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mariahistryingtoread's review
3.0
I am always wary of books written by celebrities. As cynical as it may seem, my first assumption is that there is a ghost writer involved. It's entirely possible that a celebrity can be multi-talented enough to write a book alone, but it's rare that I read something by a celebrity that feels authentic enough that I could buy it was only them working on it. That's not a knock against having a ghost writer. Having a good idea does not always equal being able to singlehandedly execute it. One of my favorite books of all time is Geese Are Never Swans by Kobe Bryant. My issue is when a celebrity attempts to sell the book as wholly their venture - which, of course, the majority do.
These days even prolific writers have ghostwriters (I'm looking at you, unsubstantiated claims that Rick Riordan is no longer actively working on Percy Jackson) and it's an easy cash grab to boost notoriety while taking advantage of a built in fanbase so it makes sense that many celebrities are quick to pump out a book. The celebrity memoir is the new Michael Jackson endorsing Pepsi or Jamie Lee Curtis as the face of Activia yogurt.
The ubiquity of the celebrity 'novel' doesn't mean I have to like it. Still, it's not like I can stop it so my meager fight against the celebrity machine is writing reviews about how mid they are. It ain't much, but it's honest work.
A lot of the charm of Terry's Crew is actually in the illustration which I found rough and tumble in the best way possible. It put the graphic in /graphic/ novel, not in substance, but visually it was very fun and brusque. The characters were easy to delineate, the lines weren't always perfectly straight which added an interesting stylistic flair, and I loved the subtle usage of color to dictate tone.
The story itself was average. It's your typical Black kid with not a lot is an underdog at a ritzy new school where he learns how to combat racism and bullies kind of beat. I eat it up every time because I love seeing Black kids win, however, I will not pretend that in t
his case it's particularly special, different, or especially well written. There are ways to make this set-up unique. Terry’s Crew is content to rely on the fact that this is Terry Crews’ story as the most important differentiating factor. The result is standard, cookie cutter fare.
I will say that I like that Bully!Rick was not redeemed. I don't mind that there is potential for it in the future. I just hate the new wave of bully kids that the main character feels bad for because of their sad backstory so they end up forgiving them even though they don't deserve it and now the bully is their friend after only 2 pages of being decent. I swear, half the middle grade I read this year - and this was stuff released this year - featured this trope. I thought we were moving past harmful turn the other cheek narratives, yet here we are.
I miss one note villains. It's more cathartic when they're beaten in the end, and it's far more realistic that the person doesn’t change after one moment of kindness.
My minor critique is that Rick is supposed to be a minority, but that was not made clear enough to me visually. He's meant to be a parallel to Terry and it would have been better if it was made more obvious that he wasn't a white kid with a tan. I thought it was another textbook case of racism rather than the internalized self hate. The self hate was a better plot point.
Also, this isn't a critique more a commentary - it's really messed up that Terry's mother was willing to withhold her affection for her 12(?) year old because he made a single decision she didn't approve of. It's good that she apologized but boy did it sour me on Terry's mother.
Anywho, I say read it. I had a good time. I always enjoy Black kids getting to be their unabashed best selves without the weight of police brutality or activism or the war on drugs or any of those other super serious topics that lately publishers seem to refuse to let Black people write a book without including. It's an easy, breezy recommendation.
These days even prolific writers have ghostwriters (I'm looking at you, unsubstantiated claims that Rick Riordan is no longer actively working on Percy Jackson) and it's an easy cash grab to boost notoriety while taking advantage of a built in fanbase so it makes sense that many celebrities are quick to pump out a book. The celebrity memoir is the new Michael Jackson endorsing Pepsi or Jamie Lee Curtis as the face of Activia yogurt.
The ubiquity of the celebrity 'novel' doesn't mean I have to like it. Still, it's not like I can stop it so my meager fight against the celebrity machine is writing reviews about how mid they are. It ain't much, but it's honest work.
A lot of the charm of Terry's Crew is actually in the illustration which I found rough and tumble in the best way possible. It put the graphic in /graphic/ novel, not in substance, but visually it was very fun and brusque. The characters were easy to delineate, the lines weren't always perfectly straight which added an interesting stylistic flair, and I loved the subtle usage of color to dictate tone.
The story itself was average. It's your typical Black kid with not a lot is an underdog at a ritzy new school where he learns how to combat racism and bullies kind of beat. I eat it up every time because I love seeing Black kids win, however, I will not pretend that in t
his case it's particularly special, different, or especially well written. There are ways to make this set-up unique. Terry’s Crew is content to rely on the fact that this is Terry Crews’ story as the most important differentiating factor. The result is standard, cookie cutter fare.
I will say that I like that Bully!Rick was not redeemed. I don't mind that there is potential for it in the future. I just hate the new wave of bully kids that the main character feels bad for because of their sad backstory so they end up forgiving them even though they don't deserve it and now the bully is their friend after only 2 pages of being decent. I swear, half the middle grade I read this year - and this was stuff released this year - featured this trope. I thought we were moving past harmful turn the other cheek narratives, yet here we are.
I miss one note villains. It's more cathartic when they're beaten in the end, and it's far more realistic that the person doesn’t change after one moment of kindness.
My minor critique is that Rick is supposed to be a minority, but that was not made clear enough to me visually. He's meant to be a parallel to Terry and it would have been better if it was made more obvious that he wasn't a white kid with a tan. I thought it was another textbook case of racism rather than the internalized self hate. The self hate was a better plot point.
Also, this isn't a critique more a commentary - it's really messed up that Terry's mother was willing to withhold her affection for her 12(?) year old because he made a single decision she didn't approve of. It's good that she apologized but boy did it sour me on Terry's mother.
Anywho, I say read it. I had a good time. I always enjoy Black kids getting to be their unabashed best selves without the weight of police brutality or activism or the war on drugs or any of those other super serious topics that lately publishers seem to refuse to let Black people write a book without including. It's an easy, breezy recommendation.
books_inthewild's review
4.0
Awesome story!
I loved the characters, and the message throughout. Dream big!
Very cool reading this story by Terry Crews, and hearing how it was inspired by his own life.
I loved the characters, and the message throughout. Dream big!
Very cool reading this story by Terry Crews, and hearing how it was inspired by his own life.
nsnyder22's review
4.0
I received and ARC of this from the publisher.
Terry wants to be a multihyphenate/Renaissance person aka a person with many varied interests and achievements. A very ambitious and passionate kid, Terry gets into Rock City Academy to find not everyone is as supportive as his family. I loved a lot of things about this book from one of my favorite actors. In its small pages, it discusses class and race (without calling them by name), how to tackle ambition without becoming overwhelmed, how to deal with bullies without becoming one yourself, how to make new friends, how to build a team, and many more life lessons in a fun and entertaining manner. What I liked most is throughout the book, a lot of things are implied in an general enough manner that the reader can relate to Terry even if they haven’t had his direct experience. I really hope this turns into a graphic novel series as I can definitely see all the interesting and fun ways the characters can learn and grow.
Terry wants to be a multihyphenate/Renaissance person aka a person with many varied interests and achievements. A very ambitious and passionate kid, Terry gets into Rock City Academy to find not everyone is as supportive as his family. I loved a lot of things about this book from one of my favorite actors. In its small pages, it discusses class and race (without calling them by name), how to tackle ambition without becoming overwhelmed, how to deal with bullies without becoming one yourself, how to make new friends, how to build a team, and many more life lessons in a fun and entertaining manner. What I liked most is throughout the book, a lot of things are implied in an general enough manner that the reader can relate to Terry even if they haven’t had his direct experience. I really hope this turns into a graphic novel series as I can definitely see all the interesting and fun ways the characters can learn and grow.
jackelz's review
If you know Terry Crews, you know he does it all. This middle grade graphic novel is based on his childhood.
Young Terry wants to become a MULTIHYPHENATE. That means he wants to be an artist. And a football player. And a musician. And maybe a NASA scientist, too.
He starts at a new school, he makes new friends (and enemies), and learns a lot about himself along the way.
I loved the trio he makes with his new friends. Rani is a passionate engineer, and Xander is a shy kid with a head like an encyclopedia. I’d love to see more of their adventures together. I also enjoyed the roles his parents and brother played in his life, and seeing their love and support for each other.
Overall, it was a very positive and uplifting story, and I think so many kiddos will resonate with Terry.
daycia's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
manda_reads's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
A great story with great illustrations to match. I hope this graphic novel turns into a series.
bookcaptivated's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Classism and Racism