Scan barcode
A review by chidimmadesiree
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
4.0
video review: https://youtu.be/OeScCBC75Q0
4/5 stars
“The Black Kids” by Christina Hammonds Reed is a young adult contemporary set in 1992 with a backdrop of the Rodney King case. As the Rodney King trial reaches a verdict and all four police officers involved are acquitted, L.A. has had enough. The city is set on fire, protests, loots, and riots take place in response to the injustice of the system. This book follows our main character, Ashley, who is a rich black girl living in L.A. The Rodney King case is on her mind, but all she truly cares about is finishing the last few weeks of her senior year. As events take place and everything changes, Ashley realizes that no matter what she does she’ll always be one of the black kids.
I really loved seeing the growth of the main character, Ashley. At the beginning of the book her reluctance to stand up for herself to her ignorant white friends really grated on my nerves. The way she never stood up for what she believed in drove me to dislike her. By the end of the book when she finally did address her friends about their offensive and ignorant comments I was so happy and proud of her. I realized that was Christina Hammonds Reed’s intention with her main character. I saw that she didn’t want to craft a perfect character instead a character who made mistakes, but learned from it by the end of the novel.
Speaking of characters, all of the characters in this books felt like important parts of the story and not just plot devices. The author did a spectacular job in fleshing out each and every one of the characters. They all felt so real. One of my recurring issues in young adult books is that the parents never feel present so I adored how the family dynamic was a big part of this book. Jo (Ashley’s older sister) was actually my favorite character.
The representation in this book was just chef’s kiss. I related to so much of what Christina Hammonds Reed was saying in this book. All of her quotes just put my thoughts into words perfectly. Representation is needed in all types of media and all types of genres. Christina Hammonds Reed gave me the representation I crave in this book.
-This book was sent to me through netgalley and hear our voices-
4/5 stars
“The Black Kids” by Christina Hammonds Reed is a young adult contemporary set in 1992 with a backdrop of the Rodney King case. As the Rodney King trial reaches a verdict and all four police officers involved are acquitted, L.A. has had enough. The city is set on fire, protests, loots, and riots take place in response to the injustice of the system. This book follows our main character, Ashley, who is a rich black girl living in L.A. The Rodney King case is on her mind, but all she truly cares about is finishing the last few weeks of her senior year. As events take place and everything changes, Ashley realizes that no matter what she does she’ll always be one of the black kids.
I really loved seeing the growth of the main character, Ashley. At the beginning of the book her reluctance to stand up for herself to her ignorant white friends really grated on my nerves. The way she never stood up for what she believed in drove me to dislike her. By the end of the book when she finally did address her friends about their offensive and ignorant comments I was so happy and proud of her. I realized that was Christina Hammonds Reed’s intention with her main character. I saw that she didn’t want to craft a perfect character instead a character who made mistakes, but learned from it by the end of the novel.
Speaking of characters, all of the characters in this books felt like important parts of the story and not just plot devices. The author did a spectacular job in fleshing out each and every one of the characters. They all felt so real. One of my recurring issues in young adult books is that the parents never feel present so I adored how the family dynamic was a big part of this book. Jo (Ashley’s older sister) was actually my favorite character.
The representation in this book was just chef’s kiss. I related to so much of what Christina Hammonds Reed was saying in this book. All of her quotes just put my thoughts into words perfectly. Representation is needed in all types of media and all types of genres. Christina Hammonds Reed gave me the representation I crave in this book.
-This book was sent to me through netgalley and hear our voices-