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hmwoodward's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wish this book was longer because it goes so quickly and it is shorter in length. I think there was more that could have been written, but I'm thankful we did get some closure in the end. I really enjoyed seeing the world through Claude's eyes and loved all the character he introduces along the way. The topics are mostly dark and sad, but they are written with the casualness and sense of humor of someone who has experienced it firsthand. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
lizlikesfrogs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Violence, Police brutality, Abandonment, and Alcohol
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Everywhere You Don’t Belong is a coming of age novel of a young Black man. It is set in Chicago’s South Side and clearly highlights the intersection and impact of poverty, gangs, drugs, police violence and an unstable home life. I mostly enjoyed this book except for the short choppy dialogue where seemingly every sentence ended with the speaker tag. I’ve been known to complain about the trend towards omitting speech marks etc. But I listened to this on audio and it was hard on the ears. “Two to three word sentence,” said person one, followed by “one or two word sentence,” said person two, followed by “another very short sentence,” said person one etc etc. Some of the tags could have been varied or omitted to no ill effect. I’m unsure if this would have been less annoying in print.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Police brutality
sherbertwells's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Claude McKay Love, an ordinary Black teenager from South Shore, struggles to find his place in the indifferent, racist climate of the Obama era. While this book is a great reference for students of Chicago, its writing style is quintessentially YA and since I turned 14 that whole genre has been hollow to me.
“Black America still isn’t free. And black men are still dying. And black women are still dying. And there’s anger, yes, there’s anger. And that anger has to go away when you go to work or go to school or ride the bus or go to the grocery store or go to a movie downtown. And that anger has to go away—if it doesn’t, how do you survive?” (77)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Police brutality, and Abandonment
Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Violence, and Vomit
signediza's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
⚠️ Spoilers Ahead - (Sorry)
A coming of age story of Claude. A young Black man born on the South Side of Chicago who just wants a place where he can fit in while being raised by his civil rights-era grandmother, who tries to shape him into a principled actor for change after being abandoned by his parents. He leaves Chicago to go to school in Missouri, and also didn’t fit in right there.
THEMES/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Abandonment
Social Injustices
Racism
Violence/Riots
Police Brutality
Identity
Microaggression
UNPOPULAR OPINION
While I was sucked in from the beginning about Claude coping with abandonment and what life is like for a Black youth growing up and wanting a place to fit in, the writing style wasn't my favorite.
Some characters get introduced and disappear with little or no development for me. Some parts were confusing and disjointed. And the ending was an unfinished deal for me.
I didn't like Janice. I saw no
vulnerability from her when she got abandoned outright to her face by her mother, unlike Claude.
But I do love Claude's grandma and Paul. They got my attention at a 100%
Overall, the story was fierce with sheer originality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Mass/school shootings