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ashylibrarian 's review for:
American Street
by Ibi Zoboi
4/5 (audiobook)
I truly enjoyed this book and what it opened up in the conversations about immigration, law enforcement, and family.
I was drawn into this story as it was set up as a young adult telling of immigration, something we don't see a whole lot of but that I find to be a really important topic in this genre (and, really, all genres). Fabiola's story of immigrating from Haiti to the United States is interesting but also really short. I wish I could have gained a little more insight into what it was like for her to leave home. I did like, however, the way that Ibi Zoboi shows what it is like going to high school as an immigrant in a new country and dealing with all kinds of student and teacher interactions while having an accent and different clothes and hairstyles.
The romance that builds between Kasim and Fabiola feels sweet and passionate and real. I was really crushed, and honestly shocked, when Kasim was killed. It feels predictable once Fabiola starts to see all of the cop interaction and the building crowds, but, thoughout the story, I did not expect him to die (insert sad face here).
There is so much more I can say about this book, but I'll end with the family relationships. Zoboi approaches the familial relationships in a real, raw way. The separation of Fabiola and her mother in the beginning of the novel is the unfortunate but true reality we seem to face in this country. The way in which Fabiola's cousins take her in and make her the "fourth B", though, really shows that family is important and they will take care of each other.
The main reason I am not giving it a 5/5 rating is that it almost felt too concentrated with topics at certain points. I wish I got more details and information about Fabiola's mother, Valerie. It is revealed in the end that the family is going to be reunited, but I feel that it would have been interesting to hear about what happened to the mother during the separation, understand what it took to get her back, and experience the reunion of the family.
Overall, this book was a good listen, and I ended up finishing it in 2 days!
I truly enjoyed this book and what it opened up in the conversations about immigration, law enforcement, and family.
I was drawn into this story as it was set up as a young adult telling of immigration, something we don't see a whole lot of but that I find to be a really important topic in this genre (and, really, all genres). Fabiola's story of immigrating from Haiti to the United States is interesting but also really short. I wish I could have gained a little more insight into what it was like for her to leave home. I did like, however, the way that Ibi Zoboi shows what it is like going to high school as an immigrant in a new country and dealing with all kinds of student and teacher interactions while having an accent and different clothes and hairstyles.
The romance that builds between Kasim and Fabiola feels sweet and passionate and real. I was really crushed, and honestly shocked, when Kasim was killed. It feels predictable once Fabiola starts to see all of the cop interaction and the building crowds, but, thoughout the story, I did not expect him to die (insert sad face here).
There is so much more I can say about this book, but I'll end with the family relationships. Zoboi approaches the familial relationships in a real, raw way. The separation of Fabiola and her mother in the beginning of the novel is the unfortunate but true reality we seem to face in this country. The way in which Fabiola's cousins take her in and make her the "fourth B", though, really shows that family is important and they will take care of each other.
The main reason I am not giving it a 5/5 rating is that it almost felt too concentrated with topics at certain points. I wish I got more details and information about Fabiola's mother, Valerie. It is revealed in the end that the family is going to be reunited, but I feel that it would have been interesting to hear about what happened to the mother during the separation, understand what it took to get her back, and experience the reunion of the family.
Overall, this book was a good listen, and I ended up finishing it in 2 days!