A review by heyleigh05
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This book gives you a lot to think about and I’m still kind of processing what my takes are. It sounds kind of cliche but The Black Kids is a thought-provoking novel about race, racism, class, police brutality, and teen coming-of-age. The story takes place in Los Angeles during the Rodney King riots and the MC, Ashley, is navigating what it means to be a Black teenage girl during this time. Ashley’s parents are wealthy, she lives in a rich neighborhood, and she attends and affluent school. These are obviously predominantly white spaces and Ashley is trying to find herself and learn her boundaries. 

The Black Kids explores the intersections of race and class. It particularly looks at how Black aristocracy has a tendency to ignore and diminish the issues that Black poor people face. It also explores how even though some Black people may reap the benefits of wealth they still experience pervasive racism and white supremacy will only allow them to climb so high. 

The discussion of rich and poor was interesting to me particularly because of the time we’re in right now where luxury is a popular trend. We’re also in a time where we’re having more nuanced conversations about capitalism and becoming disillusioned to the idea that Black aristocracy is something to strive for. What good is your wealth if the vast majority of Black folks are working class or poor? Ashley is learning about all of this and her perspective is interesting to say the least. Ashley isn’t a likeable character and her values are questionable but this is intentional. She’s trying to figure out her place in the world and her parents have kept her sheltered from the issues that pervade Black poor and working class life in a daily basis. She views the Rodney King riots with a sense of detachment and even shame about the rioters because she’s sheltered in her affluent white community and her internalized racism has skewed her thinking. 

One thing about Black aristocracy is that in order to maintain their wealth they kind of have to adhere to white supremacist ideologies and one of way that manifests is through respectability politics. Ashley and many Black people have been taught that we have to be the best and we have to be on our best behavior (because white people are always watching and looking for us to mess up) and this a very hard idea to be rid of. Ashley has internalized this which contributes to the shame she feels about the rioters. Ashley is a character you’re meant to disagree with because you see the flaws in her thinking. You also hope that Ashley will unlearn her bias and change her thinking as the book progresses. I think this what makes the book interesting, seeing how she develops and matures.

This book is easy to get sucked into. Christina Hammonds-Reed has that writing style that’s straightforward and you can breeze through. There were moments when present events were interspersed with past memories and recollections and I was little confused when the story switched between flashback and present day. Towards the end I even thought the flashbacks were kind of unnecessary because we needed to see how the story would resolve. I also wasn’t super satisfied with the way the conflict with Ashley’s parents was resolved. It wasn’t satisfying and I feel like they didn’t fully acknowledge and take responsibility for the disservice they did their daughters in how they raised them. Her mom started that conversation but I felt like there was a lot more to be said. Ashley’s parents raised her and her sister to be kind of ignorant to how the other side lives and what it really means to Black in white spaces. I feel like Ashley put up with a lot of bullshit from her friends because her parents didn’t teach her how to set boundaries with white people. 

I also have a pitch for an adult version of this book. Ashley’s father’s name is Craig. Craig has an older brother named Ronnie. Craig is rich and lives in the suburbs while Ronnie works to maintain the family store and lives in the hood. I think it would be really interesting if we got an adult version of this book told from Ronnie and Craig’s perspective! Even though they are brothers raised in the same household they set out on very different trajectories and that dichotomy and difference in perspective would be very interesting to read about. There’s bound to be conflict and resentment between them because of the clear difference in status. I think this would make a very intriguing novel!

These are my general thoughts on this novel. It was interesting to read and I would recommend it mostly for the discussions that it would spark. This would be a fun book club book (with socially conscious people of course). With all that said, I do have a final thought that (rich/upper class) Black characters who grew up around white people are over-represented in YA (contemporary). There tend not to be as many YA stories with poor/working class Black MCs or Black kids from the hood who didn’t grow up around predominantly white people all the time. American Street by Ibi Zoboi (a book that I love!) is one book that comes to mind. I would like to see that change.