My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
From the cover:
"The mission was a failure. Even though Zivah and Dineas discovered a secret that could bring down the empire, their information is useless without proof. Now, with their cover blown and their quest abandoned, their only remaining hope is to get home before Ampara brings the full might of its armies against their peoples.
As Shidadi and Dara alike prepare for war, Zivah and Dineas grapple with the toll of their time in the capital. After fighting alongside the Amparans against his own kin, can Dineas convince the Shidadi—and himself—where his loyalties lie? After betraying her healer’s vows in Sehmar City, can Zivah find a way to redeem herself—especially when the Dara ask her to do the unthinkable? And after reluctantly falling in love, what will the two do with their lingering feelings, now that the Dineas from Sehmar City is gone forever? Time is running out for all of them, but especially Zivah whose plague symptoms surface once again. Now, she must decide how she’ll define the life she has left.
Together, healer and warrior must find the courage to save their people, expose the truth, and face the devastating consequences headed their way."
I have such mixed feelings about this book. Some of the characters pulled me in, and I found myself eagerly reading certain chapters because I had to know what would happen to them. Exactly what you want from a book, right? So why the mixed feelings? Because when I wasn't eagerly reading those certain chapters, I kept forgetting I was reading this book.
Just like with the first book in the series, Rosemarked, while the plot is intriguing and the characters are compelling, the book is too long for the story it's telling. It's like wandering in the desert alongside Zivah and Dineas...every once in a while, you may come across an oasis of a few chapters and can't stop reading, but in between are long stretches of nothing progressing. It's not a bad read, but the pace was too slow to keep me consistently engaged, and in the end there wasn't even any of the resolution that I expected. Ultimately, if you need something to read and this duology is what's available, go ahead and pick it up. If you're weighing your options and this is one of them, there are better books out there.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Friday, October 5, 2018
Blanca & Roja - Anna-Marie McLemore
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
From the cover:
"The biggest lie of all is the story you think you already know.
The del Cisne girls have never just been sisters; they’re also rivals, Blanca as obedient and graceful as Roja is vicious and manipulative. They know that, because of a generations-old spell, their family is bound to a bevy of swans deep in the woods. They know that, one day, the swans will pull them into a dangerous game that will leave one of them a girl, and trap the other in the body of a swan.
But when two local boys become drawn into the game, the swans’ spell intertwines with the strange and unpredictable magic lacing the woods, and all four of their fates depend on facing truths that could either save or destroy them. Blanca & Roja is the captivating story of sisters, friendship, love, hatred, and the price we pay to protect our hearts."
Blanca and Roja are sisters, born to a family line cursed to have two daughters only to have one taken by los cisnes, the swans, in the chosen daughter's fifteenth year. While they were born opposites, natural rivals, they refuse to accept that one day they will be parted. Instead, the pair does everything they can to make themselves as similar as possible, hoping to confuse los cisnes. "If the swans can't tell us apart," Blanca tells her sister, "they can't decide which of us to take." When the time that a sister is usually taken has passed, Blanca and Roja start to believe they have succeeded...until, finally, the swans appear.
The sisters are left alone in their house while los cisnes decide who they will take. Roja, with her bloodred hair and sharp edges, knows it is she who will be taken, but when she is attacked while confronting the swans, a bear comes from the woods to save her. The bear, however, is not what it seems--not a bear at all, but a boy from town named Barclay, who had gone missing not long before. Suddenly the sisters find their fates entwined with those of Barclay and his best friend, Page. Will los cisnes succeed in dividing the sisters forever? Or will the bonds being built between this foursome be enough to break the spell, free the sisters, and release Barclay and Page from their own prisons?
While I did dock a star because the narrative was difficult to follow at times, overall I thought this book was amazing. The characters were well developed, and it was fascinating to read about the del Cisne family traditions and experience this fairytale from a new cultural perspective. I especially love watching Roja, Blanca, Barclay, and Page evolve after the boys come into the sisters' lives and their relationships develop. This was such a unique reading experience, and if you're a fan of fantasy, fairytale retellings, #ownvoices stories...pick this title up.
From the cover:
"The biggest lie of all is the story you think you already know.
The del Cisne girls have never just been sisters; they’re also rivals, Blanca as obedient and graceful as Roja is vicious and manipulative. They know that, because of a generations-old spell, their family is bound to a bevy of swans deep in the woods. They know that, one day, the swans will pull them into a dangerous game that will leave one of them a girl, and trap the other in the body of a swan.
But when two local boys become drawn into the game, the swans’ spell intertwines with the strange and unpredictable magic lacing the woods, and all four of their fates depend on facing truths that could either save or destroy them. Blanca & Roja is the captivating story of sisters, friendship, love, hatred, and the price we pay to protect our hearts."
Blanca and Roja are sisters, born to a family line cursed to have two daughters only to have one taken by los cisnes, the swans, in the chosen daughter's fifteenth year. While they were born opposites, natural rivals, they refuse to accept that one day they will be parted. Instead, the pair does everything they can to make themselves as similar as possible, hoping to confuse los cisnes. "If the swans can't tell us apart," Blanca tells her sister, "they can't decide which of us to take." When the time that a sister is usually taken has passed, Blanca and Roja start to believe they have succeeded...until, finally, the swans appear.
The sisters are left alone in their house while los cisnes decide who they will take. Roja, with her bloodred hair and sharp edges, knows it is she who will be taken, but when she is attacked while confronting the swans, a bear comes from the woods to save her. The bear, however, is not what it seems--not a bear at all, but a boy from town named Barclay, who had gone missing not long before. Suddenly the sisters find their fates entwined with those of Barclay and his best friend, Page. Will los cisnes succeed in dividing the sisters forever? Or will the bonds being built between this foursome be enough to break the spell, free the sisters, and release Barclay and Page from their own prisons?
While I did dock a star because the narrative was difficult to follow at times, overall I thought this book was amazing. The characters were well developed, and it was fascinating to read about the del Cisne family traditions and experience this fairytale from a new cultural perspective. I especially love watching Roja, Blanca, Barclay, and Page evolve after the boys come into the sisters' lives and their relationships develop. This was such a unique reading experience, and if you're a fan of fantasy, fairytale retellings, #ownvoices stories...pick this title up.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein - Kiersten White
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
From the cover:
"Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything--except a friend.
Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable--and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.
But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness."
Full disclosure, I've never read Frankenstein. **GASP** I know, what kind of English major/librarian am I? That being said, if you were contemplating reading this book and wondered if maybe you needed to have read Frankenstein to appreciate it, I am happy to report that is not a prerequisite. Although come on guys, let's get real...we should read the original.
Anyway, let's get to my thoughts on the book. It started off a little slow for me. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did I was into it. Don't fret if you start reading and can't decide if this book is for you...it grows on you, I promise. The last quarter or so of the book was especially excellent--I gasped multiple times, and I think at one point I said, "oh, holy shit!" out loud, further convincing my husband that I am crazy. Oooh, it was excellent. Protip? This book comes out just in time to make the perfect spooky October read...grab yourself a copy and enjoy!
From the cover:
"Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything--except a friend.
Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable--and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.
But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness."
Full disclosure, I've never read Frankenstein. **GASP** I know, what kind of English major/librarian am I? That being said, if you were contemplating reading this book and wondered if maybe you needed to have read Frankenstein to appreciate it, I am happy to report that is not a prerequisite. Although come on guys, let's get real...we should read the original.
Anyway, let's get to my thoughts on the book. It started off a little slow for me. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did I was into it. Don't fret if you start reading and can't decide if this book is for you...it grows on you, I promise. The last quarter or so of the book was especially excellent--I gasped multiple times, and I think at one point I said, "oh, holy shit!" out loud, further convincing my husband that I am crazy. Oooh, it was excellent. Protip? This book comes out just in time to make the perfect spooky October read...grab yourself a copy and enjoy!
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
People Kill People - Ellen Hopkins
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
From the cover:
"People kill people. Guns just make it easier.
A gun is sold in the classifieds after killing a spouse, bought by a teenager for needed protection. But which was it? Each has the incentive to pick up a gun, to fire it. Was it Rand or Cami, married teenagers with a young son? Was it Silas or Ashlyn, members of a white supremacist youth organization? Daniel, who fears retaliation because of his race, who possessively clings to Grace, the love of his life? Or Noelle, who lost everything after a devastating accident, and has sunk quietly into depression?
One tense week brings all six people into close contact in a town wrought with political and personal tensions. Someone will fire. And someone will die. But who?"
From the cover:
"People kill people. Guns just make it easier.
A gun is sold in the classifieds after killing a spouse, bought by a teenager for needed protection. But which was it? Each has the incentive to pick up a gun, to fire it. Was it Rand or Cami, married teenagers with a young son? Was it Silas or Ashlyn, members of a white supremacist youth organization? Daniel, who fears retaliation because of his race, who possessively clings to Grace, the love of his life? Or Noelle, who lost everything after a devastating accident, and has sunk quietly into depression?
One tense week brings all six people into close contact in a town wrought with political and personal tensions. Someone will fire. And someone will die. But who?"
First of all, that cover.
Second, so much of this book gave me chills. Talking about humans and their capacity for violence, for instance:
"Like a god
I am nothing
without you...
but I am relentless
I know you can hear me
and sooner or later
you'll heed my call"
And taking that one step further:
"See, I've got this theory
Given the right circumstances
any person could kill someone
Even you."
This is not a happy book. I wouldn't even say any of the characters are particularly likable. The reader is taken inside each character's mind, privy to their darkest thoughts, and oof...those thoughts are dark indeed. But that's the point. Hopkins has given us people at their lowest, people who given the right circumstances could be capable of anything, even pulling a trigger and ending a life. If you read this and don't come away with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, well...I don't know how to feel about that. There have been a number of books written in recent years about gun violence, and while I did find the verse in this particular one a little clunky at times, one thing it did really, really well...well enough that at times it was difficult to continue reading...is make you feel.
"See, the absolute truth
is
people
kill
people.
A
gun
just
makes
it
easier.
Even a child can do it."
Think about that. And tell me it doesn't give you chills.
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Changers Book 4: Forever - T Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper
My rating: ⭐⭐
From the cover:
"When we left Kim Cruz in Changers Book 3, she'd just come out to her best friend. In Changers Book 4: Forever, Kim discovers that this is only one small part of understanding who she is and where she belongs. Soon enough, she changes again, into the body and social status of her dreams. What she does with her newfound power will come to haunt her. In this final installment of the provocative Changers series, our hero learns what it means to be the person everybody loves without actually being known at all; what it's like to be given the benefit of the doubt when you don't deserve it; and how easily opportunity comes when you look the part. Changers Book 4 explores what it means to find yourself--even as your self keeps changing--and how in the end we become the person whose story we want to finish."
When this series first came to my attention, I was like uhh, yes, obviously I will be reading these books. The first book did not disappoint...it was fascinating to read a book like this, about someone coming to terms with their changing identity, seeing Drew struggle with social dynamics at school and learn about herself along the way. I've been putting off writing this review though, because while I was impressed with and drawn into the first book, the second and third were not quite as enjoyable, and as much as I wanted to be able to gush about the series, this fourth book...I didn't like it.
Where the strength of book 1 lies is in examining social expectations and dynamics. That was a central point in Drew's story, and if that focus had remained consistent through the last three books this would have been a stronger series. It went off the rails, though, throwing in the drama of the Abiders, kidnapping, murder, etc. This just didn't work for me. There were several separate storylines, each more ridiculous than the last, and none of them were incorporated into the others, which was jarring. Also, whether it be a traditional three-act or something else, I need some kind of structure, and this book didn't have one. Every chapter was up and down, back and forth. Kyle's emotions shift so quickly, and for reasons difficult to understand, that it was exhausting reading about him. One page Audrey hates him, the next she loves him, then she hates him again...honestly, this fourth book reads like a rough draft, like the goal was "get everything on the page, and then we'll go back, edit, and move some stuff around"...except that second part never happened. Not great.
Perhaps I could have tried to look past the rough quality of the writing itself, but the nail in the coffin for me was the very casual inclusion of suicide. Maybe that wasn't the authors' intention, but the way it was thrown in, as though it was an unimportant side story, really bothered me. Kim wakes up as Kyle and, next page, apropos of nothing, he's on a bridge attempting suicide. Now, I suppose to their credit, this chapter does end with the woman who stopped him reminding him, "be mindful...that you don't pick a permanent solution to a temporary problem." That doesn't do much to make up for such offhand use of suicide as a plot device, though, particularly when later they casually throw in during a fit of angst later the thought that he "can't stay. Can't leave. Can't kill [himself]. Can't build an Alien sleeping capsule and seal the door for nine months." Just...no.
I'm sad I didn't love this series. I really wanted to. But ultimately the plot was all over the place, with too many ideas crammed into one series, and while the handling of topics like racism and gender identity were done well, others, like mental health, were treated too lightly. It was too unbalanced for my taste.
From the cover:
"When we left Kim Cruz in Changers Book 3, she'd just come out to her best friend. In Changers Book 4: Forever, Kim discovers that this is only one small part of understanding who she is and where she belongs. Soon enough, she changes again, into the body and social status of her dreams. What she does with her newfound power will come to haunt her. In this final installment of the provocative Changers series, our hero learns what it means to be the person everybody loves without actually being known at all; what it's like to be given the benefit of the doubt when you don't deserve it; and how easily opportunity comes when you look the part. Changers Book 4 explores what it means to find yourself--even as your self keeps changing--and how in the end we become the person whose story we want to finish."
When this series first came to my attention, I was like uhh, yes, obviously I will be reading these books. The first book did not disappoint...it was fascinating to read a book like this, about someone coming to terms with their changing identity, seeing Drew struggle with social dynamics at school and learn about herself along the way. I've been putting off writing this review though, because while I was impressed with and drawn into the first book, the second and third were not quite as enjoyable, and as much as I wanted to be able to gush about the series, this fourth book...I didn't like it.
Where the strength of book 1 lies is in examining social expectations and dynamics. That was a central point in Drew's story, and if that focus had remained consistent through the last three books this would have been a stronger series. It went off the rails, though, throwing in the drama of the Abiders, kidnapping, murder, etc. This just didn't work for me. There were several separate storylines, each more ridiculous than the last, and none of them were incorporated into the others, which was jarring. Also, whether it be a traditional three-act or something else, I need some kind of structure, and this book didn't have one. Every chapter was up and down, back and forth. Kyle's emotions shift so quickly, and for reasons difficult to understand, that it was exhausting reading about him. One page Audrey hates him, the next she loves him, then she hates him again...honestly, this fourth book reads like a rough draft, like the goal was "get everything on the page, and then we'll go back, edit, and move some stuff around"...except that second part never happened. Not great.
Perhaps I could have tried to look past the rough quality of the writing itself, but the nail in the coffin for me was the very casual inclusion of suicide. Maybe that wasn't the authors' intention, but the way it was thrown in, as though it was an unimportant side story, really bothered me. Kim wakes up as Kyle and, next page, apropos of nothing, he's on a bridge attempting suicide. Now, I suppose to their credit, this chapter does end with the woman who stopped him reminding him, "be mindful...that you don't pick a permanent solution to a temporary problem." That doesn't do much to make up for such offhand use of suicide as a plot device, though, particularly when later they casually throw in during a fit of angst later the thought that he "can't stay. Can't leave. Can't kill [himself]. Can't build an Alien sleeping capsule and seal the door for nine months." Just...no.
I'm sad I didn't love this series. I really wanted to. But ultimately the plot was all over the place, with too many ideas crammed into one series, and while the handling of topics like racism and gender identity were done well, others, like mental health, were treated too lightly. It was too unbalanced for my taste.
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Save the Date - Morgan Matson
My rating: ⭐⭐
From the cover:
"Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.
The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.
There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.
There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.
Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.
Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future."
Not my favorite. I thought the characters were great, but they were pretty much the only thing that kept me reading after about the first quarter of the book, which...not great. Perhaps if it had been shorter it would have held my attention better, but the first 3/4 of the book is nothing but a series of ever-more-ridiculous terrible things threatening to ruin Charlie's sister's wedding, all of which she somehow ends up responsible for fixing, despite the presence of two wedding planners, two sets of parents, the bride and groom, and several grown-ass siblings not currently in high school. All the actual human conflict gets packed into the last few chapters, which is a huge bummer since the conflict between her brother and the rest of the family is talked about throughout the entire book. Don't make me wait the bulk of the book for more details! Weave the interpersonal drama in with the ridiculous wedding drama! Also, "And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute"? Goods not as advertised. Dreamy Billiam is barely in the first half of the book, and legit nothing happens between the two of them. Almost the entire book focuses on her depressing hang up on Jesse the obvious douchebag. Don't tease me with a budding romance between the main character and a sweet, funny dude and then torture me the entire book with some asshole. Bleh.
Ultimately, while this would make a great movie, it was not that successful as a book. You can pass on this one.
From the cover:
"Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.
The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.
There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.
There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.
Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.
Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future."
Not my favorite. I thought the characters were great, but they were pretty much the only thing that kept me reading after about the first quarter of the book, which...not great. Perhaps if it had been shorter it would have held my attention better, but the first 3/4 of the book is nothing but a series of ever-more-ridiculous terrible things threatening to ruin Charlie's sister's wedding, all of which she somehow ends up responsible for fixing, despite the presence of two wedding planners, two sets of parents, the bride and groom, and several grown-ass siblings not currently in high school. All the actual human conflict gets packed into the last few chapters, which is a huge bummer since the conflict between her brother and the rest of the family is talked about throughout the entire book. Don't make me wait the bulk of the book for more details! Weave the interpersonal drama in with the ridiculous wedding drama! Also, "And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute"? Goods not as advertised. Dreamy Billiam is barely in the first half of the book, and legit nothing happens between the two of them. Almost the entire book focuses on her depressing hang up on Jesse the obvious douchebag. Don't tease me with a budding romance between the main character and a sweet, funny dude and then torture me the entire book with some asshole. Bleh.
Ultimately, while this would make a great movie, it was not that successful as a book. You can pass on this one.
Friday, August 17, 2018
We Are Not Yet Equal - Carol Anderson
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
From the cover:
"Carol Anderson's White Rage took the world by storm, landing on the New York Times bestseller list and best book of the year lists from New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Chicago Review of Books. It launched her as an in-demand commentator on contemporary race issues for national print and television media and garnered her an invitation to speak to the Democratic Congressional Caucus. This compelling young adult adaptation brings her ideas to a new audience.
When America achieves milestones of progress toward full and equal black participation in democracy, the systemic response is a consistent racist backlash that rolls back those wins. We Are Not Yet Equal examines five of these moments: The end of the Civil War and Reconstruction was greeted with Jim Crow laws; the promise of new opportunities in the North during the Great Migration was limited when blacks were physically blocked from moving away from the South; the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision was met with the shutting down of public schools throughout the South; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 led to laws that disenfranchised millions of African American voters and a War on Drugs that disproportionally targeted blacks; and the election of President Obama led to an outburst of violence including the death of black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri as well as the election of Donald Trump.
This YA adaptation will be written in an approachable narrative style that provides teen readers with additional context to these historic moments, photographs and archival images, and additional backmatter and resources for teens."
From the cover:
"Carol Anderson's White Rage took the world by storm, landing on the New York Times bestseller list and best book of the year lists from New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Chicago Review of Books. It launched her as an in-demand commentator on contemporary race issues for national print and television media and garnered her an invitation to speak to the Democratic Congressional Caucus. This compelling young adult adaptation brings her ideas to a new audience.
When America achieves milestones of progress toward full and equal black participation in democracy, the systemic response is a consistent racist backlash that rolls back those wins. We Are Not Yet Equal examines five of these moments: The end of the Civil War and Reconstruction was greeted with Jim Crow laws; the promise of new opportunities in the North during the Great Migration was limited when blacks were physically blocked from moving away from the South; the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision was met with the shutting down of public schools throughout the South; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 led to laws that disenfranchised millions of African American voters and a War on Drugs that disproportionally targeted blacks; and the election of President Obama led to an outburst of violence including the death of black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri as well as the election of Donald Trump.
This YA adaptation will be written in an approachable narrative style that provides teen readers with additional context to these historic moments, photographs and archival images, and additional backmatter and resources for teens."
I keep starting this review only to delete what I wrote and start over because I can't find the words that are right to start this off. Instead of allowing myself to get caught in an endless loop of rewritten intros, let's start with a quote from the epilogue of this book.
"Imagine if, instead of continually refighting the Civil War, we had actually moved on to rebuilding..."
This quote basically sums up the entire book. Every chapter is full of examples of (white) people going out of their way to keep people of color down, even though doing so hurts everyone. Where could we be as a country if we built everyone up and let people succeed instead of letting racism run unchecked and tearing people down for our own bigoted amusement?
There was so much in the early chapters of this book that I had never heard before, and it's depressing to realize how much of history has been whitewashed and retaught as something less shameful than what it actually was. It's equally frustrating to read about the presidencies immediately following the Civil War and realize...things are basically the same today. The idea that equal treatment of minorities is somehow favoritism, for instance. The attitude of, "Fine, we'll grant you these rights so you can be 'equal', but do you really need to exercise all of them? Can't you just be happy with the scraps we already gave you?" Definitely still going on. Ugh.
This book is well-researched, well-written, and a great adaptation of White Rage. If you're wondering whether you should read it, the answer is yes, you should. Full disclosure: it will make you mad. Hopefully we can all use that anger to make things better.
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