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A review by heykellyjensen
The Truth of Right Now by Kara Lee Corthron
A book to hand to those who loved [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give|Angie Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476284759s/32075671.jpg|49638190] and [b:All American Boys|25657130|All American Boys|Jason Reynolds|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444506678s/25657130.jpg|45479026].
Lily's got a secret that caused her reputation to shatter last year, and she's back at school anyway. Dari is the new guy, a black student in an otherwise almost all-white private school, and he's bored with his classes, his former girlfriend, and the abusive father with whom he lives. When Lily and Dari start to talk, though, sparks fly.
When things become heated, though, and we get the backstory of Lily's life, as well as begin to see her trust in Dari shift, we also see how much their relationship needs to take a hard look at the challenges of race.
Unlike the previously mentioned titles, this book takes on police brutality and black lives matter, but it does so in a matter which also shines a light on white privilege. I don't want to compare this to GET OUT, since it's not like that as a whole, but the manner in which white people are portrayed as "good white people" here is eerily similar and done excellently. We see Lily as a good white girlfriend, and there are moments when she clearly believes it of herself. But then we see Dari and the challenges he experiences as a black teen that Lily can and will never understand. The final page? That final paragraph of this book? Absolutely outstanding and unforgettable.
Corthron's debut is really impressive, and her use of both first person and third person to tell the story is brilliant. There is a LOT here to dig into and talk about. This book certainly hasn't seen the sort of light it deserves to, so it's one to press into the hands of readers itching for more books about race in modern America.
Lily's got a secret that caused her reputation to shatter last year, and she's back at school anyway. Dari is the new guy, a black student in an otherwise almost all-white private school, and he's bored with his classes, his former girlfriend, and the abusive father with whom he lives. When Lily and Dari start to talk, though, sparks fly.
When things become heated, though, and we get the backstory of Lily's life, as well as begin to see her trust in Dari shift, we also see how much their relationship needs to take a hard look at the challenges of race.
Unlike the previously mentioned titles, this book takes on police brutality and black lives matter, but it does so in a matter which also shines a light on white privilege. I don't want to compare this to GET OUT, since it's not like that as a whole, but the manner in which white people are portrayed as "good white people" here is eerily similar and done excellently. We see Lily as a good white girlfriend, and there are moments when she clearly believes it of herself. But then we see Dari and the challenges he experiences as a black teen that Lily can and will never understand. The final page? That final paragraph of this book? Absolutely outstanding and unforgettable.
Corthron's debut is really impressive, and her use of both first person and third person to tell the story is brilliant. There is a LOT here to dig into and talk about. This book certainly hasn't seen the sort of light it deserves to, so it's one to press into the hands of readers itching for more books about race in modern America.