Reviews

Safe Passage by G. Neri & David Brame put me through the wringer. It's a middle graphic novel set in Chicago about three kids who ditch school to try to get money from an overturned Brinks truck in hopes of saving their family from the impoverished conditions and violence of their city. Darius and Cissy already lost their mom to gun violence, and Booger seems to have lost hope and has a death wish with all his poor decisions. Darius was also hurt due to being shot. This graphic novel depicts the dangers of life in Chicago for today's youth. Much of the rise in violence was due to over 50 schools being closed and kids being forced to travel farther through territory to get to school. The public schools that remained open enacted the Safe Passage Program, where adults, many veterans undertake the job of ensuring students make it to school safely. There are signs posted delineating safe zones, and the adults coordinate safe passage and try to be informed about where violence is escalating. Reading this one had me so emotional, sad and heartbroken because there are so many inner city children losing their lives due to the consequences of the rising cost of living due to gentrification, police brutality, poverty, lack of resources, lack of strict gun laws and racism. There were times I didn't realize that I was holding my breath because I felt waves of tears coming uncontrollably. Overall, it was a really thought-provoking read & the illustrations bring the story to life. I highly recommend this one and it will be a great conversation starter for many about the harsh realities that Black youth face in the inner city. Take care of yourself while reading because this one will seep deep underneath your skin & make you uncomfortable.

Here are some additional books that would pair well with this one:
📚 I am Alfonso Jones (graphic novel)- Tony Medina
📚 Yummy, the Last Days of a Southside Shorty (graphic novel) - G. Neri
📚 Long Way Down (graphic novel)- Jason Reynolds
📚 Monster (MG novel)- Dean Myers
📚 Ghost Boys (MG novel)- Jewell Parker Rhodes
📚 Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice
📚 Children of Chicago - Cynthia Pelayo

Content Warnings

tabby2920's review

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dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

dpearson5257's review

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challenging emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

bookishbaddie's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

✨Book Review✨

Safe Passage by G. Neri & David Brame @neri.greg & @amazingdavidbrame

✨Rating & Review✨: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is so important for so many different reasons. There’s history and there’s current events, but also, there’s just plain ole hard facts. Children shouldn’t be dying on the way to school. The need for safe passages shouldn’t be because there are is so much violence that parents are scared for their children. Children should be free to live their life OUTSIDE, not cooped inside unless they’re in school. I hope that this book finds its way into every school in America. Thank you so much @hearourvoicestours and the authors for sharing this story with me.

🔖

#Books #BookRecommendation #BlackGirlsReadBooksToo #BlackGirlsRead #Bookstagram #BlackBookstagram #YABookstagrammer #BooksAreAGirlsBestFriend #QueerReadersOfInatagram #ReadersOfInstagram #BookLover #Bookworm #BookLover #BookCommunity #ReadMoreBooks #AvidReader #Bibliophile #BookishGirls #BookReviews #HearOurVoices #HOV #SafePassage #GraphicNovel

jen_the_jet's review

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

sierrabowers's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was a great read! I won the ARC in a StoryGraph giveaway and I’m so glad I did. It pushed me to read a genre I normally wouldn’t pick up (graphic novel) and it allowed me to read about a subject I didn’t know much about (Chicago’s crime). The characters were relatable and it showed the reality of what many children in Chicago have to face everyday on the way to and from school. I recommend that everyone read this book, even if you aren’t sure about it. It comes out on March 23!

Content Warnings

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