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A review by mbkarapcik
We Are Not Like Them by Jo Piazza, Christine Pride
5.0
Jenny and Riley have been best friends since childhood despite coming from two extremely diverse backgrounds. Through the years, they've shared everything even as they embarked on very different lives with Jenny marrying a police officer and staying in the Philadelphia area and Riley becoming a broadcast journalist who's just now returning to Philly. After a controversial and tragic event occurs, involving a shooting of a young Black teenager by Jenny's husband, all bets are off as to the future of their friendship and everything they've known in We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza.
I found this story to be incredibly engaging even though the shooting is uncomfortable to read about and disturbing. With a rash of similar incidents in the news today, it's a timely subject to write about and really important to put out there. It's tough to talk about race in general without tiptoeing around it, but I felt that this book handled the tragedy and consequential events in a way that made you see all sides of the story.
You get the perspective from Riley who is part of the Black community and balances her quest to get the "big interview" with her longtime struggles with her own experiences with race. You also hear from Jenny who wants to support her husband but deeply cares about her friend and cannot wrap her head around the fact that her husband committed this horrific incident to put it lightly. The exploration of race, friendship, family, choices, and much more comes into light. The book carefully walks a thin tightrope while trying to show multiple sides to this story even when you don't agree or relate.
I felt that the characterizations of most of the characters rang true. The friendship felt authentic, and, many times, you're wondering how the women can ever be friends after something so difficult as this situation. You're always wondering when the shoe is going to drop or if they can salvage their friendship amid this terrible event. It pointed out a lot of truths that lie under the surface.
The ending of the book wraps up most of the stories in a satisfying way that felt realistic. Not every issue was resolved, and it can't be because a life was lost, and the repercussions of that situation still reverberate for everyone, no matter how much time passes by and how many things change. I found that this is a good book to start some difficult conversations and discover how the "other side," whatever side that may be, digests and reacts to an event of this magnitude. It seems crass to say it was an enjoyable book, but it was and really stuck with you.
I found this story to be incredibly engaging even though the shooting is uncomfortable to read about and disturbing. With a rash of similar incidents in the news today, it's a timely subject to write about and really important to put out there. It's tough to talk about race in general without tiptoeing around it, but I felt that this book handled the tragedy and consequential events in a way that made you see all sides of the story.
You get the perspective from Riley who is part of the Black community and balances her quest to get the "big interview" with her longtime struggles with her own experiences with race. You also hear from Jenny who wants to support her husband but deeply cares about her friend and cannot wrap her head around the fact that her husband committed this horrific incident to put it lightly. The exploration of race, friendship, family, choices, and much more comes into light. The book carefully walks a thin tightrope while trying to show multiple sides to this story even when you don't agree or relate.
I felt that the characterizations of most of the characters rang true. The friendship felt authentic, and, many times, you're wondering how the women can ever be friends after something so difficult as this situation. You're always wondering when the shoe is going to drop or if they can salvage their friendship amid this terrible event. It pointed out a lot of truths that lie under the surface.
The ending of the book wraps up most of the stories in a satisfying way that felt realistic. Not every issue was resolved, and it can't be because a life was lost, and the repercussions of that situation still reverberate for everyone, no matter how much time passes by and how many things change. I found that this is a good book to start some difficult conversations and discover how the "other side," whatever side that may be, digests and reacts to an event of this magnitude. It seems crass to say it was an enjoyable book, but it was and really stuck with you.