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danne789's review against another edition
3.0
I'm honestly not sure how to rate this book. It was definitely well written, and it does a good job illustrating the racial tension and racism of Texas in that time. But there was very little about the North London School Explosion. That event felt like a minor subplot. I was expecting more about that explosion from this book.
The book is very sad for a number of reasons, not just the explosion. There are some very hard parts to read through that deal with sexual assault. I felt bad for almost every character in this book. I also read this on the heels of another book dealing with SA, so maybe if I'd had some space between the two I'd have had a different view of it.
The book is told from different characters points of view, and some pages have only a paragraph. So it was a quick read, but despite being a well written, quick read, it was hard to get through.
The book is very sad for a number of reasons, not just the explosion. There are some very hard parts to read through that deal with sexual assault. I felt bad for almost every character in this book. I also read this on the heels of another book dealing with SA, so maybe if I'd had some space between the two I'd have had a different view of it.
The book is told from different characters points of view, and some pages have only a paragraph. So it was a quick read, but despite being a well written, quick read, it was hard to get through.
jenpost78's review against another edition
4.0
Tragic. Awful. Horrific. Bleak. Graphic.
Even though this story was all of these things, it is worth acknowledging the event it is centered around and the perspectives of the POC within it.
The subject matter is heavy but well written.
Even though this story was all of these things, it is worth acknowledging the event it is centered around and the perspectives of the POC within it.
The subject matter is heavy but well written.
tiarala's review against another edition
5.0
WHOA. This was… intense. It's hard to get into the grit of it without spoilers, but I really enjoyed the shifting character focus, and Pérez did a beautiful job of foreshadowing events, yet still managed to leave surprises all over. A really wonderful read, but a very, very difficult read emotionally.
skagirlcourt's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book will challenge any reader. It shines a light on historical events and cultures and pain and segregation. It also manages to shine a light on love and hope. It was truly painful to read at times, but it has left me thankful we continue to move away from that type of darkness. It is an important read especially on an event that so few remember.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
4saradouglas's review against another edition
3.0
It took me forever to finish this. I thought the first fifty or so pages were great. I was so engaged and ran off to learn more about the real school explosion. The middle of the book though was just dull. Not a lot happened, but the author did keep your level of dread up... you could just tell this was not going to be pretty. The ending though just got crazy. The school explosion ended up really not mattering much at all. Sure, the family was badly effected, but there was a heck of a lot worse coming, and that was coming whether that school exploded or not. In the end I felt like the author was just unrealistically seeing how much pain and suffering she could hand out to her characters. It just felt really overdone and overdramatic.
katemaruyama's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
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? No
4.0
debbiebarr's review against another edition
5.0
This book. Impeccably researched. Solid writing. Characters who feel as real as your neighbors.
It completely gutted me.
I mean, with a title like "Out of Darkness" and with the opening pages talking about picking up the limbs of victims of a school explosion, I knew it couldn't be happy. And it's not a happy book. At all.
But it's a very real book. I felt like I really lived the lives of these characters. Their anger, their fear, their love, their sadness. Perez holds nothing back when it comes to the horrible racism of the time, and the book addresses these issues head on. These characters and the lives they lead will be haunting my thoughts for a long, long time.
This book absolutely deserved a Printz honor. But I will warn that it is very, very dark. There is violence and sexual abuse in this book, and the details are sometimes graphic. Personally I would not recommend it to anyone under 16 or 17. But if you like historical novels, if you want a real look at a terrible event and a dark time in our country's history, it is definitely worth the read.
It completely gutted me.
I mean, with a title like "Out of Darkness" and with the opening pages talking about picking up the limbs of victims of a school explosion, I knew it couldn't be happy. And it's not a happy book. At all.
But it's a very real book. I felt like I really lived the lives of these characters. Their anger, their fear, their love, their sadness. Perez holds nothing back when it comes to the horrible racism of the time, and the book addresses these issues head on. These characters and the lives they lead will be haunting my thoughts for a long, long time.
This book absolutely deserved a Printz honor. But I will warn that it is very, very dark. There is violence and sexual abuse in this book, and the details are sometimes graphic. Personally I would not recommend it to anyone under 16 or 17. But if you like historical novels, if you want a real look at a terrible event and a dark time in our country's history, it is definitely worth the read.