Kimberly Jones (1)Besprekingen

I read this as part of OverDrive's Big Library Read event. It was very fast paced and definitely sucked me in, I'm not sure either character really left too enlightened though. I would have liked a continuation showing the aftermath of the night's events.

Came into this after watching her viral speech, and so, so glad I had the audiobook. Incredible voice, narrator, and heart.

This is a tough one to rate. The voice and narration in this are absolutely stellar, and characters like Lena are so very uncommon and valuable in the YA cannon right now. But other than that, I found myself unable to suspend disbelief and get absorbed in the story. Ultimately, is it worth the read though? I think so.

A few minimal spoilers ahead.

My biggest problem here was that all the events felt so random and I wanted more context and explanation instead of the constant moving away. This revolves mainly around riots that come out of protests, but starts off with a big fight at the girls' high school. I wanted more details on how this fight went down. I didn't buy that the teacher just forgot about them. I wanted more information on where everyone went--there was a whole football field of students that just...disappeared? Surely other kids were leaving in vehicles. Surely they could have at least asked for a ride.
And then these riots. Yes, yes yes yes. I have a lot of thoughts about rioting as a form of protest, and I really appreciated how they acknowledged in the book that it's one of very, very few ways to get attention and that though it might not seem fair, breaking and vandalizing is arguably necessary in order to get any attention to a cause while a peaceful protest is very easy to ignore. However, I found it hard to believe that all of the events of the night strung from a protest and weren't more preplanned. Generally, protests take place during the day because government officials aren't really in their offices on Friday nights. I could have believed this, but I needed a lot more context--maybe through these news reporters or through texts, or maybe Campbell might have checked Twitter or something--in order to suspend my disbelief.
So if one or the other had happened, I'd believe it more, or if there had been a clear connection drawn (a single line! to ackowledge it!) I might have believed it more but it just seems so very unlikely that these would both happen in one night. And I don't think that's my privilege talking.
And then the blurb--"chaos born from violence and hate"--completely dismisses the idea that protesters had anything to do with this. I just really wish that the authors had delved that little bit deeper in and really explored what the roots of all these horrors were.
And Lena and Campbell were both reasonably intelligent, it seemed. So I really struggled to believe that they would just keep moving into this warzone and not be like "well, guess I'm walking a couple of miles tonight!" Campbell had a phone--surely Lena knew other people she could have used social media to contact? I just don't buy it. Surely they would have walked in a different direction. Black had a car, yes, but there are other cars in Atlanta, and since it took them hours to walk to him, why not just walk home?

And setting! Campbell mentions once that they're in Atlanta but I actually had to go back and find that line. I've never been to Atlanta (two weeks until Shaky Knees!) so maybe if I were familiar with the area I'd get it more, but it felt so very insert-generic-city-here. (Also, Campbell's mom moves to Venezuela--what? for a job? what year was this written? why? if you're going to move someone to Venezuela for a job, you need a line about what her job is.)

But on the other hand, this book exCELS in capturing voice. Campbell was a character that could have been plucked from any generic YA book, but Lena felt like a real live black girl and I'm so glad that she used real slang in actual context and it felt very natural. They did an excellent job of observing inherent racism and prejudices that we all have whether we like it or not which is super important, especially to those of us who might not often think about it. The blurb and cover are a bit misleading as they pit the girls against each other when in reality they just didn't know each other outside of having a class together--neither was actively against the other despite their prejudices.

I'm glad Black turned out to be less of a radishweed, but I also wish Lena had stood up to him and put him in his place because wow did she deserve better.

BUT WHAT ABOUT MARCUS????????? DO WE JUST LEAVE HIM TO DIE???????? I was SO upset when I hit acknowledgements without hearing how he was after just being taken to hospital! (Which was also weird. That Lena would just trust that the police would take him to hospital? And not lock him up? After all of her understandable mistrust?

I guess I have a lot to say about this book because it had such potential and did some parts so well, but I feel like it almost got caught up in patting itself on the back about what it did right. I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars when I started writing this, but I think I'm actually at 2.5 now. There were just so many times where I thought "but why not just do this?" and couldn't suspend my disbelief.

Overachieving and privileged high school seniors and cheerleaders, Eleanor (Jewish) and Chanel (African American), lead the radical choice to “take a knee” at the season’s first football game. This timely page-turner highlights the complexities of being woke and the role of Jews in the anti-racist movement. (Sydney Taylor Notable Young Adult)

4 stars to balance out the other reviews which I think are really unnecessarily harsh, but really more like 2.5-3 stars. I'm generally not a fan of YA but I liked it. It was a quick read and interesting, and even though there were quite a few unbelievable plot points, the characters were a bit unrealistic and mostly unlikeable, and it felt like the authors dumbed the characters down because they're teenagers, it definitely kept me wondering what was going to happen and there were definitely some thrilling moments. I think it was trying to be the next The Hate U Give and it wasn't, but it definitely wasn't a terrible book. I read it because of the Overdrive book club and I don't think I'd go out of my way to recommend it to anyone, but I wouldn't discourage people from reading it, either.

A fast paced read. I liked that it was a two person POV, written by two women who represented the two races, black and white. The anguish Campbell feels came right off the page through the writers words. Lena I was not crazy about. How she couldn’t see that her boyfriend only cared about himself was frustrating. Yes, he “turned around” at the end, but by then it was too late. Definitely a good book that represents the race relations and what happens when things fall apart.

I had a hard time with the Campbell in this book. I think I related more to Lena. Now mind you I am white like Campbell, but that is the only thing her and I have in common.

There were a few times that Lena pissed me off, mostly when she was worrying about Black instead of herself and Campbell. She didn't make me as angry as Campbell though. I just couldn't relate to the things that she worried about.

All and all this was a great book.

It was real to life- when something as small as calling someone a name can blow up into something more. That small things set off chain reactions.

How We Can Win by Kimberly Jones is a wonderful follow-up to the impromptu video of her that went viral.

This is part personal story, almost memoirish, and part prescriptive about what we can do to improve society. The two go hand in hand because statistics and theory often leaves the personal trauma on the outside while pure memoir, while tremendously important, can be viewed by some as no more than one isolated story.

Like others here I read a review copy. Unlike some who dress up their actual feelings in empty objective sounding rhetoric, I will mention that there were several blank pages in the back where the notes, the places where she will cite sources, had not yet been included. That is not unusual in preview copies. To pretend not to notice that space, then to falsely lament the "missing" sources is disingenuous at best and intentionally misleading at worst (at also most likely).

Even if those notes are something less than perfect this is not an academic book. If the only thing a reader takes away is that a popular book did not include every single possible source for what are largely her ideas with credit given for where some of those ideas originated, then it says far more about that reader than about the book. But such is the nature of discourse now.

This is a personal book that grounds her suggestions in the lived experience of herself and many others. You know, the people who have largely been written out of both history and its footnotes. As such the book is accessible to anyone who wants to learn from it and use it to make society better. The others? Well, those red ballcaps have been shown to prevent brains from working properly.

I don't automatically agree with every nuance of her suggestions for making things better. But she offers many great starting points for honest debate and, one hopes, progress on making improvements and ultimately reaching the goals many of us seek. Few plans are perfect when first put forth so I don't think even Jones expects every idea of hers to be perfect in these early stages. But as a starting point for figuring out how to do things and what might work, this is a very useful beginning. It is up to the rest of us to do our part. Engage with the ideas, not the pseudo-concern about enough sources being cited.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Goodreads.½

Part history, part commentary, and part guidebook, this nonfiction piece from activist and YA fiction author Kimberly Jones is expected to be published Tuesday (1/18). Read my full review here.

#NetGalley #MacmillanAudio #HenryHoltAndCompany #HowWeCanWin½

My library had this avaliable as their "big library read" for the community to all read together. A little on the nose at times but very relevant.

How we can win is a book that come at the right time and relays such an important message describing the injustices among the Black American population. This book is written in three parts: background of Black lives in America, a description and plans for a new reconstruction, and ends with strategies and helpful tools for life. A very conversational book that is an important read. Highly recommend!

A bit thin, both story-wise and characters, this book feels like it just scratches the surface. Being the first published book for both authors, I feel like neither has reached thier potential here (also co-writing is harder than you think its going to be).

After a massive fight/riot breaks out at their school's football game, seniors Lena and Campbell get thrown together as they fight to survive the hectic night trying to get home.

Overall, the story is just, meh for me. It wasn't realistic... like, it felt like it was missing context. When the fight broke out at the football game there isn't any reasonable adults to break it up? And as soon as the resource officers do show up, it just blows up?

I could not get over the idiocy of Lena. I get Lena was a teenager with her first love in Black, but the fact she kept expecting things from him and defending him when everyone else was telling her it was ridiculous, frustrated me. Her desire to get to a boy who honestly, didn't seem to care about her or her safety for most of the story was annoying. It wasn't until there were twenty pages left in the book that Black does finally "steps it up" a bit and it's only because things were so escalated. Lena would refuse to call or go with other options (her cousin) in favor of getting to Black.

Campbell being in her own world and clueless to everything around her was ludicrous. I get she's supposed to be the white girl who's unversed in black/white but she acted like she'd never turned on the TV or read the news.

This whole book could have ended within the first few chapters if Lena would have just called her Pops to have a church lady come get them. I don't know of any parent that would be so upset and mad at you for calling to get picked up from a riot zone!

Read-alikes: How It Went Down, All American Boys, The Hate U Give
I wish there were more background for both characters; I never felt like I really got to know them because it all takes place in one night and is so action-oriented, so they're both kind of mouthpieces for Blackness and Whiteness. But it's a page-turner and has a lot to discuss with young readers.

I really loved it. There is so many action and when you think there is going to be a calm moment bam something else happens. I really love how this friendship was portrayed and just how it was developed. All hell broke lose that is for sure but I loved it!

This was an amazing story.

This was 1 of the 2 books I bought for the #BlackPublishingPower movement, and while this one has mixed reviews, I loved it. It was fast-paced, tense, and exciting. Co-written by both a black and a white author, this YA book provides unique insight into racial tension while also being a suspenseful thriller. I did wish that the characters had a little more depth, and the ending felt a little sudden, but the story kept me breathless, so I’m happy.

This was a fast fun read. Two girls (one white, one black) are trying to get home after a huge fight/riot breaks out at a high school football game. The narration switches between the two girls and each character is distinct and relatable. Their evening is indeed harrowing but broken up with humor, and instances of growing friendship and understanding. Could not be more timely.

Lena and Campbell are two high school students. They don't know each other. In fact, they have very little in common, other than the fact they are both young and come from the same city. One Friday night, a fight after a high school football game escalates into violence. What starts as an exchange of angry words at a concession stand grows into a dangerous violence in the crowd at the game and then area neighborhoods. The two girls find themselves having to work together to make it home safely.

This story is fast paced and the perspective alternates between the two girls. I had a hard time getting into the characters at first. I think it might have been because as I would just start getting into one girl's story, the chapter would end and it would switch to the other girl. But as the story ramped up, I found myself pulled in...and it didn't matter whose perspective it was....I wanted to know what was happening! Emergency situations can bring together people who would not normally mesh....and also uncover the true nature of people we thought were familiar.

I enjoyed the story and the points this YA book strives to bring home. At the end, I found myself wanting to know what happens next! The ending was realistic and leaves the reader to think...imagine...hope. I hope that the events depicted in the book would lead the characters to change their lives, their opinions and their judgments of others. I wish our world was more about love and respect instead of hate and judgment. In the end, I left the story hoping at least the two main characters formed a bond and learned life lessons they won't forget.

Very moving story. I enjoyed it. The fast pace glossed over a few things I wish had been more fully developed.....but, I understand why the action was fast. The situation the girls were in left no time for thinking about things....they had to pull together to get home. The writing style and development perfectly fit the plot.

I'd definitely be interested in reading more from these two writers!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

See my review here. This is a timely book.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCRWj-Qn-Tu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Literary merit: Good
Characterization: Excellent
Recommend: Yes
Level: High School

This is a great book to add to the conversation of protests, police brutality, Black Lives Matter, and riots. The way it is written with dual perspectives of Lean and Campbell (read also, All American Boys) gives so much needed context and complexity to these issues. One night at a football game goes wrong when after weeks of built up aggression between schools some comments turn a frustrated crowd into a fight and then full out riot after the police show up. Lena was around the concession stand Campbell was working at when the fight broke out. Both seek shelter inside and then have to make their way out of the violence to downtown where more violence has broken out. They learn to lean on each other and hear the other's perspectives along the way. The book would be great to start a discussion. It would have been good to have more information about the character's backgrounds to better inform their perspectives. A lot is assumed that readers will know people like the characters and are expected to fill in those gaps. this story focuses primarily on the events of a few hours and their reactions as they try to make it home safely.

I read this one all in one sitting, and I'm glad I did. It was a very quick read, less than 300 pages, although I wonder if the background and setting would have benefited from more development throughout. This book was all plot, all action, with a relentless pace that had the alternating POV chapters picking up exactly where the last one left off. I personally had some trouble picturing the events and catching all the details, but I don't know if that was just me reading too fast. What I do know, though, is that those few hours of reading will stick with me for a long time. This book thoughtfully addresses issues of racial tension and racism from the individual all the way to the systemic level, and any minor details and plot questions are far less important than the overall impact of the story.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.

Ehhhh, this was a 2.5 for me. I listened to the audio book because I needed something on the in the background and this was my libraries Big Library Read via Overdrive.

I found the characters in this incredibly frustrating and the novel ended way too early. The relationship between these girls or at least some reflection on what they learned from the whole experience needed to be expanded upon.

I think the premise is interesting but the social commentary was a bit ham fisted.

What amazes me about this book is that it came out in August of 2019. This could have been ripped from recent headlines. This story has so many layers to it. It is told in alternating perspectives. We have Lena, an African American and Campbell a white teen. Campbell has moved in with her dad because her mother moved to Venezuela. She hasn't spent much time with him over the years. A few months into her new school year she has been guilted into running the concession stand at the football game. Her dad is letting the teacher in charge take her home so that he can get to his weekend fishing cabin before nightfall. Things take a disastrous turn when a fight breaks out between the two teams. Lena has gone to the concession stand to get a soda while she waits for her overaged boyfriend to pick her up. When things turn violent she finds herself inside the concession stand with Campbell. As they try to leave and get to safety they realize they have to rely on each other. What made this so wonderful was the preconceived ideas that both of them had about each other. Lena kept calling Campbell a rich white girl because her father owned a hardware store. Campbell makes statements out of ignorance.

I could really identify with her because I came from an all-white school in Indiana my sophomore year. We moved to Florida. I was told when we moved down that the school I would attend had just had a race riot. This terrified me. I was use to talking to and playing with people who were different. My parents never let me believe there were differences. I always assumed that the reason some games in Junior High were held earlier in the day was because they had to come so far. I didn't know it was because the town had a rule not allowing African Americans in town after sundown. Sometimes I think I was blessed living out in the country. We went camping every year and a kid was a kid, not a skin color. So I didn't understand prejudice. At the same time I was afraid I would say something out of ignorance that would offend someone. My best friend from day one was a girl with whom I rode the bus. My answers to her questions were so short she thought I was being rude. I told her I didn't mean it that way I just didn't want to say something stupid that might get me killed. I thought she was going to stop breathing she was laughing so hard. She took me under her wing.

Lena and Campbell both had to learn that a lot of what they thought about the other race was false. Some of the language was a bit more than I usually put on my school shelves. However, I will put a warning on the front and place it there because the message is one that is so important. Maybe this book will start a conversation among students. Conversations, not violence is what we need today. I read the book in a little under two hours because I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book.

I read I'm Not Dying with You Tonight in one evening. I usually don't do that because I don't like staying up late. With short chapters, I kept thinking, "Just one more....." Then, I was finished.

Lena, a black student, possesses ambition. She dresses with a purpose and has plans with her man, Black. Lena also has a pretty savvy best friend, who tries to get Lena to see Black and his friends the way she does. She attends a football game to see another friend perform. it's when she goes to the concession stand that everything descends into chaos.

Campbell, a white student, is lonely. Her mother moved to another country for a job and Campbell now lives with her father, who spends every weekend at a fishing cabin. Campbell spends her time alone--new town, new school, no friends. She agrees to help her teacher at the concession stand, but no one else helps. When a crowd arrives and she can't take care of everyone, people get angry with each other and chaos ensues. Police arrive, shots are fired. Danger.

Lena and Campbell depend on each other. Lena feels sorry for this white girl who everyone is yelling at and defends her. When the crowd reaches uncontrollable anger, Lena joins Campbell in the concession booth. Lena has a network of people--friends, "cousins," while Campbell has no one, not even a ride home. Her dad went to the cabin and the teacher who was supposed to give her a ride is no where to be seen. She can't walk home through the dangerous parts of the city. No choice. They have each other. Lena is a touch chick--her laser focus and tough demeanor will have to get them through. They have to get past the fighting at the field, get down several roads, take detours because roads are closed, and go through a riot. They learn about the strength of each other and about the town and Lena learns about Black and his friends.

I like the novel. I like the short chapters that keep it flowing between the two perspectives. This novel represents, as I call it, a "moment." You won't get development of relationships, just background information to understand the two characters. it's not about before or after. it's about now. This moment. Who can you rely on? Who do you help? What do you notice? What do you learn? What are you willing to do? What strength do you possess within to survive? After finishing, I felt like I wanted more, but I also realize that isn't the point of the novel. I still don't really know what to think about Black. I don't know what happens with Campbell's family's problems. Campbell has so little that I wanted something good to happen for her. She now has a friend, a new perspective on the black people she sees hanging around town and she finds strength within herself. I still want something to make her smile. I can see Lena making sure Campbell finds a reason to be happy again.½