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A review by mariahistryingtoread
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
5.0
As someone who was trained to not rock the boat, Lisa Moore Ramee was preaching to the choir with this one.
Like Shayla, I got sick when I perceived I had made a mistake. Like Shayla, I was hypervigiliant against losing my standing with an authority figure. Like Shayla, I made questionable moral decisions to avoid standing up for what was right.
Thankfully, I grew out of it, but the echoes prevail even now, and it takes massive effort to rewire your entire identity. I'm glad that books like this are being written to possibly curtail some of that behavior. I would have been way better off if I had realized I'd be miserable AND have no good, reckless memories because I was too uptight to ever take a chance at anything.
Shayla is the kind of protagonist I like best. It is infuriating to constantly read about them doing the wrong thing, but in the end, the effort that they put into growing as a person makes it all worth it. I don't care if a character is insufferable as long as they actively take pains to improve.
Shayla grapples with her preconceived biases about a lot of things ranging from some internalized racism, respectability politics, and protesting. It's a book that covers a lot of pressing topics in the Black community in a rational, relatable way. Shayle is ultimately just scared, which is unsurprising because racism can be very scary, particularly when you're young and lacking in coping skills.
I was disappointed she did not drop her racist friend and decided to like build a bridge or whatever. This is on principle rather than the friend being below reproach, I simply always vote to ditch the friend because no one ever does it.
(shout out to Squad Goals, my beloved, who actually had the guts to see it through)
A good kind of trouble is an apt title; whether or not you are in trouble is a matter of perception, so why can't the status of it be equally as relative?
Like Shayla, I got sick when I perceived I had made a mistake. Like Shayla, I was hypervigiliant against losing my standing with an authority figure. Like Shayla, I made questionable moral decisions to avoid standing up for what was right.
Thankfully, I grew out of it, but the echoes prevail even now, and it takes massive effort to rewire your entire identity. I'm glad that books like this are being written to possibly curtail some of that behavior. I would have been way better off if I had realized I'd be miserable AND have no good, reckless memories because I was too uptight to ever take a chance at anything.
Shayla is the kind of protagonist I like best. It is infuriating to constantly read about them doing the wrong thing, but in the end, the effort that they put into growing as a person makes it all worth it. I don't care if a character is insufferable as long as they actively take pains to improve.
Shayla grapples with her preconceived biases about a lot of things ranging from some internalized racism, respectability politics, and protesting. It's a book that covers a lot of pressing topics in the Black community in a rational, relatable way. Shayle is ultimately just scared, which is unsurprising because racism can be very scary, particularly when you're young and lacking in coping skills.
I was disappointed she did not drop her racist friend and decided to like build a bridge or whatever. This is on principle rather than the friend being below reproach, I simply always vote to ditch the friend because no one ever does it.
(shout out to Squad Goals, my beloved, who actually had the guts to see it through)
A good kind of trouble is an apt title; whether or not you are in trouble is a matter of perception, so why can't the status of it be equally as relative?