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A review by bookreviewswithkb
Confrontations by Simone Atangana Bekono
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
thank you so much to @netgalley and @bloomsburypublishing for the ARC
this is a short novel filled with so much depth and complexity, written beautifully. it’s thought-provoking and reflective, showing us the story of a young Black girl sent to juvenile detention after she defends herself against a racist and violent attack by 2 young men. it’s an intimate examination of the emotional trauma of being imprisoned, of the ways that racism is perpetuated within the systems in our society, and the expectations placed on Black women
this is a short novel filled with so much depth and complexity, written beautifully. it’s thought-provoking and reflective, showing us the story of a young Black girl sent to juvenile detention after she defends herself against a racist and violent attack by 2 young men. it’s an intimate examination of the emotional trauma of being imprisoned, of the ways that racism is perpetuated within the systems in our society, and the expectations placed on Black women
“It’s as if I’m exposed to something dark. It hangs over all of us and connects us, but is different for everyone. It’s as if we’re all in our own vortex: we’re moving, but aren’t going anywhere. Or maybe it’s not a vortex. Maybe it’s a pit, we all have our own pit we’ve fallen into. No one wants to accept how far down they’ve ended up.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Racism