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Towers Falling
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
A story about a girl named Deja whose family loses their home. Her father is sick with depression and anxiety that disables him from holding down a job, and her mother's waitresss check barely pays for their needs. When Deja and her family move into a homeless shelter in a ritzier part of Brooklyn, Deja goes to a new school. There she makes friends and starts to piece together why her father is so broken.
Things I didn't like so much: The lack of communication between the MC and her parents; no consquence for a very unsafe choice; that sometimes I felt like the story's messages were being shouted,like the reader wasn't quite trusted to get the author's intent; at some points the potrayal of the kids felt inauthentic-like would Deja and her classmates really know how to create a spur of the moment diagram that effectively?; why Ben and Sabeen attach themselves to Deja is never really explained.
Things I really liked: That the author chose to address hard topics like 9/11, homelessness, discrimination, disability, and what it means to be an American; the staff at Deja's new school - they felt real and caring, but not too perfect; Ray, Deja's responsible, adorable little brother; how the main trio grew throughout the story; getting to see inside Deja's unique thought process.
Things I didn't like so much: The lack of communication between the MC and her parents; no consquence for a very unsafe choice; that sometimes I felt like the story's messages were being shouted,like the reader wasn't quite trusted to get the author's intent; at some points the potrayal of the kids felt inauthentic-like would Deja and her classmates really know how to create a spur of the moment diagram that effectively?; why Ben and Sabeen attach themselves to Deja is never really explained.
Things I really liked: That the author chose to address hard topics like 9/11, homelessness, discrimination, disability, and what it means to be an American; the staff at Deja's new school - they felt real and caring, but not too perfect; Ray, Deja's responsible, adorable little brother; how the main trio grew throughout the story; getting to see inside Deja's unique thought process.