A review by kjurewicz
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi
5.0
I would give this book between 4.5 and 5 stars. I loved the writing style, especially the inclusion of comics to emphasize the imagined world of the story(in fact, I wish there was more of it - such a unique touch that enhanced the writing!) I LOVED Ebony-Grace; she was such a well-developed, lovable character. I cheered for her when things went well and was heartbroken by all of the challenges that she faced with her family and peers. Although there were some loose ends and unexplained elements, overall I thought it was a wonderful book. It touched on some very important themes and although it wasn’t a “happy book,” I think it’s another reason it was so special.
Side Note (not part of official review): Before reading this book, I read another book by this author titled Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler. It was really cool to see parallels in the writing style, as well as to see how Zoboi was so heavily influenced by Butler, especially in writing about similar subject matter (afrofuturism) and were heavily influenced by their time periods (1980s and 1950s, respectively). Highly recommend if you are interested in science-fiction by black authors.
Side Note (not part of official review): Before reading this book, I read another book by this author titled Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler. It was really cool to see parallels in the writing style, as well as to see how Zoboi was so heavily influenced by Butler, especially in writing about similar subject matter (afrofuturism) and were heavily influenced by their time periods (1980s and 1950s, respectively). Highly recommend if you are interested in science-fiction by black authors.