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A review by mmarlborough
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride, Jo Piazza
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m a big fan of Jo Piazza’s podcasts, so this has been on my radar for awhile. The racial complexities brought up in this book will have me thinking for a long time.
Jen and Riley have been best friends their whole lives, despite their differences. Jen is finally pregnant after years of infertility and Riley is climbing her way to be a top news anchor. Their friendship is put to the test when Jen’s police officer husband shoots an unarmed Black teenager. As a Black woman in the media, Riley has to cover this story and bring her critical eye to the issues present. The pair’s friendship begins to fracture under decades of unaddressed issues.
Pride and Piazza bring so much to this story, making it three dimensional and not just a light book club chat about race in America. While the issues here are staggering, these writers have flushed out a real and raw friendship between two flawed women. I empathized with both characters and their plights while also wanting to shake them to their core and make them communicate better- with each other and themselves.
You’re probably seeing this book everywhere and it’s for good reason. This is an important but accessible book not to be missed.
⚠️Trigger Warning: Gun Violence, Police Brutality, Infertility, Racism, Suicide, Death, Lynching, Miscarriage
Jen and Riley have been best friends their whole lives, despite their differences. Jen is finally pregnant after years of infertility and Riley is climbing her way to be a top news anchor. Their friendship is put to the test when Jen’s police officer husband shoots an unarmed Black teenager. As a Black woman in the media, Riley has to cover this story and bring her critical eye to the issues present. The pair’s friendship begins to fracture under decades of unaddressed issues.
Pride and Piazza bring so much to this story, making it three dimensional and not just a light book club chat about race in America. While the issues here are staggering, these writers have flushed out a real and raw friendship between two flawed women. I empathized with both characters and their plights while also wanting to shake them to their core and make them communicate better- with each other and themselves.
You’re probably seeing this book everywhere and it’s for good reason. This is an important but accessible book not to be missed.
⚠️Trigger Warning: Gun Violence, Police Brutality, Infertility, Racism, Suicide, Death, Lynching, Miscarriage
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Child death, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Suicide