Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

American Street by Ibi Zoboi

12 reviews

gigireadswithkiki's review

Go to review page

dark emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book really challenged me to examine my internalized biases against characters who are unlikeable to me. Fabiola made some absolutely buckwild errors in judgement when faced with difficult challenges, but Ibi Zoboi does a fantastic job of reminding readers of her situation as both a child isolated from their parental figure and a new immigrant to the U.S. American Street felt like a raw and emotional examination of not only the racism and police brutality faced by Black Americans but also how that can layer with immigrant xenophobia. Though this story focused on Fabiola's experiences, my favorite part of the book was definitely the small moments at the end of chapters, where we'd get a slice of another character's thoughts/perspectives; these sections felt so poetically lush with emotion, and many of the lines felt so heartfelt and impactful. 

My only criticism is that the pacing of the story felt a little disjointed. The ending comes in quickly and violently, without leaving readers much space to sit with the events before concluding the story. I wish the conclusion had been shifted a bit earlier into the book so that the ending could've had room to breathe and settle with all the characters but otherwise, I really enjoyed this read though please please please check content warnings before reading!!!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

brookey8888's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative 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

This was very good! I didn’t really know what it was about when I picked it up. I listened to the audio book and it was really well done. I liked learning more about Haitian culture. I really liked Fabiola as a main character. I think this is also an important read about immigration, family and a few other things. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

librarysoflyss's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

michelleighreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

this_is_lee's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-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

This was a heavy read but an important one. I'm glad I read this now rather than when I got it years back. The story that Zoboi tells is one that carries such cultural importance, I have a picture of Culture that is more clear after reading this book. Everything pulled me in and I didn't want to leave any crumbs.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

achiunicorn's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

robinreads_'s review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 I really enjoy Ibi Zoboi’s writing and this was no exception. I liked following Fabiola as she was navigating the challenges she faces as she starts her new life in the US. YA can be very hit or miss for me, but this was very compelling, emotional and the ending…wow! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

nytephoenyx's review

Go to review page

emotional 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

5.0

 Whelp. That was an ending I didn’t anticipate.

For my first book by Ibi Zoboi, American Street hit hard! In a good way, but also in a sad way. I quickly fell in love with Fabiola “Fabulous” Toussaint. From the way her dialogue is written, to her vibrant internal monologue, to her flow of emotions and determination and love and fear… Fabiola is a beautiful multi-faceted character and the perfect one to be telling this story.

From the first pages of the book, the world challenges Fabiola. Upon entering the United States, her mother is detained in immigration. Detroit is not quite the place she imagined. Despite an excellent education in Haiti, she has to navigate a new school with a slightly different way of doing things and she has to navigate the rules of the West Side. Meanwhile, everyone seems determined to keep as much information from her as possible – they want her to live a good life and stay out of the bad parts of their world. But Fabiola will do anything to get her mother back.

For me, the characters in this story are its greatest strength, and since American Street is an excellent book, that’s saying a lot. Each one is deeply developed, with their own story that slowly unravels around Fabiola. They each have their own motives and their own secrets. The plot takes you through a few unexpected twists, but those twists are all that much stronger because of the way the characters shine.

Reader be warned, there is also a lot of difficult content in American Street. Most prominent, to me, is the toxic relationship between two characters (that includes physical abuse) and murder by police. There’s a lot of joyful moments in American Street, but there are also quite a few bad moments. Be prepared for both.

I enjoyed reading this book and it will definitely be one I add to my “to buy” list, because I could read it again. The world is vibrant, real, and alive. There’s important social themes addressed in American Street, and characters that stick with you. It may not be a book with a happy ending, but it is a book with an impactful one. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookswhitme's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

dee_dreams's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings