The Black Kids

Quirky and likeable, although with a few things that just grated on me a bit. The main character feels realistic but sometimes some other aspects of this didn't, and it pulled me out of the story. But overall really good.

3.5 stars

I would like to start this review off by saying I am a white British man which will of course mean that I cannot possibly have any idea of what the main character goes through, and also means I find it harder to relate to her.

However, I still do not think that Ashley is a good protagonist, especially for the story Hammonds Reed is trying to tell. She is very passive, allowing her friends to completely get away with racism, and also she doesn't do anything in her own story. I would've much preferred this book to be in Jo or LaShawn or even Lana's perspective. Because Ashley just brings nothing to the story, so this important topic is not explored as well and deeply as it could've been.
Also, Ashley is just a horrible person a lot. She sees her cousin for the first time in years because her home is in danger and Ashley's first thought is about the weight she's put on.

As the book gets into the ‘After' portion, it uses so many metaphors, especially for Ashley and Jo's relationship. It's rather frustrating because it feels like so much telling the audience what their relationship is without actually demonstrating it at all besides the annoyance Ash feels about her.

I get nothing from this book, except annoyance for the missed opportunity for a book that could've been really good about a really important subject.

I was really keen to read a book set during the Rodney King riots but this tale is higgelty-piggelty. Uneven pacing and inconsistent writing style, and the plot is thinly executed.

I wonder if the real problem is with publishers who want to put out diverse books because they know there's demand but are too racist to assign good editors to these non-white writers.

I don't love stream-of-consciousness narration, so this took a while to settle in for me, but I understand and appreciate why Hammonds Reed chose that structure. Ashley's self & family discoveries and growth arc are set against the backdrop of the ‘92 LA uprisings stemming from the police acquittals in the Rodent King case and Latasha Harlins' murder. I was just starting HS then and remember talking about what was happening in LA at home and at school, but it will likely be newer information for current teen readers. Choosing that setting with a main character who is snobby and spoiled is a clash that helps make her arc more earned and also leaves the ending realistic, without trying the story into an everything-perfectly-works-out bow. There were a few plot threads (what happened with Michael?!) but well done and very deserving of the Project Lit selection. Kiersey Clemons nailed the exact right tone for Ashley in the audiobook (she's grown since Slay, I can see her nareating more books). I'll definitely be booktalking this and look forward to conversations with kids about all the modern day parallels.

This and [b:Running 49484935 Running Natalia Sylvester https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565019346l/49484935.SX50.jpg 66527510] were inadvertently a good pair to read together since this is also a book about a teen gradually learning to be more politically aware/active. But this one is historical fiction set in 1992 (sorry if that makes you feel old) and is about a young, relatively well-off Black girl in LA as the Rodney King trial verdict is announced and riots break out.In spite of the riots this is generally a quieter, more introspective coming of age story with a strong narrative voice.

It's 1992, and Ashley Bennett and her friends are about to finish high school. Ashley has grown up in an affluent family in Los Angeles and her friends are just like her, skipping school to spend time at the beach, hanging out together, laughing, swimming, with few cares. Or so it might seem.

But Ashley's sister is struggling, and even though her family is rich, they face the obstacles of being black in America, and Ashley hasn't been accepted at the college of her choice, and her friend's boyfriend is awfully appealing to her....and then the LAPD officers who beat Rodney King are acquitted...

Christina Hammonds Reed is a marvelous writer, with fresh images and intriguing characters and a great story. I was completely swept up in this novel, reading through to the end in one big gulp.