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rleibrock's review against another edition
5.0
Smart, engaging and sometimes funny story about one girl's journey from marketing a good idea for mostly selfish reasons to self-awareness and maturity.
I really liked that Asha is far from perfect. Here, we have an excellent student who is pretty but not a knockout and just a little bit socially awkward. Indeed there are moments that we get to glimpse Asha through other people's eyes and those are some of the best moments. She's not aware of her own power until it gets out of control. On a personal note, I could relate to the disintegration of her friendship with Carey--I remember my own senior year in high school being a period during which so many previously held ideas and convictions suddenly crumbled and drifted away.
Loved it.
I really liked that Asha is far from perfect. Here, we have an excellent student who is pretty but not a knockout and just a little bit socially awkward. Indeed there are moments that we get to glimpse Asha through other people's eyes and those are some of the best moments. She's not aware of her own power until it gets out of control. On a personal note, I could relate to the disintegration of her friendship with Carey--I remember my own senior year in high school being a period during which so many previously held ideas and convictions suddenly crumbled and drifted away.
Loved it.
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson has been on my TBR for years. It's one of those books that I just kept pushing down the list for newer ones as they came out. Then I saw it on display while at the library a couple weeks ago and decided now was the time to read it. I'm glad I did.
Asha is a character easy for me to relate to. She is driven and good at organizing things. She also has a deep seeded fear of failure and disappointing her family. The idea to form the Latte Rebellion was not strictly a social awareness campaign. It started as simply a way to raise money for a post senior year trip and as a way to quietly express annoyance at some of the racial slurs that had been so easily thrown at them by some members of the school. Asha herself is surprised by how much the Rebellion comes to mean to her. I liked how her character developed as the story unfolded and how she came to see that there was more to this issue than just herself and opened up to all of it. I also liked the realistic portrayal of the changing dynamic in the friendship between Asha and Carey. The story here definitely belongs to Asha though it takes a while to get to the point where you feel she actually understands the importance of what she has started.
The story unfolds over Asha's senior year. At the end of each chapter, there is a scene from the disciplinary hearing to determine whether or not Asha will be expelled for incidents resulting from the Rebellion. The contrast between the building movement and Asha's fear over what will happen to her builds suspense. This is countered somewhat by how many details of meetings and meetings and more meetings there are. I did find myself skimming a bit here and there. Overall though, I really enjoyed the story and the themes Stevenson explored through it. The complicated relationships, both in Asha's friendships and family, made this worth it for me.
The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson has been on my TBR for years. It's one of those books that I just kept pushing down the list for newer ones as they came out. Then I saw it on display while at the library a couple weeks ago and decided now was the time to read it. I'm glad I did.
Asha is a character easy for me to relate to. She is driven and good at organizing things. She also has a deep seeded fear of failure and disappointing her family. The idea to form the Latte Rebellion was not strictly a social awareness campaign. It started as simply a way to raise money for a post senior year trip and as a way to quietly express annoyance at some of the racial slurs that had been so easily thrown at them by some members of the school. Asha herself is surprised by how much the Rebellion comes to mean to her. I liked how her character developed as the story unfolded and how she came to see that there was more to this issue than just herself and opened up to all of it. I also liked the realistic portrayal of the changing dynamic in the friendship between Asha and Carey. The story here definitely belongs to Asha though it takes a while to get to the point where you feel she actually understands the importance of what she has started.
The story unfolds over Asha's senior year. At the end of each chapter, there is a scene from the disciplinary hearing to determine whether or not Asha will be expelled for incidents resulting from the Rebellion. The contrast between the building movement and Asha's fear over what will happen to her builds suspense. This is countered somewhat by how many details of meetings and meetings and more meetings there are. I did find myself skimming a bit here and there. Overall though, I really enjoyed the story and the themes Stevenson explored through it. The complicated relationships, both in Asha's friendships and family, made this worth it for me.
yungokssss's review against another edition
4.0
I was kin of surprised, but I liked this book. I guess what kept me hooked was the small experts every chapter on Asha's trial. I couldn't really connect because I'm not a latte, (although I really love them!), but this book really gave me something to think about. A captivating read.
moon_rose's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
slow-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? Yes
2.75
nextbestcoast's review against another edition
This was so slow. I barely got through it...just not my cup of tea.
kellyjcm's review against another edition
4.0
Very thought-provoking, as well as a solid story of a teenage girl finding her voice. I loved Miranda (one of the secondary characters). Great concept; really turns the practice of using food analogies to describe race on its head. My blog review will be more detailed.
book_nut's review against another edition
4.0
It was fun, and made me think about race and what it really "means".
heisereads's review against another edition
3.0
Review originally posted on Heise Reads & Recommends
I'm feeling a little bit mixed about this book. There are things I liked. I liked the premise with the social action elements related to mixed race students wanting others to be more accepting of them and acknowledging their uniqueness. I liked the strength of character Asha gains through the course of her senior year as she learns more about becoming involved in causes and staying true to oneself. I liked that she learned to speak for herself and be strong in her own ideals outside of what others may think of her. I liked that she learned the importance of having her own voice heard. I liked the elements of dealing with the realities of friendships at the end of high school-how they start to change based on what people want to do with their lives, as their priorities change, as they grow apart into their own people. I also liked the way the author chose to set up the story with telling chronologically what was happening, but having flash-forward moments to the disciplinary hearing that occurs at the end of the story, helping add tension and building suspense throughout.
Then there are some things I didn't like as much. I felt that the pacing just dragged on a little bit. At times I was trying to get through the book just to get to the end and on to the next one - which is unfortunate because I think there were strong messages in this book. However, I did feel like it read long. Asha narrates this story, so we're very much in her head as the reader. At times, that is helpful, but at times it got a little bit monotonous. Basically, I just wanted more action to be happening faster. The major events were good and I cared what would happen, I just wanted it all told to me sooner. I also felt that it wasn't as descriptive and engaging as I would like. In addition, there was a romantic interest subplot, but it fell a little flat for me. Overall, it is an okay book with a good message that I would recommend, just not needing to be moved to the top of your to be read pile.
I'm feeling a little bit mixed about this book. There are things I liked. I liked the premise with the social action elements related to mixed race students wanting others to be more accepting of them and acknowledging their uniqueness. I liked the strength of character Asha gains through the course of her senior year as she learns more about becoming involved in causes and staying true to oneself. I liked that she learned to speak for herself and be strong in her own ideals outside of what others may think of her. I liked that she learned the importance of having her own voice heard. I liked the elements of dealing with the realities of friendships at the end of high school-how they start to change based on what people want to do with their lives, as their priorities change, as they grow apart into their own people. I also liked the way the author chose to set up the story with telling chronologically what was happening, but having flash-forward moments to the disciplinary hearing that occurs at the end of the story, helping add tension and building suspense throughout.
Then there are some things I didn't like as much. I felt that the pacing just dragged on a little bit. At times I was trying to get through the book just to get to the end and on to the next one - which is unfortunate because I think there were strong messages in this book. However, I did feel like it read long. Asha narrates this story, so we're very much in her head as the reader. At times, that is helpful, but at times it got a little bit monotonous. Basically, I just wanted more action to be happening faster. The major events were good and I cared what would happen, I just wanted it all told to me sooner. I also felt that it wasn't as descriptive and engaging as I would like. In addition, there was a romantic interest subplot, but it fell a little flat for me. Overall, it is an okay book with a good message that I would recommend, just not needing to be moved to the top of your to be read pile.
books_plan_create's review against another edition
2.0
In The Latte Rebellion Asha is mixed up. Ethnically speaking that is. So on a whim her and a friend begin the Latte Rebellion. It begins as a way to make some vacation money, but it explodes into a movement.
I liked parts of this book, but after a while, it began to grate on my nerves. Asha was so caught up in what started off as a joke that when it became important, she didn't know how to properly handle it. I guess that is realistic, but it still drove me crazy. By the end I was glad to see her mature.
I liked parts of this book, but after a while, it began to grate on my nerves. Asha was so caught up in what started off as a joke that when it became important, she didn't know how to properly handle it. I guess that is realistic, but it still drove me crazy. By the end I was glad to see her mature.