jaduhluhdabooks's Reviews (333)

I think I may have read one of my top read did the year with this one. Anastacia-Reneé pricks at the most wounded parts of the soul with these stanzas. They craft and model brokenness is its rawest and most unfixable forms, just to remind readers that Black women have endured and continue to endure such brokenness and come out fuller, whole, and complete from it. It's a rarity that can't be held and had by all, it's the secret to the magic that is a Black woman and her ability to just be. 

I think I sat in these words for a long time and will continue to sit with them. I shed tears and I laughed because I felt so seen, so insanely understood. To hold and shoulder so much expectation, to fight battles that if aren't fought by me, by Black women, they will never get resolved and we will unjustly suffer. 

I am moved and heard with and by these words. I am thankful to have sat in them and learned and been known by them.

Whew. This is America. The suspension and the expanse of this book is deep and felt. I don’t think Faridah is necessarily trying to hide this thriller is racialized and there’s an agenda of recognizing that race plays a pivotal role in survival, self preservation, and academia. The psychological expanse for Ya novel is surprising and something I hadn’t expected to see in this book. But I am happy to be surprised. The intersection of sexuality and race is real and the dimension of power is something I appreciated about the explicitly of this book. Some many times, people conflate Crenshaw’s definition of intersectionality to the limit of holding multiple identities. But it’s the power those intersecting identities enhance or diminish. We see this in the juxtaposition of Devon and Chiamaka’s characters. Devon is a low income, gay, Black boy, whereas, Chiamaka’s an upper class, educationally privileged, queer, biracial Black woman. While they both face the racial terrors of their academic environments, Chi has money, wealth, confidence that she bounces back from, while Von seeks suppression in alternative ways, struggles to provide for both himself and his family, battles homophobic beatings and commentary from the gangs in his neighborhood, and often goes without meals and moments. This is the most powerful thing about this book, it’s the demonstration of intersectionality, its power, and how even when a powerful Black person has capital, social and cultural, monetarily… anti-Blackness will always overpower. It’s raw. It’s timely. It’s STILL so relevant, if not more so now as we back trap in this currently society. Definitely recommend and I feel seen reading it and knowing works like this exist. While fictional, so allegorically current.  

It was so fun!! Like a fun adventure for young adults and middle grade to really adventure to a new place that models what the world once was and had the ability to be. Jin is this calculated person with a streak for adventure and this book outlines one of her greatest. She’s also really annoying lollzzz but a cool talents and back for diving, discovering, and surviving.  Thara and Bhili are iconsssssss. 

Tang is mid lol 

And the story is fun! :)