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A review by nvadams
Both Sides Now by Peyton Thomas
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.25
This is repurposed South Park fanfiction and it is not repurposed well. Despite adding diversity to the cast in an attempt to make it seem like a discussion of varied view points, the book at all points sounds like exclusively white boys arguing about what kinds of racism and oppression are the bad kinds.
I'd be interested to learn how long this book was in the works and left wothout editing because the range of references is baffling (and made noticeable in that the humor relies on references). It's like the teens exist in a Ready Player One reality but instead of the 80s the references rely on memes and tumblr.com fan culture from 2010 onward.
If you want a cute diverse story there are lighter and more humorous ones on the young adult market. If you want a nuanced look at teens discussing hard hitting issues I'm sure there are ones that do so without also having an Eric Cartman sound-alike. That the author thought this writing had the gravitas to warrant the use of the n-word and various other racially charged phrases is comically tone deaf.
Neither a fun or intellectually stimulating read, I'd recommend gambling on picking a random book off the the shelf before searching this out.
I'd be interested to learn how long this book was in the works and left wothout editing because the range of references is baffling (and made noticeable in that the humor relies on references). It's like the teens exist in a Ready Player One reality but instead of the 80s the references rely on memes and tumblr.com fan culture from 2010 onward.
If you want a cute diverse story there are lighter and more humorous ones on the young adult market. If you want a nuanced look at teens discussing hard hitting issues I'm sure there are ones that do so without also having an Eric Cartman sound-alike. That the author thought this writing had the gravitas to warrant the use of the n-word and various other racially charged phrases is comically tone deaf.
Neither a fun or intellectually stimulating read, I'd recommend gambling on picking a random book off the the shelf before searching this out.