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Most Helpful Reviews
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Liked It “A thoughtful and thought provoking novel about gentrification. Being white I found it interesting reading this novel which shows white people from a black point of view. This was perfectly executed, I think. Highly recommended.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Nathan makes a good first start in showing the subtle underbelly of racism in America, which has a lot of class and cultural issues we take for granted. He makes a decent start but too often the story gets lost in the transition from one perspective to the next, which made it slow and hard to...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“It was not my favorite, but our book club had a good discussion of it.”
Lucy M wrote this review Monday, March 14, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“A thoughtful and thought provoking novel about gentrification. Being white I found it interesting reading this novel which shows white people from a black point of view. This was perfectly executed, I think. Highly recommended.”
moik wrote this review Friday, March 11, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Really enjoyed the book. It took me awhile to read, had to ponder thoughts and reflect. Characters well developed, captured the essence of racism in everyday life. Its a struggle from both sides. I would highly recommend and looking forward to our upcoming book club discussion. ”
Heather L wrote this review Saturday, October 23, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It was an interesting book. It stayed on my shelf for a long time before I actually read it. It was an excellent read.”
Reggie wrote this review Monday, August 2, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Starts off slow, then has some good examples of the story we tell ourselves about what happened being very different from what actually happened, ending seemed unrealistic”
pharmapub wrote this review Wednesday, July 28, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Nathan makes a good first start in showing the subtle underbelly of racism in America, which has a lot of class and cultural issues we take for granted. He makes a decent start but too often the story gets lost in the transition from one perspective to the next, which made it slow and hard to connect to the characters. I'd love for Nathan to write book with this intent to see how he improves. probably a 2.5.”
revslick wrote this review Thursday, July 1, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Very timely book”
C M wrote this review Saturday, March 27, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I liked that this book provided perspective from both sides of the gentrification process. I learned much about something I had never really thought about. It took me a few pages to develop empathy for the main character, but after reading more about his background and the expectations for people living in his neighborhood, I felt that I understood better. The story shines light on both sides of the issue and illustrates that by categorizing the other group as "them", each side promotes excluding the other, fearing and disliking the other, and thus fostering segregation and hatred. It also provides a reminder that while things do change continually - and that change can be difficult and hard to bear - life goes on and people can change, too, and better themselves and their environment.”
Chris wrote this review Tuesday, March 16, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Painful to read because you fear it will not end well for the main characters. That one or more of them will make some minor mistake that will magnify into a major calamity. That said it was an interesting look at gentrification of a neighborhood from both sides. A topic I know very little about, as I live in a rural area of Ohio.
Karen K - Ohio wrote this review Tuesday, June 2, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I have to say the whole tree cutting incident didn't feel real or true to me. Tyrone's violence, Barlowe's regret at coming home in the nick of time, Sean and Sandy not calling the police or moving. Yuppie Sean would never attempt the cutting himself. I don't see how Sandy could call it just a minor misunderstanding. And can't believe neither wanted to call the police. I know the author was trying to explain Sean's later actions (which shocked and angered me) but the whole tree episode felt forced.
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“Wow. This book had promise. But nothing was really resolved, and McCall's ending is pretty pessimistic in terms of race relations. But I suppose that's a valid view to have. I will say that I hated the black characters' dialects. Totally out of proportion, and if this had been written by someone not black, totally racist.”
dirckhals wrote this review Monday, May 25, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
