The Black Kids
About the Author
Review of The Black Kids
Review (4.5 Stars): Wow, this was such a thought-provoking book for me. I remember this time and the riots that occurred after the Rodney King verdict and how we were shocked that those officers got off after what they did. For Ashley, the main character, she lives in two worlds. She has white friends and spends most of her time putting up with their racist comments just so feels like she belongs. She also feels as though she should spend more time with her fellow black students but she doesn’t feel quite like she belongs with them either.
The Black Kids is a story that will stay with you and I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if this country had taken a hard look at itself when the Rodney King incident happened. This event should have brought the hard discussions about police brutality and systemic racism that are currently taking place right now after the death of George Floyd but it didn’t. Things settled down after the L.A. Riots and it was swept under the rug like every other time police brutality was brought to light. The systemic racism that currently plagues this country continued on until it finally reached a breaking point with George Floyd, 28 years later. It is time for all of us to finally judge people, not on their skin color, but the quality of their character. This won’t happen overnight but having these conversations and calling out racism when we see it is a good place to start.
The Black Kids showed the systemic racism that Ashley and her family dealt with everyday due to the color of their skin and how life changed afterwards. This book shows Ashley journey as she dealt with this and the riots that were taking place just a few miles from her. This was a great story and I can’t stop thinking about how relevant this book is in today’s world. Can’t wait to see what is next for this talented author.