Unfortunately I got the German version!
It sat on my coffee table for weeks waiting for me to have time to read it, until finally, on Christmas night, Meredith picked it up and said, “Mom, this isn’t English!”
So, Amazon gave me my refund and didn’t even require me to send it back! Turns out there’s a German lady in Lisa’s book club who I passed it along to. During February vacation, I downloaded it—in English—from CLAMS and finally read it!
This book opened my eyes to the thoughts and behaviors of adolescents, of all races, while also illuminating the issues of racial inequality and police brutality. I especially loved the portrayal of the main character's relationship with her family and her usage of Tumblr as a creative outlet as she endures being caught in the middle of a terrifying series of events after witnessing the death of a friend at the hands of the police.
This book opened my eyes to the thoughts and behaviors of adolescents, of all races, while also illuminating the issues of racial inequality and police brutality. I especially loved the portrayal of the main character's relationship with her family and her usage of Tumblr as a creative outlet as she endures being caught in the middle of a terrifying series of events after witnessing the death of a friend at the hands of the police.
The School Library Journal summarizes the story better than I can: After Starr and her childhood friend Khalil, both black, leave a party together, they are pulled over by a white police officer, who kills Khalil. The sole witness to the homicide, Starr must testify before a grand jury that will decide whether to indict the cop, and she's terrified, especially as emotions run high. By turns frightened, discouraged, enraged, and impassioned, Starr is authentically adolescent in her reactions. Inhabiting two vastly different spheres—her poor, predominantly black neighborhood, Garden Heights, where gangs are a fact of life, and her rich, mostly white private school—causes strain, and Thomas perceptively illustrates how the personal is political: Starr is disturbed by the racism of her white friend Hailey, who writes Khalil off as a drug dealer, and Starr's father is torn between his desire to support Garden Heights and his need to move his family to a safer environment. The first-person, present-tense narrative is immediate and intense, and the pacing is strong, with Thomas balancing dramatic scenes of violence and protest with moments of reflection. The characterization is slightly uneven; at times, Starr's friends at school feel thinly fleshed out. However, Starr, her family, and the individuals in their neighborhood are achingly real and lovingly crafted.
VERDICT Pair this powerful debut with Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely's All American Boys to start a conversation on racism, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal
Update: August 2021 The movie is even better than the book. Kudos to the casting director for choosing real actors to portray the multi-dimensional real characters in this story. It drives home the importance of the subject matter makes the resulting film that much more poignant...and real.
