alltheradreads's Reviews (1.9k)

I had no idea what to expect when I picked this one up, but I really loved it. I kept wanting to immerse myself in the story of this immigrant Bangladeshi family and be part of their experience in America that is hardly anything like my own. This isn't a story with a lot of drama, or with a lot of plot twists, or really a lot of big events either, but it never felt slow or boring to me. It's beautifully written, deeply meaningful, rich, and so, so well done. Highly recommend this one.

I definitely understand why this one is such a classic. The voice in this one is so strong, and I had to really slow down and savor the dialogue (it's written in such a strong dialect, you can't rush through it!) and the storyline. It's a feminist novel if I've ever read one, and before its time, too, which makes it even more powerful to read. Highly recommend this one. It's beautifully written, moving, and rich.

This was similar to Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling's books -- a collection of essays with some common themes, but no real plot. I enjoyed it (especially because her voice and perspective as an "awkward black girl" is one I don't often hear in our culture) but didn't LOVE it or have a rave review. I really appreciated her style of communicating honestly about the stereotypes she faces as a black woman, and learned a lot as a result about how I can better break down some of my own biases and stereotypes.

I've listened to several podcast epodes from Phoebe, and really loved her fresh, unfiltered, humorous take on some pretty hard-hitting topics when it comes to race and being a Black woman in America these days. She wrote this with such a vibrant voice that wove convicting messages in with humor and wit and sass so well. I learned a lot from this one, but never once felt like it was a book trying to "teach" -- she struck a great tone with this one and while it isn't my normal genre or vibe necessarily, I'm glad to have read it.

I loved listening to this one since Morrison herself read it (although I usually don't like audiobooks...) and was surprised by the plot coming from her, knowing what I've known about her in the past. It was a compelling storyline, but I just wish I had read it instead of listening to it... I really just don't get as much out of books I listen to, and I wish I could!

This was a really fun, fresh, and engaging read. It's a really well-written blend of spoken word/slam style poetry and story, and I loved it. I read it in one sitting, really loving the flow and rhythm of it all, while also really appreciating the depth of the themes and plotline being told from this young boy's perspective.

I just can't say enough how necessary, important, well-crafted, and powerful these books are. I'm so glad I stepped out of my normal comfort zone to step into this story, as hard as it was to relive all the horrible things that happened not long ago and are still happening today.

I'm really glad this was one of my reads this month-- it was the only faith-focused book I read from an African American author, and I was so glad for her perspective. I loved the focus on shalom in this one-- it addressed (without apology) so much of the brokenness and hurt that our nation and world are facing, and invited Christians into a way of peace, wholeness, healing, and justice. It was well-written and so timely.

The cover sold me on this one, 100%. How cool, right?! It's an engaging read, with layers of surprise that I didn't see coming, and a unique point of view that made it much more interesting than the plot might originally suggest-- I enjoyed this one.

These poems have such a distinct, beautiful, important voice to them, and it put me exactly in the middle of the pictures Hughes painted with his words, which I loved. Reading through that plot summary really does explain it well -- it was a celebration of experiences and stories so unlike my own, and they were so well told and so great to read.