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earthtokb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
I am... still recovering from the last section of the book (Caretaking). Quarter Rican & this one are absolute bangers.
So glad I read this overall!
So glad I read this overall!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism
Minor: Death
sporebabble's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-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
jade_wolf16's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I chose this book for a book review assignment in an advanced fiction writing college course, and I loved it. I would apologize for this long review but I am not sorry at all.
Amina Gautier’s The Best That You Can Do is a collection of short stories that explore themes like multicultural identities, generational trauma, displacement, childhood nostalgia, interpersonal relationships, racial violence, stereotypes, and prejudice throughout the civil rights era to the present-day and places such as Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and more. My favorite section in this book was “Quarter Rican” which follows a family struggling to forget, embrace, and learn their Puerto Rican heritage. This section was packed with raw emotion, description, and life. As a Puerto Rico who was born in Ponce but moved as a young girl, can understand but not speak Spanish, and feels disconnected yet longs for the culture, this section called to me. It was as if I was looking at a mirror. I saw my heart and soul. I saw my family. I saw the island I’d never seen before. It was beautiful.
Beware of spoilers in this section! Here are some of my favorite stories in this collection. “Buen Provecho” is told through the point of view of siblings sneaking behind their mother’s back to learn Spanish with their aunt because their mother wants nothing to do with their culture after her Puerto Rican father left her Black mother. It is one of my favorites. The way Gautier used the Spanish language as a division between their two worlds, their mom’s house, and their aunt’s house, was powerful, because not only are they stuck between those two worlds, but they’re stuck between living in America and missing the island where they are from. It is also told from a plural first-person perspective, which Gautier narrates amazingly. I don’t usually like the plural first-person narrator but Gautier executes it skillfully, I loved it. “Making a Way” follows the point of view of a Black-separated mother whose Puerto Rican left her with three children, and he only sent plane tickets for his two sons to visit, excluding his daughter. I nearly teared up during this story. First of all, it is written in a second-person point of view, which I usually don’t like, but Gautier manages it with so much emotion and a detail-driven setting that I loved it. Second, it truly captured the essence of a mother—she will do anything for her children to see their father and learn about their culture, even if it hurts her. I loved how the setting was based around the civil rights movement and the deaths of activists like Medgar, John, and Malcolm, which connected with her dying marriage too. Not only does that setting choice activate this world in a meaningful way but it also strengthens the narrator’s interiority as she mourns the loss of her partner in a period full of losses. “Quarter Rican” nearly made me sob too. It was all in the dialogue for me. It truly captured how my family speaks—how we joke in ways that might hurt but show our love too. “We Ask Why” and “That Island” were simply beautiful. How this section explained cultural identity, language, family complexities, generational trauma, grief, marriage and divorce,
“Before” follows several children during the summertime as they try to make the most of their youth before they grow up. I loved the plural first-person stories the most here. “Surely Not” was my favorite. When the point of view shifted from a collective “we” to an “I,” I nearly dropped the book. I have never read a story that can change perspective so smoothly like that. “Summer Says” felt like childhood to me. It gave me a ton of nostalgia.
“The Best That You Can Do” follows different characters as they navigate the complexities of familial, platonic, and romantic relationships. “So Good To See You” was one of my favorites. The way the story highlighted the characters’ opinions of themselves, each other, and their sociocultural backgrounds all through an omniscient point of view was perfect. It truly captured the dating world today. “Forgive Me” nearly made me cry as a people-pleaser and empath. “Childhood, Princesshood, Motherhood” captured how I feel about raising a daughter in this world completely. “Howl” reminded me so much of a young, awful breakup, and tore my heart. “Minnow” actually broke my heart. Having a baby truly changes your life, but also your body. You are not your own person anymore, and I loved how that story captured that with so much emotion. “Don’t Mention It” was chef’s kiss! I feel like men need to read that short story in school. Seriously. We all want to be appreciated.
“Breathe” follows a different set of Black characters navigating a world set to harm, control, and villainize their bodies. The first story “Breathe” tore my heart with the ending. It is devastating to witness injustice among several minority groups. Linking the genocide of Palestine to the genocide of Black people in America was powerful. “Elevator” WAS beautiful. It truly captured the fear minorities feel around White people in America, especially during the BLM movement. “Karen” and “Monument” were full of so much witty sarcasm and satire, I loved it, especially how they mirrored the hypocrisy of White America.
“Caretaking” follows Mrs. McAllister, an aged woman, and her young caretaker. As an older sister who grew up fast and sacrificed a lot for her family, it was devastating to read these stories. “Keepsake” was the saddest one of all. She could have had such a great life if she hadn’t felt so guilty for her sister’s death.
I loved reading this short story collection. I wanted more. I wanted each section to be expanded on. Gautier is an amazing writer—one of the best I’ve read from so far. She truly captures the human experience.
Amina Gautier’s The Best That You Can Do is a collection of short stories that explore themes like multicultural identities, generational trauma, displacement, childhood nostalgia, interpersonal relationships, racial violence, stereotypes, and prejudice throughout the civil rights era to the present-day and places such as Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and more. My favorite section in this book was “Quarter Rican” which follows a family struggling to forget, embrace, and learn their Puerto Rican heritage. This section was packed with raw emotion, description, and life. As a Puerto Rico who was born in Ponce but moved as a young girl, can understand but not speak Spanish, and feels disconnected yet longs for the culture, this section called to me. It was as if I was looking at a mirror. I saw my heart and soul. I saw my family. I saw the island I’d never seen before. It was beautiful.
Beware of spoilers in this section! Here are some of my favorite stories in this collection. “Buen Provecho” is told through the point of view of siblings sneaking behind their mother’s back to learn Spanish with their aunt because their mother wants nothing to do with their culture after her Puerto Rican father left her Black mother. It is one of my favorites. The way Gautier used the Spanish language as a division between their two worlds, their mom’s house, and their aunt’s house, was powerful, because not only are they stuck between those two worlds, but they’re stuck between living in America and missing the island where they are from. It is also told from a plural first-person perspective, which Gautier narrates amazingly. I don’t usually like the plural first-person narrator but Gautier executes it skillfully, I loved it. “Making a Way” follows the point of view of a Black-separated mother whose Puerto Rican left her with three children, and he only sent plane tickets for his two sons to visit, excluding his daughter. I nearly teared up during this story. First of all, it is written in a second-person point of view, which I usually don’t like, but Gautier manages it with so much emotion and a detail-driven setting that I loved it. Second, it truly captured the essence of a mother—she will do anything for her children to see their father and learn about their culture, even if it hurts her. I loved how the setting was based around the civil rights movement and the deaths of activists like Medgar, John, and Malcolm, which connected with her dying marriage too. Not only does that setting choice activate this world in a meaningful way but it also strengthens the narrator’s interiority as she mourns the loss of her partner in a period full of losses. “Quarter Rican” nearly made me sob too. It was all in the dialogue for me. It truly captured how my family speaks—how we joke in ways that might hurt but show our love too. “We Ask Why” and “That Island” were simply beautiful. How this section explained cultural identity, language, family complexities, generational trauma, grief, marriage and divorce,
“Before” follows several children during the summertime as they try to make the most of their youth before they grow up. I loved the plural first-person stories the most here. “Surely Not” was my favorite. When the point of view shifted from a collective “we” to an “I,” I nearly dropped the book. I have never read a story that can change perspective so smoothly like that. “Summer Says” felt like childhood to me. It gave me a ton of nostalgia.
“The Best That You Can Do” follows different characters as they navigate the complexities of familial, platonic, and romantic relationships. “So Good To See You” was one of my favorites. The way the story highlighted the characters’ opinions of themselves, each other, and their sociocultural backgrounds all through an omniscient point of view was perfect. It truly captured the dating world today. “Forgive Me” nearly made me cry as a people-pleaser and empath. “Childhood, Princesshood, Motherhood” captured how I feel about raising a daughter in this world completely. “Howl” reminded me so much of a young, awful breakup, and tore my heart. “Minnow” actually broke my heart. Having a baby truly changes your life, but also your body. You are not your own person anymore, and I loved how that story captured that with so much emotion. “Don’t Mention It” was chef’s kiss! I feel like men need to read that short story in school. Seriously. We all want to be appreciated.
“Breathe” follows a different set of Black characters navigating a world set to harm, control, and villainize their bodies. The first story “Breathe” tore my heart with the ending. It is devastating to witness injustice among several minority groups. Linking the genocide of Palestine to the genocide of Black people in America was powerful. “Elevator” WAS beautiful. It truly captured the fear minorities feel around White people in America, especially during the BLM movement. “Karen” and “Monument” were full of so much witty sarcasm and satire, I loved it, especially how they mirrored the hypocrisy of White America.
“Caretaking” follows Mrs. McAllister, an aged woman, and her young caretaker. As an older sister who grew up fast and sacrificed a lot for her family, it was devastating to read these stories. “Keepsake” was the saddest one of all. She could have had such a great life if she hadn’t felt so guilty for her sister’s death.
I loved reading this short story collection. I wanted more. I wanted each section to be expanded on. Gautier is an amazing writer—one of the best I’ve read from so far. She truly captures the human experience.
wirthaa's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
souvalli's review
reflective
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? N/A
3.0
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