A review by nadinekc
Long Division by Kiese Laymon

I think this is the first time I've liked a book and quit on it anyway about a third of the way through - twice. It has a nice, light satirical touch - not as frenetic as The Sellout, but just as effective. I liked that the characters are all in their early teens, so even when they're snarky there's still childlike sweetness about them. And if the publishers description of the book as "Twain-esque" means that City Coldson is a kind of black, hip-hop Tom Sawyer, I can see that. I think I quit (twice) because the plot just didn't have enough juice to keep me going. On paper the story sounds entertaining - time travel, a mysterious disappearance, and a strange book that ties it all together - but at the one third mark, I felt like the book had given me all it had to give. I think this book would make a fantastic graphic novel though. Maybe that was my problem - it read like a graphic novel, but without the pictures.