The Book:
Title: The Black Kids
Author: Christina Hammonds Reed
Published August 4th 2020 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Pages: 368
“Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of senior year and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer.
Everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the black kids.
As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson.
With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them?” –Goodreads
My Review:
This book is stunning.
To start this review, I want to say I am a middle-class, liberal, white female. Reading this book, as with all books I have read focusing on racism, was an eye-opening experience. I love to read about communities other than my own. However, I do have my privilege, and I may write something that does not come off how I intend. I fully support the rights of Black, Latino, LGBTQIA2S+, Asian, Women and Indigenous people across the globe (in no particular order). I am an advocate for social issues, so please please correct me or alert me if anything I say sounds wrong, especially in the next paragraph.
The book highlighted a really interesting perspective on America’s society. It was written from a “rich” Black girl’s POV. Personally, I have only read books from a “poor” Black person’s POV. This was unique to me. It also highlights an “I-dont-care” vibe about racial issues from a Black girl. I thought it was unique since most books I have read (and enjoyed) are about racial issues and the protagonist fights for equal rights.
I loved The Hate You Give and this book was in the same vein, with a different vibe.
This book deserves a large readership. Hammonds Reed wrote so uniquely.
The voice of the main character was so unique. The author mixes poetry into her view of the world, or at least that is how it read. The narrator of the audiobook also fits the character so well. She read it in the bored, drawling voice of a teenager.
The main character, Ashley, is so unlikeable too. She makes mistakes and hurts the people around her. I love reading a book about teenagers and how they mess up. It is really entertaining. Ashley does not follow the path that I thought she was going to go when this story started. It was irritating, to say the least. She does not grow into the character I thought she would have, but she does grow. A lot can be said about characters who irritate you.
The story is super character-driven, which is not my favorite kind of book. There is not a lot I can say about the plot, so this review is going to be short. It also was a historical fiction, which is really not my favorite.But, I enjoyed it a lot and I hope you can enjoy it too.
As always, thanks for reading,
A Bookie
Star Rating: 3.8