A review by goldengirlbookclub
Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson

adventurous emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

I am a huge fan of time travel books so when I saw on Kosoko’s Twitter that he was writing this book about a black gay time-traveling teen, it immediately went to the top of my 2021 TBR. 

And let me just say, it did not disappoint!

This book focused mostly on Andre’s journey to self discovery while finding himself both caught in between time and the love of two men who draw him out of himself in very different ways. 

I loved the constant switching between serious conversations about passions, life, self expression, grief, and the life and lighter joking sweet, soft moments of tenderness between Andre and the various people in his life. His journey to self-discovery is only beginning when we leave him at the end of the book, but it is a beginning of him living for more than what is expected of him, living with a passion to chase after what makes him happy, that fulfills him and brings him joy. 

As an avid reader of this particular niche genre, Kosoko managed to do something that I’ve never really encountered in time travel books. This was the first one I’ve read with a Black gay MC which should not be a novel thing, but it is just for simply existing. And that is a gift. The identity of Andre made the nuances and experiences of time travel that white writers (and readers) often romanticize and take for granted, much more sharp and the privilege of those takes more real. Bc while there is an allure to the fantasy of a time travel plot, the reality of even that fantasy can be frightening for black and queer folks. The past is a terrifying place to be different. Michael and Andre both briefly talk about the fear of being gay (and Black in Andre’s case) in 1969-1970s. However, it is a brief glimpse and not the focus which I found important to point out (as it’s a consideration many white writers avoid in these tropes) but not to dwell on that fear. 

I also think Kosoko did an excellent job of showing how grief effects everyone differently and how that, even if given a chance to change the past to save the life of one we love, it is the braver right thing, the human thing, to accept that we should not change something as final and altering as death. 

The only issues I had were mainly with the transitions - the scene changes often felt jarring and skipped over important emotional world building to “get to the good stuff” or a “big reveal” so that it seemed that Andre was suddenly in a situation that had little build up or quite made sense emotionally for him to suddenly feel so much after a single hour or day. This may have been fixed in the final edits and I think that would overall have made my rating go up if that character and emotional building were developed just a bit more in those transitional spot. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the arc!
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