Synopsis:
Perfect for fans of The Hate U Give, this unforgettable coming-of-age debut novel explores issues of race, class, and violence through the eyes of a wealthy black teenager whose family gets caught in the vortex of the 1992 Rodney King Riots.
Los Angeles, 1992
Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of senior year and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer.
Everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the black kids.
As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson.
With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them?
My Review:
“The Black Kids” by Christina Hammonds Reed is a story of a brutal incident that happened as a result of racism through the black teen protagonist Ashley. This story starts with Rodney King being brutally murdered by Police officers. This incident took its actual turn with the LA riots for its justice when the accused officers were acquitted.
I loved the author’s writing style throughout the book. It was so simple and impressive. Even though the scenes were from the past and the present, it wasn’t confusing. I could say that the whole book was full of emotional contents. What is more painful is that this kind of racist acts still happens and I wonder when these things will come to a halt.
Ashley, the protagonist is a high school senior with a wealthy background. Through her, I was clearly able to get what a black kid would go through and how they would feel around white people despite her life status. The one thing I don’t like in her was that she didn’t feel guilty for betraying her best friend at the same time she was guilty of the rumours she had spread of her not-so-close friend. So I felt that her character was weird and hard to understand.
This book made me understand more about how a person will be affected only because of their skin complexion. I really wish and hope that this kind of racism issues would not happen anymore. I would recommend this book to all so that everyone would be more aware of the racism impacts.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5
*Thanks to the publisher for providing me the copy*
*All opinions are mine*
Purchase links:
Amazon | Google Books |Book Depository | Barnes and Noble
About The Author:
Christina Hammonds Reed holds an MFA from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. A native of the Los Angeles area, her work has previously appeared in the Santa Monica Review and One Teen Story. The Black Kids is her first novel.
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