leerconlayca 's review for:

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho

4.0

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Emmanuel Acho is known for his YouTube series Uncomfortable conversations with a Black Man. Bringing this same vibe to a middle school book can be difficult but he does it with ease. The chapters are divided into clean and easy to distinguish sections. In each chapter the topic is broken down into smaller palatable sections that signal to the young reader what will be discussed and in what framework. I loved the easy-to-read and information-filled chapters. In presenting heavily weighted and emotion-filled topics to middle school readers it can be very difficult to not talk down to them. But Acho does a great job of giving them historical information as well as present-day actions and situations. This will be a stepping stone to reading more advanced books and spark an interest in pre-teen readers, nudging them to pay attention to what is happening in their world.