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A review by tealover02
Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A gritty story of a community that's been systematically oppressed, exploited, and partitioned create opportunities from dire circumstances to claw their way towards equity. It is a visceral celebration of the love, commitment, and autonomy that grows and becomes its own unique entity around the shackles of injustice. Recommend for anyone looking for an unapologetically vicious and loyal main character fighting for the people she loves.
I love this book so much. What really made this book for me are the characters and their relationships. Johnson is able to build such complicated, fully realized characters who make me alternatively laugh and cry with them. The relationships are messy, unhealthy, and often contradictory in a way that channels real life. The commentary on apartheid and class segregation is overt and its resolution is predictable. However, its strength lies in how well Johnson uses this setting to depict how people can still survive to build community and alternative ways of living. In real life it is easy to fall into a sense of doom and helplessness when following current events. Through engaging with this fictional work, Johnson gave me the space to imagine attitudes of resistance so that I can better seek, develop, and sustain similar approaches to the communities that I care about.
I love this book so much. What really made this book for me are the characters and their relationships. Johnson is able to build such complicated, fully realized characters who make me alternatively laugh and cry with them. The relationships are messy, unhealthy, and often contradictory in a way that channels real life. The commentary on apartheid and class segregation is overt and its resolution is predictable. However, its strength lies in how well Johnson uses this setting to depict how people can still survive to build community and alternative ways of living. In real life it is easy to fall into a sense of doom and helplessness when following current events. Through engaging with this fictional work, Johnson gave me the space to imagine attitudes of resistance so that I can better seek, develop, and sustain similar approaches to the communities that I care about.