother who at heart wants to keep up with the Joneses. Asali Solomon's voice as third person narrator is unobtrusive, but she's quietly funny and sympathetic to Kenya, who finds herself some companionship but feels awkward and doesn't fully fit in anywhere.
These are the quiet but very common things that snuff out someone's opportunity in life, and they just happen, and you've got to deal. For the whole book you hope Kenya gets something exceptional to break up the deflation, but you leave her in a worse situation than she started with -- by no fault of her own -- and it's disheartening, but real. Consequences don't always match action.
Disgruntled quickly moves from West Philly to Ardmore and Bryn Mawr, so it technically doesn't capture the working class center city Philly that I'm interested in, either. However, it is an excellent bildungsroman about an African American girl, Kenya, raised by a father who organizes a group sort of similar to MOVE (which I use as a point of reference because it's set in the 80's) and wants to live out of the mainstream despite growing up on the Main Line, and a mother who at heart wants to keep up with the Joneses. Asali Solomon's voice as third person narrator is unobtrusive, but she's quietly funny and sympathetic to Kenya, who finds herself some companionship but feels awkward and doesn't fully fit in anywhere.
Spoiler
The end of the book is pretty upsetting. Kenya gets arrested and jailed for dealing marijuana because she leaves both of her parents' homes and the friend-sorta-with-benefits she crashes with turns out to be a dealer who uses her room for storage. This happens right after her plans to attend Wesleyan get thwarted because her father won't let her ask his wealthy white partner for money for tuition and her mother/mother's new husband are bankrupt, so she can't afford it.These are the quiet but very common things that snuff out someone's opportunity in life, and they just happen, and you've got to deal. For the whole book you hope Kenya gets something exceptional to break up the deflation, but you leave her in a worse situation than she started with -- by no fault of her own -- and it's disheartening, but real. Consequences don't always match action.
pilesandpiles's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great coming-of-age novel -- well plotted, richly characterized, and cleverly written. Asali Solomon is just a really good storyteller. One thing that stood out to me is the relatively minimal role that romance and sexuality have in the narrative (they're there, but the main character doesn't have any obsessive crushes, for example), which allows other aspects of a teen girl's life that don't often get foregrounded -- like moral and ethical questions around family, race, and class -- to remain at the center. The final series of events is a bit haphazard, but it didn't detract much from my overall impression.
beverleefernandez's review
4.0
Disgruntled is a coming of age story that i think many people can relate to. It's one where as a child, your biggest concern may have been how to avoid being picked on by classmates or how to avoid being embarrassed by your parents. As you grow older, circumstances change--in this case, a breakup of your parents' relationship. Time, in this case, doesn't heal wounds, but makes them fester & linger.
I think Disgruntled biggest weakness is also what makes it a realistic story. Kenya doesn't have a perfect childhood (no one does). Her life has some aspects of stereotypes, such as absentee father, mother who chooses a man over her child, child who grows up with some degree of privilege & has no idea what to do with it. Overall, I like the novel. Sometimes the truth hurts, other times it can be liberating. The ending, though a little rushed, serves as a reminder that sometimes going back to where you came from is not so much a fall as it is a new beginning or "burn it all down".
I think Disgruntled biggest weakness is also what makes it a realistic story. Kenya doesn't have a perfect childhood (no one does). Her life has some aspects of stereotypes, such as absentee father, mother who chooses a man over her child, child who grows up with some degree of privilege & has no idea what to do with it. Overall, I like the novel. Sometimes the truth hurts, other times it can be liberating. The ending, though a little rushed, serves as a reminder that sometimes going back to where you came from is not so much a fall as it is a new beginning or "burn it all down".
melanietownsend's review
3.0
I wanted to like this book. I really enjoyed the first part. It's the story of a black girl growing up in the 80s with revolutionary parents. It's well written with several funny minutes. But as I went through the book I kept thinking the men were jerks and the women were idiots. I kept hoping for someone to break out of the pattern. In the end, though. I think I'm just too much of a sucker for happy endings. Or at least conclusive endings. The ending was ambiguous.