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A review by kendragaylelee
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
3.0
A Good Kind of Trouble reminded my why I don't give up on books. By the end of this one, I was chatting up anyone who would listen about the storyline (my partner is long-suffering & bears the brunt of my enthusiasm for books). But I could have put it down not looked back for at least the first quarter of the book.
I'm not going to say the problem with the first fourth wasn't me as a reader. Maybe it was! I love plucky protagonists. Shayla was... shy? Definitely timid. And even for a middle schooler, she seemed remarkably self-centered and naive. Which may or may not have reflected back at me who I was in middle school (TOTALLY did). I just found myself rolling my eyes at her some of her pettiness over her friends and her desire to stay far away from trouble.
But, admittedly, that's what made it so thrilling when she finally decided what kind of trouble to get into! The atmosphere of a peaceful protest was captured so fully in these pages that it stirred that same emotions in me that I actually feel when I'm there--hope, solidarity, power. And I may have cried at the mention of Still, I Rise toward the end of the book. Maybe.
I think this book is ideal for white kids who want to understand what their Black friends likely deal with and experience (especially in relation to systemic racism & police brutality). And for Black kids growing up in predominantly white spaces that might feel not-fully-seen. The nuances about friendship and race were spot on--and really helpful to see laid out on the page with so much compassion and care. The friendship struggle/break up stuff --as well as the talking-to/dating stuff-- is universal, and painful, and so very relevant.
My very favorite part of the book, though, was the evolution of a self-centered protagonist into a young person able to take in the scope of the world around her and to work toward finding the place where she can make a difference and stand up for what she believes in. It was 100% in by the end of the book.
I wish I could give fractions of stars. This one would've been a 3.75 for me.
I'm not going to say the problem with the first fourth wasn't me as a reader. Maybe it was! I love plucky protagonists. Shayla was... shy? Definitely timid. And even for a middle schooler, she seemed remarkably self-centered and naive. Which may or may not have reflected back at me who I was in middle school (TOTALLY did). I just found myself rolling my eyes at her some of her pettiness over her friends and her desire to stay far away from trouble.
But, admittedly, that's what made it so thrilling when she finally decided what kind of trouble to get into! The atmosphere of a peaceful protest was captured so fully in these pages that it stirred that same emotions in me that I actually feel when I'm there--hope, solidarity, power. And I may have cried at the mention of Still, I Rise toward the end of the book. Maybe.
I think this book is ideal for white kids who want to understand what their Black friends likely deal with and experience (especially in relation to systemic racism & police brutality). And for Black kids growing up in predominantly white spaces that might feel not-fully-seen. The nuances about friendship and race were spot on--and really helpful to see laid out on the page with so much compassion and care. The friendship struggle/break up stuff --as well as the talking-to/dating stuff-- is universal, and painful, and so very relevant.
My very favorite part of the book, though, was the evolution of a self-centered protagonist into a young person able to take in the scope of the world around her and to work toward finding the place where she can make a difference and stand up for what she believes in. It was 100% in by the end of the book.
I wish I could give fractions of stars. This one would've been a 3.75 for me.