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A review by jooniperd
The Stone Thrower by Jael Ealey Richardson
2.0
2.5-stars, really.
unfortunately, i liked the idea of this book more than its execution. i found the writing inconsistent, and it felt quite clunky while reading. i really admire what richardson was going for here - she is working through her own issues as she reflects on growing up a black canadian, and where/how she fit in (she comments often about her lighter skin colour (which she mentions she shares with her mum), describes how she was told she 'wasn't really black' by a university coach, struggles with her black identity, and is constantly balancing her life between her white friends and her black friends - seemingly playing a part depending on which group she was hanging out with).
richardson was also trying to learn more about her dad growing up as a black american. her dad was a star quarterback in high school and college, then had a great career in the CFL. while discovering her own place in the world, richardson also looks at black history and pivotal historical moments from her parents' earlier lives. they were coming up at the time of martin luther king jr., the black panthers, malcolm x, and the unrest of those times. richardson's dad, i guess, never really spoke much about what things were like when he was young. he seemed to downplay things and was never one to show pride, or be boastful. i could relate to richardson's curiosity as she probed her parents with questions, and even, with her dad's permission, contacted people who knew her dad back in the day. supplemented with her historical research, and newspaper reports, i hope richardson ended up feeling more connected to her family and their past as a result of this project.
there are a lot of really interesting things going on in this book, it just didn't come together very well for me in how it was written.
unfortunately, i liked the idea of this book more than its execution. i found the writing inconsistent, and it felt quite clunky while reading. i really admire what richardson was going for here - she is working through her own issues as she reflects on growing up a black canadian, and where/how she fit in (she comments often about her lighter skin colour (which she mentions she shares with her mum), describes how she was told she 'wasn't really black' by a university coach, struggles with her black identity, and is constantly balancing her life between her white friends and her black friends - seemingly playing a part depending on which group she was hanging out with).
richardson was also trying to learn more about her dad growing up as a black american. her dad was a star quarterback in high school and college, then had a great career in the CFL. while discovering her own place in the world, richardson also looks at black history and pivotal historical moments from her parents' earlier lives. they were coming up at the time of martin luther king jr., the black panthers, malcolm x, and the unrest of those times. richardson's dad, i guess, never really spoke much about what things were like when he was young. he seemed to downplay things and was never one to show pride, or be boastful. i could relate to richardson's curiosity as she probed her parents with questions, and even, with her dad's permission, contacted people who knew her dad back in the day. supplemented with her historical research, and newspaper reports, i hope richardson ended up feeling more connected to her family and their past as a result of this project.
there are a lot of really interesting things going on in this book, it just didn't come together very well for me in how it was written.