Plot Summary
There are three timelines sharing their stories: Kezi, a "well rounded" straight A teen who dies in police custody. Happi, is Kezi's younger sister, and it is her grief and that of her family we learn of through her story. Then there is Shaqueria, a young woman looking for next break, as she is dealing with economic issues and has to engage in "underground" type of work to make money. There is Evelyn, Kezi and Happi's grandmother, who has witnessed the injustices Black people have been dealing with since the inception of the country.
The story depicts the day leading up to Kezi's death, what happened and the ways it affected their family, having to prove their resilience, and their feelings of being Black in America.
Happi goes on a road trip honoring her sister's memory, and in this road trip the bigger story unfolds.
There was an interesting twist at the end with who is the person who was killed and the question of, whose life is worthy of mourning arises in the reader's face prominently.
Critical Evaluation
The Moulite sisters wrote this book and each took on a chapter, it was a interesting surprise to learn this after the fact. One would not gather this by reading the book. There were
various characters' view points and different stories occurring. Some of
these perspectives come from the sisters, Shaqueria, and narratives of their ancestors that witnessed the time during the Civil Rights era and the injustices that lead to that time. As the story unfolds from these multiple perspective, it flows and does not create a discord in the reader, feeling out of sorts with many points of views, characters and time travel even.
The characters are "believable" and each with their unique personalities. They are flawed and true to what it is like to be in relationship with one's siblings. Although, it is understood in making the point "One of the Good Ones" the switch between Shaqueria and Kezi, it seemed like a stretch and many loops for it to take place in real life. It drove the moral dilemma of relief to questioning society's and potentially one's own biases towards who is disposable in this society and who isn't.
Reader's Annotation
Story of young Black queen high schooler, who is engaged in social justice and injustice hits home. Multiple stories are shared among sisters, an ancesotr and another character named Shaqueria.
Author Information
Maika Moulite is a Miami native and the daughter of Haitian immigrants. She loves writing: books, think pieces, journal entries, neverending lists, you name it. When she's not scribbling every random thought into her notes app, she's sharpening her skills as a Howard University PhD student. (That means more writing.) Her research focuses on representation in media and its impact on marginalized groups. She’s the eldest of four sisters and loves audiobooks, fierce female leads, and laughing.
Maritza Moulite graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in women’s studies and the University of Southern California with a master’s in journalism. She’s worked in various capacities for NBC News, CNN, and USA TODAY but her favorite roles were Head Start literacy tutor and pre-k teacher assistant. She loved working with young people so much that she is now a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania exploring ways to improve literacy through children’s media. She clearly couldn’t get enough of school. Her favorite song is “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
Source: https://www.maikaandmaritza.com/about-us
Genre
Realistic Fiction, Mystery
BookTalking Ideas
Why is Shaqueria last thoughts were “Who’s going to remember me now?
Reading Level/Age Interest
Grade Level: 7-9
Ages: 13-17
Challenge Issues
violence, police brutality, racism, LGBTQI+ identity. I will defend with Library Bill of Rights and Los Angeles County Library Collections policy.
Why I Included This Book in Collections .
The issue of police brutality is endemic in this society and the ways institutional racism affects the Black community.
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