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popthebutterfly 's review for:

A People's History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian
4.0

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: A People’s History of Heaven

Author: Mathangi Subramanian

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: LGBT and POC friendly book. Transgender main, Blind rep main, and many different beliefs.

Publication Date: March 19, 2019

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+ (some violence and slightly mature scenes)

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Pages: 304

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Heaven is a thirty-year-old slum hidden between brand-new, high-rise apartment buildings and technology incubators in contemporary Bangalore. In this tight-knit community, five girls on the cusp of womanhood-a politically driven graffiti artist; a transgender Christian convert; a blind girl who loves to dance; and the queer daughter of a hijabi union leader-forge an unbreakable bond.

When the local government threatens to demolish their tin shacks in order to build a shopping mall, the girls and their mothers refuse to be erased. Together they wage war on the bulldozers sent to bury their homes, and, ultimately, on the city that wishes that families like them would remain hidden forever.

Elegant, poetic, and vibrant, A People's History of Heaven takes a clear-eyed look at adversity and geography and dazzles in its depiction of love and female friendship.

Review: This book was absolutely beautiful! I loved the wide array of different but ultimately connected characters and I loved how the story was written. It was poetic and vibrant and the book was intriguing from start to finish. I loved the world building as well.

I did feel like there was some moments where the pace was slowed down. I also feel like while this book is gorgeously written there are a ton of metaphors and at some point it got too much for me. I feel like the book did very well to describe the environment and the characters, but maybe it was a bit too descriptive in a lot of places. There’s also a ton of characters and it’s honestly a lot of info to take in. Overall, I really liked it and I thought the way the book was being told needed those extra descriptors.

Verdict: If you’re into poetic books, definitely grab this read!