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A review by booksbytheglass
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride, Jo Piazza
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I finished this yesterday & had to sit on it for a little bit because of my mixed emotions. this was a heavy but very important one.
first off, I absolutely loved christine and jo’s writing - and writing their respective sides of the story. it made the entire heavy topic so much more invigorating to read. and I don’t think I could have stomached a white person writing about a black person’s experience.
the story itself was so powerful and RELEVANT - this story could be read in any decade in any century and still would be relevant. that’s how sad and f*cked up our society is. and riley’s chapters and the characters in them were just as powerful and wonderful as the story itself. I could have read about gigi’s stories and shaun’s path all day long.
what bugged me, however, was jen. she is the epitome of white privilege and ignorance. and I hated how the story made it seem like it was riley’s fault for not calling her out on it sooner. if jen was truly the best friend that the story made her out to be, she wouldn’t have said to the reporters that her best friend was black, she wouldn’t have defended the police officer’s actions, and she certainly wouldn’t have made fun of the word ally. not once in this entire book did jen exhibit being a good friend AND ALLY to riley once, and yet, that was the entire premise that they were friends despite their differences.
also, I did appreciate how they tried to introduce the blue line and how police officers would never snitch on one another because that is another huge problem in society - and even after the more recent unforgivable shootings and killings of innocent black men and women such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, it’s still happening.
I can understand why some reviews are saying that the dialogue in this one was written for discussion and book clubs. every topic introduced had questions from side characters that led to a discussion - similar to how a book club would act. however, I didn’t think it took away from the story at all. if anything, it emphasized over and over again the same concept - police officers and racists are killing black men, women and children at an alarming rate.
I really did love this story - I just wished jen would have understood more how her actions and words hurt riley and the black community rather than riley having to explain it. it’s not up to black people to explain why.
rating: 4.25 stars
wine pairing: south african pinotage
first off, I absolutely loved christine and jo’s writing - and writing their respective sides of the story. it made the entire heavy topic so much more invigorating to read. and I don’t think I could have stomached a white person writing about a black person’s experience.
the story itself was so powerful and RELEVANT - this story could be read in any decade in any century and still would be relevant. that’s how sad and f*cked up our society is. and riley’s chapters and the characters in them were just as powerful and wonderful as the story itself. I could have read about gigi’s stories and shaun’s path all day long.
what bugged me, however, was jen. she is the epitome of white privilege and ignorance. and I hated how the story made it seem like it was riley’s fault for not calling her out on it sooner. if jen was truly the best friend that the story made her out to be, she wouldn’t have said to the reporters that her best friend was black, she wouldn’t have defended the police officer’s actions, and she certainly wouldn’t have made fun of the word ally. not once in this entire book did jen exhibit being a good friend AND ALLY to riley once, and yet, that was the entire premise that they were friends despite their differences.
also, I did appreciate how they tried to introduce the blue line and how police officers would never snitch on one another because that is another huge problem in society - and even after the more recent unforgivable shootings and killings of innocent black men and women such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, it’s still happening.
I can understand why some reviews are saying that the dialogue in this one was written for discussion and book clubs. every topic introduced had questions from side characters that led to a discussion - similar to how a book club would act. however, I didn’t think it took away from the story at all. if anything, it emphasized over and over again the same concept - police officers and racists are killing black men, women and children at an alarming rate.
I really did love this story - I just wished jen would have understood more how her actions and words hurt riley and the black community rather than riley having to explain it. it’s not up to black people to explain why.
rating: 4.25 stars
wine pairing: south african pinotage
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, and Police brutality