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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
This YA novel involves a short-lived but passionate bi-racial first-time love story set in Brooklyn and Manhattan. It is a coming-of-age novel that also reflects teenage views of parents and the world around them, touching on themes of racism, prejudice, xenophobia, and stereotypes. Passing between the voices of the two protagonists, the writing is wonderful and the characters are fantastic.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
No
Woodson’s writing is so beautiful and emotional.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
No
This was heartbreakingly lovely. I got teary at the end. A story about first love and racism with language that is gentle and easy to understand.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality
From very early on in this book, I knew how it would end. That didn’t prevent my heart from shattering into a million pieces in the process. A simplistically written but beautifully told story of love, interracial relationships, shifting families & companionship, I don’t think this book will ever really leave me.
I wish this book had been longer. I felt like I was just getting to know Miah & Ellie and then it was over. And I'd really like to know them better.
I only had one problem with this book. When Jeremiah was shot, I didn't understand what was going on. Other than that it was beautiful. The way they loved each other, I want something that beautiful.
You know pretty quickly where this story will end but it does not make it any easier to read. This is absolutely heartbreaking from start to finish. For such a short book it has so much power in every page. Their relationship is adorable and I really loved reading about each of their families. It's a difficult and wonderful and important read. Really glad I finally picked this up.
A caveat: As a kid I read only picture books about animals for much too long, and went straight from there to adult books, skipping over YA entirely. This is maybe why I have no nostalgia for the genre. They feel only like failed adult books, with the naughties culled out.
And so maybe that's to blame for why I hated this book, even though it tells an important story of the consequences of modern racism. My apologies, but it's not good writing. Aside from being interracial, the relationship is written wholly in cliches. Boy and girl literally meet by bumping into each other in the school hall, she drops her books, he stoops down to help her gather them, their eyes meet, it's magic.
Also: if you're writing for kids about racism, is it more important to paint the story in very stark terms (this person was unidimensionally good, never did anything wrong, and still they suffered); or should authors allow characters to be complex so kids can better relate it to real life? I'm thinking about the Mike Brown obituary asserting that "he was no angel," vs. Jeremiah from this book who is maybe actually an angel. If we expect victims to be pure, does that make us think that everyone else 'deserved it'?
And so maybe that's to blame for why I hated this book, even though it tells an important story of the consequences of modern racism. My apologies, but it's not good writing. Aside from being interracial, the relationship is written wholly in cliches. Boy and girl literally meet by bumping into each other in the school hall, she drops her books, he stoops down to help her gather them, their eyes meet, it's magic.
Also: if you're writing for kids about racism, is it more important to paint the story in very stark terms (this person was unidimensionally good, never did anything wrong, and still they suffered); or should authors allow characters to be complex so kids can better relate it to real life? I'm thinking about the Mike Brown obituary asserting that "he was no angel," vs. Jeremiah from this book who is maybe actually an angel. If we expect victims to be pure, does that make us think that everyone else 'deserved it'?
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I picked this up because Jacqueline Woodson is excellent, and I was very interested in the idea behind a 90s-esque Romeo and Juliet-style story. However, I was disappointed because this book was so short, it felt as though there were aspects that weren't properly fleshed out. I wasn't sure how Ellie's religion played into the story, as it wasn't spoken of much beyond her Star of David. There wasn't much explanation of how she didn't fit in to her new school, other than the fact that she was new. Miah was noted as not fitting in because it was a PWI, which makes sense at least. The story was good, I just wanted/expected more.