As part of our book club, I got to read One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. It is a children’s book deserving of its many awards.
Set in 1968, Delphine and her sisters travel across the United States to Oakland, California to spend a summer with the mother who abandoned them 7 years earlier. Amid all the family drama, Delphine and her sisters also face a time of racial upheaval in the States.
Book cover for One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia; image from the internet.
With well described, believable characters and a clear writing style for a younger audience there is a lot happening in this story. It is emotional and very relevant for today’s audience. The book is solidly written. It moves forward at a good pace, while dealing with a number of personal and societal issues.
While I didn’t love it, I would recommend the story to really everyone. Racism is an issue. It is forefront in the news. And this book deals with how that looks for those living through it. With an eleven year old protagonist, the author doesn’t preach the problems of racism. But she shows it in the way the characters interact with the people around them. The discussion is thoughtful and sensitively done.
As for why I didn’t love the book – there was a lack of dragons, magic and space elves. In short, it is just not a style of story I really enjoy. But I do appreciate the strength of the writing and the message the story brings forward. I also struggled with the mother abandoning her kids – which was more emotional than I need in my life at present (I am working on my stress levels). The young audience is still not my favourite at present. But this is entirely just where I am at in my life and not a reflection on the quality of the book – which was a quick read.
Another book cover for One Crazy Summer; image from the internet.
Overall, well written with a poignant plot 5 out 5 stars.
I was debating the merits of writing a reflection on the book: Cinderella is Dead. As I neither love nor hate the book, there is not a lot I have to talk about. So, instead I am going to reflect on the reactions of other readers.
But first, Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron features 16-year old Sophia living in a very restrictive world post-Cinderella. Sophia is not excited to attend the mandatory ball, where matches are made as she is more interested in princesses than princes.
Book cover from the internet.
I liked that our lead protagonist was female, coloured and a lesbian. I liked that the book really questioned the arc of fairy tales. Sophia’s world treats the Cinderella story like scripture, which brings forth so many problems. And really, it is always important to question what you read and the common ideas held by society. I also liked that Cinderella was real, 200 years dead, but still a member of this world. I didn’t love that the target audience was young adults. The writing was really geared towards a younger reader, which simply does not interest me at present.
And that pretty much sums up my perspective on this book. I would give Cinderella is Dead 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was solid, but not super amazing.
Then I did some research to see what other people thought. Reviewer A loved the book – 5 out of 5 stars. Reviewer B hated the book – 1 out of 5 stars.
I would agree with Reviewer A, Sophia was candid, straightforward and determined. These were great qualities in pushing the story forward. She knew what she wanted and she sought to change the world around her rather than break under the expectations of others. And yes, the King was a terrifying villain. He was not only evil, but inspired his followers to be just like him. This was striking considering the state of our world at present. A morally corrupt leader will draw out the worst in his people.
Book cover from the internet.
While I think Reviewer A gushed overly about the story, they did pull out some good highlights. In contrast Reviewer B seems to have been ridiculously harsh. Reviewer B thought Sophia had no empathy or sense of the world around her, concluding that the main character was entirely selfish. While I will concede Sophia is far from a complex character, I don’t think it was blind-selfishness that had her standing up for herself. The world in this book was harshly patriarchal. It was extreme in the way women had zero control in their lives. And Sophia was a counter to that. She was determined not to give in to the expectations of others. In a longer narrative, you might have been able to look at more shades of grey, but I think the message of standing up for yourself and your neighbors against tyranny is too important to dismiss as selfish. It wasn’t just that Sophia wanted to marry another girl, it was that she wanted to have control in her life. She wanted a world, where married women were not abused and cruelly discarded. Where daughters were treated with respect and given agency in their own futures.
Reviewer B did bring up at least one dumb moment, where the characters act stupidly. The book is not perfect, I will admit that. And there are some questionable actions by the key characters, personally the whole seeing the future moment seemed irrelevant. However, overall, I don’t think it deserved the level of hate.
In the end, I maintain my rating of 3.5 stars. A good book with diversity at the forefront. I am just past the young adult (tween) age group.
