AUTHOR: Renee Watson
PUBLISHED: February 2017
CATEGORY: Middle-Grade
GENRE: Contemporary
PREMISE: A girl enrolls in a mentorship and things at the rich private school she goes too get a little complicated...
MY REVIEW: This is one of those surprise books. I went into it, not really knowing what to expect from it and didn't have many expectations and it wound up being really damn good. If you are looking for something to read after The Hate U Give, I highly recommend this one. It does not deal with police shootings, but does touch a bit more on privilege and other things that THUG talked about but did not completely focus on.
One of my favorite things this book does is that it talks about how you can be racist without realizing it. THUG did touch on this a bit, but this one goes into it more. I also love how this emphasized communication. Not everyone at Jade's school was purposefully trying to hurt her. They genuinely thought they were doing good. When she pointed out they weren't, instead of getting super defensive (like I see WAY too many people do in conversations about privilege) they actually listened and corrected their behavior. Seriously guys, it's that simple. When someone calls you on shit, apologize and correct your behavior. That's all people are asking you to do. Why is that so damn hard???? I love that the characters in here actually LISTENED. I think we do a whole lot of communicating and discussing of issues. I don't think we do enough listening and correcting of our behavior.
Anyway, I really liked this book. It's not mind-blowing or anything. But it is a good story that gives a lot to think about. If you're looking for more food for thought after reading the THUG, definitely pick this one up.
WHO SHOULD READ: tweens who maybe aren't ready for THUG but need its lessons, THUG fans, contemporary fiction fans
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five people actually listening
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