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A review by mariahistryingtoread
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
4.0
TW: colorism, racism, unhealthy coping mechanisms, self hating language, verbal abuse, alcoholism
Genesis Begins Again is quite heavy for middle grade. I am of the opinion that if a kid can experience it then they can read about it. Nevertheless, I'm noting it because it's still something that should be weighed when considering picking the book up.
Genesis is a miserable girl and it is miserable reading about her. She has a lot of internalized self hate stemming largely from a recent traumatic experience where her alcoholic father verbally abused her during one of his binges. Her level of self loathing, at such a young age, is nauseating. She's a sweet, intelligent, thoughtful girl - it's maddening that she can't see that. It's infuriating that her own father is the reason she can't.
All of her ideas about herself are filtered through a colorist lens. Her talents, when she even acknowledges she has any, are inherently less than because she is dark skinned. She constantly talks about how ugly she is and how terrible the texture of her hair is. She actively schemes to acquire skin whitening products or tricks. The worst part is that while she is equally as deserving of good things, love and anything else she might want regardless of the color of her skin, her mindset did not come from nowhere. There are many people out in the world who will perceive her as scum for having darker skin. Changing who she is, is not the answer obviously, but it’s certainly easier to manipulate your appearance to conform to beauty standards than to be able to deconstruct over a decade of social conditioning at 12 years old. Loving yourself is hard enough as an adult, let alone when you’re still growing.
The abuse going on in her household is another weight on her shoulders.
Alicia D. Williams does a fantastic job at exploring the impact of abuse on a family dynamic. Her father is 100% wrong in every way yet Williams paints a compelling, sympathetic picture of a man broken down by the abuse he experienced in his own life grappling with his trauma now that he is in a space he perceives as ‘safe’. It does not justify his actions, but it helps you to better understand part of why a person might stay in a relationship that from the outside is so harmful and why a child of an abuser is unable to wholly write them off despite the mistreatment. I thought her execution was great because it opens up the door for dialogue about the complexity of abuse; people who are better informed have better tools for recognizing red flags and hopefully, will be able to separate themselves from bad situations more quickly or easily. On the other side it also validates victims of abuse when they might view their responses or actions as shameful.
That said, I will admit that Genesis' mother made me furious many a time. She and her child were evicted randomly THREE times because of Genesis’ father and she still wouldn’t leave him. I understand the mechanics behind why, but that did not make me less angry that Genesis - a child - was being subjected to such instability. It is hard to leave, I’m not saying it’s not, but Genesis’ wellbeing needed to be fought for. Especially when her mother did have a place to go. She just didn’t want to swallow her pride.
Also, if you're expecting a happy ending it's only like 90% of one. What happens to Genesis' father, what her mother is going to do about their situation and where they will live is left ambiguous.
I definitely recommend Genesis Begins Again with the not so gentle reminder that it gets worse before it gets better.
Genesis Begins Again is quite heavy for middle grade. I am of the opinion that if a kid can experience it then they can read about it. Nevertheless, I'm noting it because it's still something that should be weighed when considering picking the book up.
Genesis is a miserable girl and it is miserable reading about her. She has a lot of internalized self hate stemming largely from a recent traumatic experience where her alcoholic father verbally abused her during one of his binges. Her level of self loathing, at such a young age, is nauseating. She's a sweet, intelligent, thoughtful girl - it's maddening that she can't see that. It's infuriating that her own father is the reason she can't.
All of her ideas about herself are filtered through a colorist lens. Her talents, when she even acknowledges she has any, are inherently less than because she is dark skinned. She constantly talks about how ugly she is and how terrible the texture of her hair is. She actively schemes to acquire skin whitening products or tricks. The worst part is that while she is equally as deserving of good things, love and anything else she might want regardless of the color of her skin, her mindset did not come from nowhere. There are many people out in the world who will perceive her as scum for having darker skin. Changing who she is, is not the answer obviously, but it’s certainly easier to manipulate your appearance to conform to beauty standards than to be able to deconstruct over a decade of social conditioning at 12 years old. Loving yourself is hard enough as an adult, let alone when you’re still growing.
The abuse going on in her household is another weight on her shoulders.
Alicia D. Williams does a fantastic job at exploring the impact of abuse on a family dynamic. Her father is 100% wrong in every way yet Williams paints a compelling, sympathetic picture of a man broken down by the abuse he experienced in his own life grappling with his trauma now that he is in a space he perceives as ‘safe’. It does not justify his actions, but it helps you to better understand part of why a person might stay in a relationship that from the outside is so harmful and why a child of an abuser is unable to wholly write them off despite the mistreatment. I thought her execution was great because it opens up the door for dialogue about the complexity of abuse; people who are better informed have better tools for recognizing red flags and hopefully, will be able to separate themselves from bad situations more quickly or easily. On the other side it also validates victims of abuse when they might view their responses or actions as shameful.
That said, I will admit that Genesis' mother made me furious many a time. She and her child were evicted randomly THREE times because of Genesis’ father and she still wouldn’t leave him. I understand the mechanics behind why, but that did not make me less angry that Genesis - a child - was being subjected to such instability. It is hard to leave, I’m not saying it’s not, but Genesis’ wellbeing needed to be fought for. Especially when her mother did have a place to go. She just didn’t want to swallow her pride.
Also, if you're expecting a happy ending it's only like 90% of one. What happens to Genesis' father, what her mother is going to do about their situation and where they will live is left ambiguous.
I definitely recommend Genesis Begins Again with the not so gentle reminder that it gets worse before it gets better.