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A review by michellewords
American Street by Ibi Zoboi
emotional
tense
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? No
3.75
What can I say about this book? It's different than anything I have ever read before.
Let's start with the audiobook. Robin Miles is the narrator and she is INCREDIBLE. I'm glad I "read" this one with the audiobook because Miles gives another layer to this story that I don't think I could experience by just "reading" it. The subtle accents she gives the Haitian characters and the slang-filled voice she gives the teens in Detroit gave depth to the book I didn't expect.
American Street is mostly a story about a teen named Fabiola and her integration into suburban Detroit following her immigration from Haiti. On the way to Detroit, her mother is kept behind due to some trouble with her Visa and Fabiola, alone, is left to figure out the nuances of her new life. Those nuances include: navigating a relationship with her loud cousins, adopting to American culture/education, new/unexpected love, and a nearby drug trade system.
In desperation to get her mother back, Fabiola makes a dangerous deal that makes her new life in America very complicated.
Throughout this story about Fabiola we get little POV snippets from the people around her and their life experiences. While I felt like it flushed out side characters-I'm not sure how I felt about those sections. Sometimes it felt unnecessary and we didn't really go back to why it was important to share. On the other hand, they helped with character development. I don't know what my final call is on that.
What I really enjoyed about this book is the way it reads like a teen movie. It would make a REALLY great movie. The characters and the story put into a film would be amazing. Who can we call to get that to happen.
My biggest detractor is pretty minor. I'm pretty sure this is a YA book, but the content was edgier than I expected. While I don't mind the story with it's language (a lot), sexual content (off-screen & minor), drug use (minor), and violence (minor). At times, it felt like probably a little too much for younger teens. I don't think I could recommend this to anyone younger than 16/17.
Bottom line-American Street was pretty good. Very 'young adult' at times with angst/drama, but also had a lot of emotional depth. It was a fun read and I enjoyed the characters. Would recommend to most people. It's worth the time and the effort.
Let's start with the audiobook. Robin Miles is the narrator and she is INCREDIBLE. I'm glad I "read" this one with the audiobook because Miles gives another layer to this story that I don't think I could experience by just "reading" it. The subtle accents she gives the Haitian characters and the slang-filled voice she gives the teens in Detroit gave depth to the book I didn't expect.
American Street is mostly a story about a teen named Fabiola and her integration into suburban Detroit following her immigration from Haiti. On the way to Detroit, her mother is kept behind due to some trouble with her Visa and Fabiola, alone, is left to figure out the nuances of her new life. Those nuances include: navigating a relationship with her loud cousins, adopting to American culture/education, new/unexpected love, and a nearby drug trade system.
In desperation to get her mother back, Fabiola makes a dangerous deal that makes her new life in America very complicated.
Throughout this story about Fabiola we get little POV snippets from the people around her and their life experiences. While I felt like it flushed out side characters-I'm not sure how I felt about those sections. Sometimes it felt unnecessary and we didn't really go back to why it was important to share. On the other hand, they helped with character development. I don't know what my final call is on that.
What I really enjoyed about this book is the way it reads like a teen movie. It would make a REALLY great movie. The characters and the story put into a film would be amazing. Who can we call to get that to happen.
My biggest detractor is pretty minor. I'm pretty sure this is a YA book, but the content was edgier than I expected. While I don't mind the story with it's language (a lot), sexual content (off-screen & minor), drug use (minor), and violence (minor). At times, it felt like probably a little too much for younger teens. I don't think I could recommend this to anyone younger than 16/17.
Bottom line-American Street was pretty good. Very 'young adult' at times with angst/drama, but also had a lot of emotional depth. It was a fun read and I enjoyed the characters. Would recommend to most people. It's worth the time and the effort.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Minor: Violence and Sexual content
A lot of language throughout