Every review I say states "This is an important book" and "This SHOULD be read" and "This is so relevant". Thing is they're all right. This is an important book that should be read and is still very much a thing happening in America (and probably other places but that's not something I know much about).

Race will ALWAYS be an issue. No matter what. Even in our favorite sci-fi stories if "color" isn't a issue it's the fact it's a different race of aliens, humans, monsters, or whatever. And series like Star Trek and such get to use that as symbolism. X-men get to use "Mutants" as racism. It's nothing new, it's nothing you haven't heard about, but sometimes I like to hear stories like this. Straight up talks to you on a human level, with human emotions, and human feelings. No sci-fi monsters, no "big bad evil mastermind". Just people, and their minds set on a certain way of thinking, which can be as scary as a big evil monster taking over the world to some. Why? Because it can result in death.

Growing up in New York City I got to be around a lot of people of different races. My friends mixed from White, to black, to Arabic, to Asian. I got to come over their houses for different holidays, get accustomed to their lifestyles, really see the world from different viewpoints. My step father was from Africa. So it's safe to say I grew up with a lot of different people and my view on "races" was vastly different to my buddies online who lived in Florida or Ohio, or even New Mexico.

Now listen. I'm not here to tell you how to think or what to think. I might judge you a bit but never FORCE you to have my view point. In my personal experience I've gotten to see my friends get followed around a store for simply having baggy jeans (which I wore too but nobody seemed to follow the white kid) At my wedding my stepfather wasn't allowed in a gated community. Not because his name wasn't on the list. it was. His name is "Fallou" and it was there. Yet the guard said it wasn't. When I walked down I asked the guard why isn't he allowed in? He said he's not with my family. I said YES he is. Pointed out the name. The guard said "Oh sorry, didn't see that" when he was holding my step father's ID in his hand...

I can go over a lot of examples I got to see. But that's just it. I saw it. I didn't live it. I don't pretend to know how they feel. A lot of people like to turn a blind eye to injustice if they don’t suffer from it. If they don’t see it, just doesn’t exist. That’s fine. You can believe that. But these things do happen, and it’s disturbing to judge someone based on skin color or the clothes they wear, but that’s what people do and they are told by parents or friends to think just like that.

So now that you read all that you’ll see WHY I gave this book a 5. It doesn’t try to sugarcoat shit. It’s basically telling you a viewpoint, and you don’t have to agree with Star, the main character, at all but you will hear what she thinks and feels. You can’t tell a person they are wrong to feel hurt, or scared, or weak in a situation.

So the story is basically about Star, a young girl who’s going through a whole load of shit. She witnesses a childhood friend get murdered, she goes to a basically all white school, while still living in Garden Heights which is the ghetto basically. She’s trying to balance two lives in one, scared to be who she is, because others might judge her. Her boyfriend is white, her father is very black power and so she worries he might like Chris (The boyfriend). All this is happening after she sees her friend murdered and she’s only a teenager, and not sure how to deal with it all.

What I liked: Star is a multi-layered character. She isn’t perfect, she isn’t always right, but she always learns from her mistakes. She cares, a lot, about people but she’s confused a lot, by where she was raised and who raised her. It makes her very interesting. Even more surprising were the side cast being just as entertaining and well written. From the friends, to boyfriend, to the family members, everyone is so well done.

The balance of humor and emotional moments is near perfect. I cheered, I cried, I clapped, I slammed my car seat (I listened to audiobook in my car). This book managed to hit me in the feels on SO many levels. I also have to give huge credit to the voice here, Ms. Thompson did an amazing job and truly brought ALL the characters to life.

Last but not least I loved that this book doesn’t give you all the answers. Just a viewpoint on what’s right. It isn’t simple. Things don’t happen so simple like they portray on the news or in people’s mind. Not every drug dealer wants to BE a drug dealer. Not every person who goes to jail is meant to go back. People change, things change, and this book is a good eye opener not to judge people based on their looks or past.

What I didn’t like: Some of the wording was a bit repetitive. Also some of the pacing dragged in the middle. That’s about it…

This book is very important, very emotional, and also very well told. I recommend this for all ages, of all races, of all political views. Let it challenge you if you disagree. Let it make you see someone else’s view point. Maybe it’ll help you gain perceptive. If nothing else, it’s about a girl just trying to speak on what she sees in this world. If you disagree it’s fine, but I find it hard to believe you can’t find the heart in this book, because it’s there, and it’s powerful.