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introvertinterrupted's Reviews (1.08k)
Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijwf9q2tmVk
As an offspring of the Great Migration, this book meant a lot to me. I will forever be indebted to Isabel Wilkerson and the three individuals who this great work follows for painting a picture of the South that my grandparents and great-relatives left behind. I'd highly recommend this work for anybody who wants to dedicate their time to reading a well put together work of non-fiction.
As an offspring of the Great Migration, this book meant a lot to me. I will forever be indebted to Isabel Wilkerson and the three individuals who this great work follows for painting a picture of the South that my grandparents and great-relatives left behind. I'd highly recommend this work for anybody who wants to dedicate their time to reading a well put together work of non-fiction.
I didn't really enjoy this book. The vague synopsis on the back of the book built the story up to be something that it eventually did not live up to.
On it's back cover, Cleave promises the reader that the way his story unfolds will be "magic" and that you will want to tell all your friends about it. While he is partially right in the fact that I do want to share my thoughts with all my [goodreads] friends, it is not for the reason that he thinks I should.
The way that Cleave crafted his story feels superficial to me.Little Bee's role as a Nigerian refugee and illegal immigrant to London feels true to form, but the roles of Sarah and Lawrence feel contrived and enhanced as if Cleave only inserted them to fill out the obligatory role of Good First World Samaritans who have been burdened with saving a poor African girl in an attempt to clear their own conscious about living a good carefree life in a somewhat peaceful nation. While I admire Sarah for all she tries to do for Little Bee at the novel's end, I just don't buy her reasons for doing so.
Cleave's novel actually reads like a sensational, feel good film where the white woman goes out of her way just to save the black girl in hopes of expunging her own guilt of having lived a carefree life. I wanted to feel the magic that Cleave promised, yet I walked away from this book feeling like I had already seen the film version of Little Bee's story and it was 10x better.
This definitely isn't a book I'd read again. The story was a good idea in theory, but the author handled his subject poorly and his ending fell flat. The only scene that lived up to expectation was the beach scene and I won't spoil that for any possible readers of Little Bee.
On it's back cover, Cleave promises the reader that the way his story unfolds will be "magic" and that you will want to tell all your friends about it. While he is partially right in the fact that I do want to share my thoughts with all my [goodreads] friends, it is not for the reason that he thinks I should.
The way that Cleave crafted his story feels superficial to me.
Cleave's novel actually reads like a sensational, feel good film where the white woman goes out of her way just to save the black girl in hopes of expunging her own guilt of having lived a carefree life. I wanted to feel the magic that Cleave promised, yet I walked away from this book feeling like I had already seen the film version of Little Bee's story and it was 10x better.
This definitely isn't a book I'd read again. The story was a good idea in theory, but the author handled his subject poorly and his ending fell flat. The only scene that lived up to expectation was the beach scene and I won't spoil that for any possible readers of Little Bee.
I'll preface this review by saying I've never actually ready a Katie McGarry novel so I didn't see the book as formulaic. I actually was surprised by my enjoyment of this book if I'm being honest.
The book included motorcycles, old rivalries, and family drama and a twist that I honest saw coming a mile away, BUT I felt as if for once, the attraction in the book was handled sensibly. The book itself made for a nice summer read and I'd recommend it to anyone who just wants a "bad boy meets good girl" read. However, I will say that the book itself isn't what I'd classify as a light read since it does touch on long-term illness, death, a bit of violence, and hint at sexual exploits. Not to mention for any woman who can't stomach the whole "good ole boys," [sometimes it may seem a bit] sexist club, this book could possibly rub you the wrong way so just be aware of that and read with caution if you're part of the above stated group. Other than that, it was a good read.
The book included motorcycles, old rivalries, and family drama and a twist that I honest saw coming a mile away, BUT I felt as if for once, the attraction in the book was handled sensibly. The book itself made for a nice summer read and I'd recommend it to anyone who just wants a "bad boy meets good girl" read. However, I will say that the book itself isn't what I'd classify as a light read since it does touch on long-term illness, death, a bit of violence, and hint at sexual exploits. Not to mention for any woman who can't stomach the whole "good ole boys," [sometimes it may seem a bit] sexist club, this book could possibly rub you the wrong way so just be aware of that and read with caution if you're part of the above stated group. Other than that, it was a good read.
Parody of my favorite childhood book, [b: If You Give A Mouse A Cookie|767680|If You Give a Mouse a Cookie|Laura Joffe Numeroff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1276046901s/767680.jpg|3132746] and I absolutely loved it. I read it in the bookstore aisle, but would recommend it for the new age toddler who will probably be able to understand Mouse's struggles and adventure with astounding clearly.
I feel like it's hard to really rate this book as of now when I haven't read the other books in the series, but I'm going to put this read at 3.5 stars since I did enjoy the overall anecdotes that Maya Angelou shared with the readers.
It's amazing also how relevant the constant questioning by Bailey and Maya as children of "why do [whites] hate us so much?" still is in today's society when it comes to race relations even though the context of the question has changed. This can be seen in the picket signs of many parents as they protest across America these days with each passing shooting. Yet, Maya's story seems to remain relevant not just because of her experiences, but also because of the ever present figureheads in her life. Even if you're not African-American, I'm sure you can relate to having parents who were always trying to get you to figure things out for yourself or having had an adult like Mama who was so bent on making sure that you came up proper that it sometimes seemed like the joy was being sucked out of life as a kid thanks to never being able to "get away with anything." All in all, this classic held up to the test of time for me.
If you want a similar read, I'd suggest either continuing on with Angelou's memoir series by reading [b: Gather Together In My Name|130200|Gather Together in My Name|Maya Angelou|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1171992084s/130200.jpg|208700] or reading [b: Warriors Don't Cry|23303667|Warriors Don't Cry Student's Guide|Ann Maouyo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412384926s/23303667.jpg|42858944] by Melba Pattillo Beals who was one of the Little Rock Arkansas Nine children who fought to help integrate Central High School in 1957 after Brown v. Board of Education. Both Angelou and Beals were two women who valued education and were willing to stand up for their right to live out their womanhood as black women in America during difficult time periods. Thus, I wholeheartedly recommend both books.
It's amazing also how relevant the constant questioning by Bailey and Maya as children of "why do [whites] hate us so much?" still is in today's society when it comes to race relations even though the context of the question has changed. This can be seen in the picket signs of many parents as they protest across America these days with each passing shooting. Yet, Maya's story seems to remain relevant not just because of her experiences, but also because of the ever present figureheads in her life. Even if you're not African-American, I'm sure you can relate to having parents who were always trying to get you to figure things out for yourself or having had an adult like Mama who was so bent on making sure that you came up proper that it sometimes seemed like the joy was being sucked out of life as a kid thanks to never being able to "get away with anything." All in all, this classic held up to the test of time for me.
If you want a similar read, I'd suggest either continuing on with Angelou's memoir series by reading [b: Gather Together In My Name|130200|Gather Together in My Name|Maya Angelou|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1171992084s/130200.jpg|208700] or reading [b: Warriors Don't Cry|23303667|Warriors Don't Cry Student's Guide|Ann Maouyo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412384926s/23303667.jpg|42858944] by Melba Pattillo Beals who was one of the Little Rock Arkansas Nine children who fought to help integrate Central High School in 1957 after Brown v. Board of Education. Both Angelou and Beals were two women who valued education and were willing to stand up for their right to live out their womanhood as black women in America during difficult time periods. Thus, I wholeheartedly recommend both books.
