Take a photo of a barcode or cover
queerafictionado 's review for:
The Free People's Village
by Sim Kern
I still don’t really have the words to explain how incredible this book was and how much I loved it. It was truly captivating. There is a romance subplot to this book, but that is not the focus. Free People’s Village is set in an alternate 2020 America in the midst of the War on Climate. This book is a dystopian allegory. Environmental racism and gentrification are two huge arcs in the storyline. It is not a light or easy read. It covers intense and heavy topics and there are parts of the story that might be hard to read for some (trigger warnings at the bottom).
This story isn’t just about protest, it’s about revolution. About what it takes to start a revolution. And the risks that come with being involved, especially if you aren’t white. It’s about the resiliency of humanity and power we can have when we come together. Kern tackled topics like capitalism and communism. Police brutality and racial profiling. Gentrification. Activism. The importance of unlearning the lies we’ve been taught and learning about our real history.
Maddie is not your typical MC/narrator. She is not the heroine or even anti-hero of this story. She is simply telling us the story of what happened at the Free People’s Village from her perspective. Maddie has so much growth as a character in this story. She starts from a place of selfishness and ignorance but begins to educate herself about history and politics and all manner of things. I love that while this story was told from the perspective of a white character, the story did not center whiteness. In fact, there were constant moves to decenter whiteness throughout. There is also SO MUCH representation in this book - BIPOC, trans, non-binary, and all kinds of queerness.
Free People’s Village was powerful and heart wrenching and beautiful and eye opening and just amazing. This book will both call you out and call you to action. It will challenge and inspire you. Simply put, this book was phenomenal!
Thank you NetGalley, Sim Kern, and Levine Querido for the ARC!
TW: drug/alcohol use, addiction, overdose, rape/sexual assault, death, violence, religious trauma, suicide/suicidal ideation, racism, homophobia, transphobia (Not all of these things appear on the page in graphic detail. Some are just mentioned. Some are past things that are talked about. Some are more prevalent parts of the story line.)
This story isn’t just about protest, it’s about revolution. About what it takes to start a revolution. And the risks that come with being involved, especially if you aren’t white. It’s about the resiliency of humanity and power we can have when we come together. Kern tackled topics like capitalism and communism. Police brutality and racial profiling. Gentrification. Activism. The importance of unlearning the lies we’ve been taught and learning about our real history.
Maddie is not your typical MC/narrator. She is not the heroine or even anti-hero of this story. She is simply telling us the story of what happened at the Free People’s Village from her perspective. Maddie has so much growth as a character in this story. She starts from a place of selfishness and ignorance but begins to educate herself about history and politics and all manner of things. I love that while this story was told from the perspective of a white character, the story did not center whiteness. In fact, there were constant moves to decenter whiteness throughout. There is also SO MUCH representation in this book - BIPOC, trans, non-binary, and all kinds of queerness.
Free People’s Village was powerful and heart wrenching and beautiful and eye opening and just amazing. This book will both call you out and call you to action. It will challenge and inspire you. Simply put, this book was phenomenal!
Thank you NetGalley, Sim Kern, and Levine Querido for the ARC!
TW: drug/alcohol use, addiction, overdose, rape/sexual assault, death, violence, religious trauma, suicide/suicidal ideation, racism, homophobia, transphobia (Not all of these things appear on the page in graphic detail. Some are just mentioned. Some are past things that are talked about. Some are more prevalent parts of the story line.)