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A review by charliegirl21
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
1.0
This book is bullshit.
1) Teenage mothers in foster care are allowed to keep their children. It is called mutual care, and I guarantee the state of NY has it.
2) Child services is garbage in a lot of ways, but the level of neglect in this book is unrealistic. As a foster parent and bff to a previous manager of a group home who is now therapist to an entire large county in another state, I can tell you that the bureaucracy of child welfare would not allow this level of abuse and negligence simply because they are a giant machine that dots it’s i’s and crosses it’s t’s to avoid lawsuits. Abuse slips through the cracks but there is no way a kid would make it years without seeing lawyers, therapists, and social workers because those entities have to check in and report to judges. An entire group home with rodent infestation, physical signs of abuse, and this level of chaos would be reported by at least one of the many people who would have to meet with these girls. To believe not one of their lawyers or caseworkers or parole officers would do their job as mandatory reporters is completely unrealistic. Single kids get lost and hurt in the system, but not an entire household to this level.
3) While I thought the teenage impulsiveness portrayed in Mary was spot on, the Ted relationship was weird and inauthentic. Other posters have indicated consent in NY would allow an 18 year old and a 15 year old to have a relationship, which could easily be researched by our brilliant narrator and pragmatic boyfriend. Beyond this, the flip flopping of their relationship felt more like a plot device and less like how her character is written to behave. There is also no way, based on how Ted’s character was written that he would just walk away at the end the way he does. As far as the system, he would be the person to get the baby, as he aged out of foster care and had the savings to get an apartment in whichever state he was talking about moving where his cousin had a job. Adult parents who are not currently in the system or in jail would have legal claim to their kid. He would be the first person they would call, and after he showed up at the group home, people would know who he is.
4) There is a long line of melodramatic shit written about foster care. It is brutal in its own right without having to turn it into melodramatic schlock.
5) The twist at the end was trash. The author hinted that Mary was crazy but did not realistically write her as crazy. This is not like fight club where you get to the end and go, oh yeah! This was emotional manipulation that we are supposed to believe because the narrator is supposedly smart. The one part that was effectively chilling was her talking about how Benson would be a good baby and never cry.
6) What was the point midway through about alluding to the fact her mother may have had a daughter before? Does it really matter if her mom was really her mom? Pointless plot line.
7) Finally, a book that puts itself out there as some sort of testament about systemic racism probably shouldn’t make light skinned characters tropes of beauty and dark skinned characters (esp. Tara) written as ugly, dirty, and disgusting.
There is so much. It was a quick read and there were some excellent characters, but I spent most of it being pissed about being asked to believe the cage of DHS created her conflicts around her baby when none of it is actually how it works. The end was garbage.
1) Teenage mothers in foster care are allowed to keep their children. It is called mutual care, and I guarantee the state of NY has it.
2) Child services is garbage in a lot of ways, but the level of neglect in this book is unrealistic. As a foster parent and bff to a previous manager of a group home who is now therapist to an entire large county in another state, I can tell you that the bureaucracy of child welfare would not allow this level of abuse and negligence simply because they are a giant machine that dots it’s i’s and crosses it’s t’s to avoid lawsuits. Abuse slips through the cracks but there is no way a kid would make it years without seeing lawyers, therapists, and social workers because those entities have to check in and report to judges. An entire group home with rodent infestation, physical signs of abuse, and this level of chaos would be reported by at least one of the many people who would have to meet with these girls. To believe not one of their lawyers or caseworkers or parole officers would do their job as mandatory reporters is completely unrealistic. Single kids get lost and hurt in the system, but not an entire household to this level.
3) While I thought the teenage impulsiveness portrayed in Mary was spot on, the Ted relationship was weird and inauthentic. Other posters have indicated consent in NY would allow an 18 year old and a 15 year old to have a relationship, which could easily be researched by our brilliant narrator and pragmatic boyfriend. Beyond this, the flip flopping of their relationship felt more like a plot device and less like how her character is written to behave. There is also no way, based on how Ted’s character was written that he would just walk away at the end the way he does. As far as the system, he would be the person to get the baby, as he aged out of foster care and had the savings to get an apartment in whichever state he was talking about moving where his cousin had a job. Adult parents who are not currently in the system or in jail would have legal claim to their kid. He would be the first person they would call, and after he showed up at the group home, people would know who he is.
4) There is a long line of melodramatic shit written about foster care. It is brutal in its own right without having to turn it into melodramatic schlock.
5) The twist at the end was trash. The author hinted that Mary was crazy but did not realistically write her as crazy. This is not like fight club where you get to the end and go, oh yeah! This was emotional manipulation that we are supposed to believe because the narrator is supposedly smart. The one part that was effectively chilling was her talking about how Benson would be a good baby and never cry.
6) What was the point midway through about alluding to the fact her mother may have had a daughter before? Does it really matter if her mom was really her mom? Pointless plot line.
7) Finally, a book that puts itself out there as some sort of testament about systemic racism probably shouldn’t make light skinned characters tropes of beauty and dark skinned characters (esp. Tara) written as ugly, dirty, and disgusting.
There is so much. It was a quick read and there were some excellent characters, but I spent most of it being pissed about being asked to believe the cage of DHS created her conflicts around her baby when none of it is actually how it works. The end was garbage.