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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
by Kristen R. Lee
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
Author: Kristen R. Lee
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, social justice issues, college-aged characters
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (racism, micro-aggressions, white privilege, language, generational trauma, harassment)
Explanation of CWs: The book discusses racism, micro-aggressions, harassment, and white privilege at length. The book has some cursing in it, including white people saying the n-word. There is talk of generational trauma as well.
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Synopsis: Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sites were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?
Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face-to-face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then, Clive Wilmington's statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale's most popular student and son to a local prominent family. Soon, Savannah is unearthing the hidden secrets of Wooddale's racist history. But what's the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale's past cost Savannah her own future?
A stunning, challenging, and timely debut about racism and privilege on college campuses.
Review: For the most part I enjoyed the book. I loved the message that it had about what racism, white privilege, micro aggressions, and being Black looks like behind the eyes of a Black woman who is entering a college that is a PWI. The book showed some of the horrors that Black and other POC students face in college, from slowness of action to remove hateful graffiti from a door to blackface to not reacting in an appropriate and sensitive manner to victims of racism and hatred. I also thought the book had a great message in finding your community and fighting back against the hate you get. I love the character development and the world building and overall I thought it was a well done novel, one that should be required reading.
The only issues I had with the book is that I felt like there was just a lot going on within the relatively short book. There wasn’t a lot of lull between issues that came up in the book and it felt like I couldn’t catch a break, which was more than likely the point of the writing style.
Verdict: It was well done!
Book: Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
Author: Kristen R. Lee
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, social justice issues, college-aged characters
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (racism, micro-aggressions, white privilege, language, generational trauma, harassment)
Explanation of CWs: The book discusses racism, micro-aggressions, harassment, and white privilege at length. The book has some cursing in it, including white people saying the n-word. There is talk of generational trauma as well.
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Synopsis: Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sites were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?
Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face-to-face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then, Clive Wilmington's statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale's most popular student and son to a local prominent family. Soon, Savannah is unearthing the hidden secrets of Wooddale's racist history. But what's the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale's past cost Savannah her own future?
A stunning, challenging, and timely debut about racism and privilege on college campuses.
Review: For the most part I enjoyed the book. I loved the message that it had about what racism, white privilege, micro aggressions, and being Black looks like behind the eyes of a Black woman who is entering a college that is a PWI. The book showed some of the horrors that Black and other POC students face in college, from slowness of action to remove hateful graffiti from a door to blackface to not reacting in an appropriate and sensitive manner to victims of racism and hatred. I also thought the book had a great message in finding your community and fighting back against the hate you get. I love the character development and the world building and overall I thought it was a well done novel, one that should be required reading.
The only issues I had with the book is that I felt like there was just a lot going on within the relatively short book. There wasn’t a lot of lull between issues that came up in the book and it felt like I couldn’t catch a break, which was more than likely the point of the writing style.
Verdict: It was well done!