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A review by kitsuneheart
Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
5.0
I saw Mark Oshiro at Beach City Con in October 2017, where he presented a few wonderful panels and got me intrigued about his work. He mentioned having a book coming out the next year. On a bit of a whim, I ordered it while watching the panel and kind of...forgot about it.
I was a bit surprised when it arrived, and I did take some weeks to get around to reading (or listening, as it were, since I did the audiobook), and I am so glad I did. Mark Oshiro has given us something real and painful, and very necessary.
I live not too far from Oakland. The scenarios he describes are familiar. And, it's so true, as in the book, that people in power look for--and fabricate--any excuse they can to avoid responsibility.
I rushed through this book. I had to finish it. The first night I was listening, I came into the office and told my husband, "This book is about to piss me off." I came back in five minutes later and yelled "I WAS RIGHT." My anger wasn't for the book's quality--perfection--but for the actions of the Oakland PD in the book. Fiction, yes, but I was able to predict their actions so accurately that it was infuriating. Because I've seen it before.
At times, the book does feel a bit...schmaltzy? But not in a way that made me want to even so much as slow down. The diversity of the characters is completely believable for anyone that has spent the last few years in the Bay Area, but it was more the cultural references that made me snicker a bit. It reminds me a little of Cabot's early "Princess Diaries" books. The artists and memes referenced will date this book within a few years, but the main themes of discrimination, police violence, gaslighting, and activism will resonate for quite a while longer.
And, oh, how I wish they wouldn't resonate. Because that might mean we've fixed the problems. But I doubt we will. So, when I finished this book and stomped about for a few minutes in righteous anger, I realized I wasn't allowed to just sit down, do a simple review, and be done with things.
I finished this book about an hour ago. In the middle of writing this review, I went to AdoptAClassroom.org and fully funded an Oakland teacher's classroom. Then I set a calendar reminder to do it again every August 1st. I know I'm privileged, and likely in ways I haven't even considered. And I know I need to use that privilege wisely. And, to be honest...I do kind of throw my money at problems. But, sometimes, that's a good thing.
I love this book. I've recommended it for my book club. I'll be putting it in my bag-o'-books Christmas gift for my book club. I'll be handing out my copy to anyone who looks at my shelves and asks for a recommendation. This is, simply, an excellent book.
I was a bit surprised when it arrived, and I did take some weeks to get around to reading (or listening, as it were, since I did the audiobook), and I am so glad I did. Mark Oshiro has given us something real and painful, and very necessary.
I live not too far from Oakland. The scenarios he describes are familiar. And, it's so true, as in the book, that people in power look for--and fabricate--any excuse they can to avoid responsibility.
I rushed through this book. I had to finish it. The first night I was listening, I came into the office and told my husband, "This book is about to piss me off." I came back in five minutes later and yelled "I WAS RIGHT." My anger wasn't for the book's quality--perfection--but for the actions of the Oakland PD in the book. Fiction, yes, but I was able to predict their actions so accurately that it was infuriating. Because I've seen it before.
At times, the book does feel a bit...schmaltzy? But not in a way that made me want to even so much as slow down. The diversity of the characters is completely believable for anyone that has spent the last few years in the Bay Area, but it was more the cultural references that made me snicker a bit. It reminds me a little of Cabot's early "Princess Diaries" books. The artists and memes referenced will date this book within a few years, but the main themes of discrimination, police violence, gaslighting, and activism will resonate for quite a while longer.
And, oh, how I wish they wouldn't resonate. Because that might mean we've fixed the problems. But I doubt we will. So, when I finished this book and stomped about for a few minutes in righteous anger, I realized I wasn't allowed to just sit down, do a simple review, and be done with things.
I finished this book about an hour ago. In the middle of writing this review, I went to AdoptAClassroom.org and fully funded an Oakland teacher's classroom. Then I set a calendar reminder to do it again every August 1st. I know I'm privileged, and likely in ways I haven't even considered. And I know I need to use that privilege wisely. And, to be honest...I do kind of throw my money at problems. But, sometimes, that's a good thing.
I love this book. I've recommended it for my book club. I'll be putting it in my bag-o'-books Christmas gift for my book club. I'll be handing out my copy to anyone who looks at my shelves and asks for a recommendation. This is, simply, an excellent book.