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A review by blithesquesttoread
Paradise on Fire by Jewell Parker Rhodes
5.0
Trigger Warnings: Wildfire, death due to fire, mentions of death due to gunfire, burns and scars, mentions of death, mentions of racism and lack of resources
There’s a very important thing I wanna say about this book – it needs to be read by people. Addy’s character is so well portrayed and developed throughout the book, it was really amazing to read about. And the book discussed certain really necessary themes – climate change and wildfires, trauma and BIPOC struggles.
The book is relatively short. It’s a book that took me around 3-4 hours to finish across two days but what’s imperative is that the hours I spent without reading it, I was constantly thinking about the book and things related to it. The book quickly gave us a glimpse of how Addy lived – and more than that, how she constantly battled her childhood trauma. Her character was intricately written with a kid’s innocence and an adult’s wisdom. She was very much into maps and escape paths and later on she realized how much nature meant for her, somewhere she felt home.
There were many characters apart from Addy and their stories briefly passed by me, maybe because they weren’t the center of the story. I actually appreciated how Addy’s distance from her camp mates not only told us about Addy or the character growth, but it also made me feel weirdly connected to them. Granted, there were some people – especially Jamie and Dylan – who were hard to connect with but seeing the book and their characteristics, it seemed that it was how their character was supposed to be. I especially loved the few glimpses we got to see in everyone’s past, especially Leo, Jay and Nessa.
Coming onto the story setting, the book does get a bit intense from the second half as the wildfire starts. I swear I don't know how they all made it to safety and I am pretty sure it wouldn't have been possible if Addy wasn't present there. I live at a pace where the summer beats down real hard but I honestly cannot imagine the struggle people have to go through while battling wildfires. Why it was intense to read? Because people were hurting but the nature was also hurting so much, it was honestly very painful. The afterword especially caught my attention. The book is small, it is centered around kids but it is relevant to everyone.
The book also discussed the living patterns of black kids in the city. The discussions didn't ran deep and they weren't introduced as a means to criticize, rather it told the real experiences of people and the struggles they faced. One of which was not being able to experience wilderness and survival methods, the other being swimming which was crucial for their survival.
I loved how map making was seen as an art instead of hobby because I personally learned a thing or two about map making and topography. As the copy I had was an early copy, the art accompanying the text wasn’t visible but oh boy am I excited to see it! What more I liked about this book was the focus on environment and global warming. Paradise on Fire didn’t only give me a sense of motivation to explore and nurture the nature around me, it also provided me with few insights about forests and mountaineering.
I especially loved to see Addy's arc development and her friends - Nessa, DeShon and Jay. Survival isn't an easy thing to do and the way they navigated through the wildfire and the struggle together, was really amazing to see. Overall, I recommend this book multifold! Honestly it's amazing and the missing parts of the book (like the art) will come with the book's publication.
I was provided with an arc copy in exchange of honest review
There’s a very important thing I wanna say about this book – it needs to be read by people. Addy’s character is so well portrayed and developed throughout the book, it was really amazing to read about. And the book discussed certain really necessary themes – climate change and wildfires, trauma and BIPOC struggles.
The book is relatively short. It’s a book that took me around 3-4 hours to finish across two days but what’s imperative is that the hours I spent without reading it, I was constantly thinking about the book and things related to it. The book quickly gave us a glimpse of how Addy lived – and more than that, how she constantly battled her childhood trauma. Her character was intricately written with a kid’s innocence and an adult’s wisdom. She was very much into maps and escape paths and later on she realized how much nature meant for her, somewhere she felt home.
There were many characters apart from Addy and their stories briefly passed by me, maybe because they weren’t the center of the story. I actually appreciated how Addy’s distance from her camp mates not only told us about Addy or the character growth, but it also made me feel weirdly connected to them. Granted, there were some people – especially Jamie and Dylan – who were hard to connect with but seeing the book and their characteristics, it seemed that it was how their character was supposed to be. I especially loved the few glimpses we got to see in everyone’s past, especially Leo, Jay and Nessa.
Coming onto the story setting, the book does get a bit intense from the second half as the wildfire starts. I swear I don't know how they all made it to safety and I am pretty sure it wouldn't have been possible if Addy wasn't present there. I live at a pace where the summer beats down real hard but I honestly cannot imagine the struggle people have to go through while battling wildfires. Why it was intense to read? Because people were hurting but the nature was also hurting so much, it was honestly very painful. The afterword especially caught my attention. The book is small, it is centered around kids but it is relevant to everyone.
The book also discussed the living patterns of black kids in the city. The discussions didn't ran deep and they weren't introduced as a means to criticize, rather it told the real experiences of people and the struggles they faced. One of which was not being able to experience wilderness and survival methods, the other being swimming which was crucial for their survival.
I loved how map making was seen as an art instead of hobby because I personally learned a thing or two about map making and topography. As the copy I had was an early copy, the art accompanying the text wasn’t visible but oh boy am I excited to see it! What more I liked about this book was the focus on environment and global warming. Paradise on Fire didn’t only give me a sense of motivation to explore and nurture the nature around me, it also provided me with few insights about forests and mountaineering.
I especially loved to see Addy's arc development and her friends - Nessa, DeShon and Jay. Survival isn't an easy thing to do and the way they navigated through the wildfire and the struggle together, was really amazing to see. Overall, I recommend this book multifold! Honestly it's amazing and the missing parts of the book (like the art) will come with the book's publication.
I was provided with an arc copy in exchange of honest review