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mmarlborough's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m a big fan of Jo Piazza’s podcasts, so this has been on my radar for awhile. The racial complexities brought up in this book will have me thinking for a long time.
Jen and Riley have been best friends their whole lives, despite their differences. Jen is finally pregnant after years of infertility and Riley is climbing her way to be a top news anchor. Their friendship is put to the test when Jen’s police officer husband shoots an unarmed Black teenager. As a Black woman in the media, Riley has to cover this story and bring her critical eye to the issues present. The pair’s friendship begins to fracture under decades of unaddressed issues.
Pride and Piazza bring so much to this story, making it three dimensional and not just a light book club chat about race in America. While the issues here are staggering, these writers have flushed out a real and raw friendship between two flawed women. I empathized with both characters and their plights while also wanting to shake them to their core and make them communicate better- with each other and themselves.
You’re probably seeing this book everywhere and it’s for good reason. This is an important but accessible book not to be missed.
⚠️Trigger Warning: Gun Violence, Police Brutality, Infertility, Racism, Suicide, Death, Lynching, Miscarriage
Jen and Riley have been best friends their whole lives, despite their differences. Jen is finally pregnant after years of infertility and Riley is climbing her way to be a top news anchor. Their friendship is put to the test when Jen’s police officer husband shoots an unarmed Black teenager. As a Black woman in the media, Riley has to cover this story and bring her critical eye to the issues present. The pair’s friendship begins to fracture under decades of unaddressed issues.
Pride and Piazza bring so much to this story, making it three dimensional and not just a light book club chat about race in America. While the issues here are staggering, these writers have flushed out a real and raw friendship between two flawed women. I empathized with both characters and their plights while also wanting to shake them to their core and make them communicate better- with each other and themselves.
You’re probably seeing this book everywhere and it’s for good reason. This is an important but accessible book not to be missed.
⚠️Trigger Warning: Gun Violence, Police Brutality, Infertility, Racism, Suicide, Death, Lynching, Miscarriage
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Suicide
kelly_e's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Title: We Are Not Like Them
Author: Christine Pride & Jo Piazza
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5
Pub Date: October 5, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Timely • Intuitive • Authentic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Jen, a white pregnant wife of a police officer, and Riley, a Black female reporter, have been best friends since childhood. However, one event is about to test their lifelong bond: Jen's husband, Kevin, is involved in a shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Each woman's life is about to change forever. When Riley is asked to cover the story, she knows this could be here big break. Meanwhile, Jen is devastated and contemplating a future where Kevin goes to jail. A story of friendship, love, race, forgiveness, justice, hope, and redemption.
💭 T H O U G H T S
This book wasn't on my radar until I received it in my Fall It's A Good Day Book Box, which is surprising given it was chosen as a GMA book club selection. When I first saw the cover I gasped, and what this book holds within its pages is a timely, tender, and immersive story told in alternating perspectives. It opens up so many questions in the debate on policing and justice, race and having hard conversations, and the changing dynamics of friendship. I've read various fiction books about racial injustice, but never one like this.
One of the things I found so compulsive is how based in reality it felt, and as a white woman, it most definitely made me feel uncomfortable, which it should. It raised so many questions that made me think and hypothesize, as well as, opened up so much discussion - all signs of a great book!
It's hard to believe We Are Not Like Them is written by a duo, as the writing is provocative and engaging. The alternating perspectives was the perfect fit. And for me this story really went beyond just the topic of race, but the power of speaking up and truly listening in all aspects of life. There were times when I felt grief echoed in a lot of the prose.
We Are Not Like Them covers a lot of ground, and it's a journey worth taking as you attempt to put yourself into another person's shoes and contemplate what you would do in the same situation. It's a story I won't soon forget. This book is designed to make you think, make you uncomfortable, and spark conversations, and it does all of that and more. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where they go next, as I know they're working on their next novel.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of Small Great Things
• readers who want something reflective
• book clubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"It kills me how some people want so badly to believe racism is buried beneath layers of history, "ancient history," they say. But it's not. It's like an umpire brushing the thinnest layer of dirt off home plate: it's right there. Only too often the trauma, the toll of it, remains unknown generation after generation."
"There are no easy choices, no safe choices, you can't plan your way to happiness."
"It comes in waves, moments like these, a sense of hopelessness so strong it steals her breath. The sense that no one will understand and nothing will ever change."
"It's the one thing she appreciates about this letter. He doesn't try to justify himself. Some things can't be justified. Still, the letter won't bring peace or closure. Nothing will. But on a good day, when the sun is shining and when her memories of her son are the strongest, when she feels him in the room with her, on those days, she lets herself believe that maybe, just maybe, there's a world in which another mother won't have to go through this pain."
Author: Christine Pride & Jo Piazza
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5
Pub Date: October 5, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Timely • Intuitive • Authentic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Jen, a white pregnant wife of a police officer, and Riley, a Black female reporter, have been best friends since childhood. However, one event is about to test their lifelong bond: Jen's husband, Kevin, is involved in a shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Each woman's life is about to change forever. When Riley is asked to cover the story, she knows this could be here big break. Meanwhile, Jen is devastated and contemplating a future where Kevin goes to jail. A story of friendship, love, race, forgiveness, justice, hope, and redemption.
💭 T H O U G H T S
This book wasn't on my radar until I received it in my Fall It's A Good Day Book Box, which is surprising given it was chosen as a GMA book club selection. When I first saw the cover I gasped, and what this book holds within its pages is a timely, tender, and immersive story told in alternating perspectives. It opens up so many questions in the debate on policing and justice, race and having hard conversations, and the changing dynamics of friendship. I've read various fiction books about racial injustice, but never one like this.
One of the things I found so compulsive is how based in reality it felt, and as a white woman, it most definitely made me feel uncomfortable, which it should. It raised so many questions that made me think and hypothesize, as well as, opened up so much discussion - all signs of a great book!
It's hard to believe We Are Not Like Them is written by a duo, as the writing is provocative and engaging. The alternating perspectives was the perfect fit. And for me this story really went beyond just the topic of race, but the power of speaking up and truly listening in all aspects of life. There were times when I felt grief echoed in a lot of the prose.
We Are Not Like Them covers a lot of ground, and it's a journey worth taking as you attempt to put yourself into another person's shoes and contemplate what you would do in the same situation. It's a story I won't soon forget. This book is designed to make you think, make you uncomfortable, and spark conversations, and it does all of that and more. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where they go next, as I know they're working on their next novel.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of Small Great Things
• readers who want something reflective
• book clubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"It kills me how some people want so badly to believe racism is buried beneath layers of history, "ancient history," they say. But it's not. It's like an umpire brushing the thinnest layer of dirt off home plate: it's right there. Only too often the trauma, the toll of it, remains unknown generation after generation."
"There are no easy choices, no safe choices, you can't plan your way to happiness."
"It comes in waves, moments like these, a sense of hopelessness so strong it steals her breath. The sense that no one will understand and nothing will ever change."
"It's the one thing she appreciates about this letter. He doesn't try to justify himself. Some things can't be justified. Still, the letter won't bring peace or closure. Nothing will. But on a good day, when the sun is shining and when her memories of her son are the strongest, when she feels him in the room with her, on those days, she lets herself believe that maybe, just maybe, there's a world in which another mother won't have to go through this pain."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Racism, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infertility and Suicide
Minor: Gun violence and Miscarriage
hanging