A review by sherbertwells
Everywhere You Don't Belong by Gabriel Bump

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)

Expand filter menu Content Warnings