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half_book_and_co's review against another edition
4.0
The Atlas of Reds and Blues is a wonderful novel told in often quite poetic vignettes. Devi S. Laskar is a photographer and poet, too, and that comes through in her metaphorical language and eye for textual snapshots. The novel is about Mother, a US American women whose parents had migrated from South Asia. At the beginning of the novel, Mother lies shot by police on the pavement in front of her house. She tries to remember how she got there. The vignettes of her life are not chronological but jump between timelines. They tell a story about how microaggressions of all kinds slowly chip away on one's sense of life. Beautiful and poignant novel.
annetjeberg's review against another edition
4.0
"Mother" moves to a predominantly white suburb of Atlanta GA, and never fits in. The microaggressions and intentional targeting by the police finally get to her. She says no, and ends up shot and lying on her driveway bleeding. Memories, thoughts and the presence all come together in that moment.
A haunting story of racism in contemporary America.
Recommended
A haunting story of racism in contemporary America.
Recommended
readingwithmygoldens's review against another edition
2.0
It was okay....
That's how I'm rating this one. I REALLY wanted to like this and thought I was going to be blown away. Again, I'm standing here and wondering, "What did I miss???"
It wasn't the structure of the book that bothered me. Normally, I'm fine with short paragraphs as chapters or even a sentence (in some cases). However, I think the structure of this and how choppy it was hurt my ability to read and relate or empathize as much as I could have. I'm not saying that every story has to be told in linear fashion. However, there were some pretty disgusting things that happened to the character and my reaction was more, "This can't possibly be true (I'm not calling the author a liar - I just had trouble stomaching people (white people) being so openly cruel and transparent about being so racist). I know the racist P.O.S are out there, I just have never seen it spoken so overtly before. To a person of Bengali descent! Anyway, I didn't feel the same gut punch of a reaction as I thought I should have been feeling. It also could have been the tone of voice the author was using? She came across very snarky about it so I don't know - maybe it was the delivery and I was meant to feel that way.
I guess my other problem was the fact that what the book slip cover describes as the time the narrator loses it and there is a police raid at her house as this big event and we learn almost nothing about it. We are introduced to the scene (again in short spurts) once it is happening. We don't know why it's happening, or what the resolution was. Maybe that doesn't matter - the point is that it DID happen and it DOES happen.
Obviously, I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book (do you like how this entire review is an inner dialogue with myself??), and I think it is GREAT to start a discussion and maybe that's worth more than feeling something sometimes. All I know is that I was left feeling disappointed because I wanted more.
That's how I'm rating this one. I REALLY wanted to like this and thought I was going to be blown away. Again, I'm standing here and wondering, "What did I miss???"
It wasn't the structure of the book that bothered me. Normally, I'm fine with short paragraphs as chapters or even a sentence (in some cases). However, I think the structure of this and how choppy it was hurt my ability to read and relate or empathize as much as I could have. I'm not saying that every story has to be told in linear fashion. However, there were some pretty disgusting things that happened to the character and my reaction was more, "This can't possibly be true (I'm not calling the author a liar - I just had trouble stomaching people (white people) being so openly cruel and transparent about being so racist). I know the racist P.O.S are out there, I just have never seen it spoken so overtly before. To a person of Bengali descent! Anyway, I didn't feel the same gut punch of a reaction as I thought I should have been feeling. It also could have been the tone of voice the author was using? She came across very snarky about it so I don't know - maybe it was the delivery and I was meant to feel that way.
I guess my other problem was the fact that what the book slip cover describes as the time the narrator loses it and there is a police raid at her house as this big event and we learn almost nothing about it. We are introduced to the scene (again in short spurts) once it is happening. We don't know why it's happening, or what the resolution was. Maybe that doesn't matter - the point is that it DID happen and it DOES happen.
Obviously, I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book (do you like how this entire review is an inner dialogue with myself??), and I think it is GREAT to start a discussion and maybe that's worth more than feeling something sometimes. All I know is that I was left feeling disappointed because I wanted more.
megatsunami's review against another edition
5.0
Caveat: If you like your fiction super narrative and linear, with a neatly tied up ending, this book is not for you.
Otherwise, 5 stars. This sharp, lyrical book opens with the protagonist being shot by government agents in the driveway of her own home. (It was inspired by an actual incident that happened to the author.) The descriptions of this scene are interspersed with portrayals of a series of different incidents from the protagonist's past, involving family, work, racism, sexism, and relationships.
Otherwise, 5 stars. This sharp, lyrical book opens with the protagonist being shot by government agents in the driveway of her own home. (It was inspired by an actual incident that happened to the author.) The descriptions of this scene are interspersed with portrayals of a series of different incidents from the protagonist's past, involving family, work, racism, sexism, and relationships.
lizandherworldofbooks's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
internationalkris's review against another edition
2.0
I expected to really enjoy this story of a second-generation immigrant and woman of color in the American south but the unnamed narrator and impressionistic story-telling kept me at a distance the whole time. The author's choice to use monikers instead of names for the characters The Real Thing, The Middle Daughter, Her Man of the Hour ... felt very stilted to me. Maybe it was supposed to create a sense of universality? Still, I did appreciate what the author shared of her own personal experience as a woman of color from an atypical background in the south. There are real expectations of the boxes that society expects us to fit into and choosing alternative paths comes with consequences.
janinereader's review against another edition
4.0
A very insightful novel about the racism and micro-aggressions many face. Laskar does a great job telling this story in a unique way via the narrator. Found it very eye-opening.
martasbooktherapy's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this as an audiobook & I think this made the storyline really difficult to follow. I’d like to see the print book to know if I’d be better able to understand the storyline.