before i start my review can i just say that this book was incredibke for a debut.
I feel like this book is a bit reminiscent of angie thomas' on the come up in a way,the book follows the life of kiara and her brother-both high school dropouts-as they carry on haunted by grief and prison.They struggle to earn and her brother Marcus still hold onto his childhood dream of becoming a rapper.
Although they are in such horrible circumstances,they both have such lively personalities.Its so raw and honest, i felt so immersed in the atmosphere.Seriously i felt like i knew the characters.The opening was so strong and vivid.Theres just this rythm to Leila Mottleys writing that just makes the book feel so alive.
Why read/listen to this story? Well, Mottley deftly shows how a young, disenfranchised girl, who wants a good, clean life, can fall prey to violence. With no or minimal adult help, these girls are attempting to negotiate supporting themselves and doing right. Furthermore, Mottley is Oakland’s youth poet laureate, and her prose are outstanding. In a scene with her lawyer, Marsha, who is trying to get her reading for a court appearance, Kiara thinks, “Marsha done looked up ‘how to be your best self’ and found some Cosmo article about actualization.”
I feel like this book is a bit reminiscent of angie thomas' on the come up in a way,the book follows the life of kiara and her brother-both high school dropouts-as they carry on haunted by grief and prison.They struggle to earn and her brother Marcus still hold onto his childhood dream of becoming a rapper.
Although they are in such horrible circumstances,they both have such lively personalities.Its so raw and honest, i felt so immersed in the atmosphere.Seriously i felt like i knew the characters.The opening was so strong and vivid.Theres just this rythm to Leila Mottleys writing that just makes the book feel so alive.
Why read/listen to this story? Well, Mottley deftly shows how a young, disenfranchised girl, who wants a good, clean life, can fall prey to violence. With no or minimal adult help, these girls are attempting to negotiate supporting themselves and doing right. Furthermore, Mottley is Oakland’s youth poet laureate, and her prose are outstanding. In a scene with her lawyer, Marsha, who is trying to get her reading for a court appearance, Kiara thinks, “Marsha done looked up ‘how to be your best self’ and found some Cosmo article about actualization.”