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A review by aduqu
My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really loved this book and am definitely going to recommend it to others. The footnotes were incredibly interesting and informative, and I learned a lot about queer history.
My only hang up about this book is that as a novel, it has two shortcomings. 1) Sometimes it feels like the main character has all the answers - Trey doesn't often face real consequences for his actions but is a compelling character all the same. And 2) this book doesn't have the type of tied up ending that you expect with a novel. It ends in the middle of a bigger story, and given that the struggle for equality is still ongoing, I think ending it any other way would be disingenuous. Both of these are such minor complaints - I cannot stress how good this book is.
My only hang up about this book is that as a novel, it has two shortcomings. 1) Sometimes it feels like the main character has all the answers - Trey doesn't often face real consequences for his actions but is a compelling character all the same. And 2) this book doesn't have the type of tied up ending that you expect with a novel. It ends in the middle of a bigger story, and given that the struggle for equality is still ongoing, I think ending it any other way would be disingenuous. Both of these are such minor complaints - I cannot stress how good this book is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Murder, and Lesbophobia