Review: I absolutely adored this retelling of Jane Austen’s pride and prejudice! One thing that’s tricky with regards to retellings is making sure you aren’t copying the original story word for word. Zoboi did a fantastic job creating something new using the skeleton of Austen’s work. 

One of my favorite things about this book is the main character Zuri. She is an aspiring poet looking to attend Howard University. At the same time, she can’t bear the thought of leaving her neighborhood and family behind. She is extremely protective of them and wants to preserve the diverse culture of the hood. Zuri is an incredibly strong, young black woman with a powerful voice. We got to see that voice in her poetry, which was provided in the novel. I loved this addition because it provided further insight into Zuri’s character and a change of formatting. 

What i appreciated most was that the romance element was secondary, which allowed more focus to be on Zuri. Her romance with Darius did not overpower the important conversations about race, social class, and the black experience that were had throughout the novel. I think that is what makes this text so strong.