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A review by brittsky
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book has a purpose and an audience, but I don't think it understands either very well.
The first thirty percent, it was squarely in the 3.5 star range. I felt that the themes (mostly those of colorism and alcoholism) were handled very well for the age range and felt very true-to-life. Unfortunately, the overarching plot began to become so asinine that it was all I could do to keep reading, and the themes, especially colorism, began to become too simplified. Someone in my class mentioned that colorism is often implied instead of overt, but it feels like the author did not trust her audience to understand subtlety. Everything was stated directly to the reader, and it became very patronizing. I think an important consideration in YA literature is that kids are actually a lot smarter than many adults give them credit for. If, in real life, kids pick up on undertones and social cues in conversation, they can and should be encouraged to do so in books as well. Not everything needs to be spelled out.
Speaking of spelling things out, the resolution was frustratingly abrupt. She renounced all of the self-hate she'd been struggling with all book in the span of a two-minute conversation with her mother, and it felt like there were too many loose ends still dangling to suddenly take such a positive, everything-will-work-out tone in the last chapter. I was very disappointed by the absence of a realistic self-love arc after we spent the whole book mired in self-loathing. Because of how rushed the ending is, I don't think this book does its due diligence if it's trying to counsel other young people who struggle with similar issues of identity and self-image.
I also found Genesis's voice annoying, quite frankly, because of the way the author felt so compelled to make her sound casual while narrating. The slang (something like, "he really wasn't diggin' me, but then I rocked his socks off") and the informal exclamations (e.g. "oh, wait" or "oh my gosh!") felt forced and purposefully childish, and I just wasn't rockin' with that, ya dig?
The first thirty percent, it was squarely in the 3.5 star range. I felt that the themes (mostly those of colorism and alcoholism) were handled very well for the age range and felt very true-to-life. Unfortunately, the overarching plot began to become so asinine that it was all I could do to keep reading, and the themes, especially colorism, began to become too simplified. Someone in my class mentioned that colorism is often implied instead of overt, but it feels like the author did not trust her audience to understand subtlety. Everything was stated directly to the reader, and it became very patronizing. I think an important consideration in YA literature is that kids are actually a lot smarter than many adults give them credit for. If, in real life, kids pick up on undertones and social cues in conversation, they can and should be encouraged to do so in books as well. Not everything needs to be spelled out.
Speaking of spelling things out, the resolution was frustratingly abrupt. She renounced all of the self-hate she'd been struggling with all book in the span of a two-minute conversation with her mother, and it felt like there were too many loose ends still dangling to suddenly take such a positive, everything-will-work-out tone in the last chapter. I was very disappointed by the absence of a realistic self-love arc after we spent the whole book mired in self-loathing. Because of how rushed the ending is, I don't think this book does its due diligence if it's trying to counsel other young people who struggle with similar issues of identity and self-image.
I also found Genesis's voice annoying, quite frankly, because of the way the author felt so compelled to make her sound casual while narrating. The slang (something like, "he really wasn't diggin' me, but then I rocked his socks off") and the informal exclamations (e.g. "oh, wait" or "oh my gosh!") felt forced and purposefully childish, and I just wasn't rockin' with that, ya dig?