Manchester District Library Book Club discussion

Please share your thoughts.

My review: This was a really amazing and heartbreaking book. I see how teenagers can easily relate to Starr, her siblings and her friends where I related to her parents, especially her mom. Thomas strikes a wonderful balance between shining a light on social injustice and disparity while acknowledging an individual's responsibility to fight against racism. It was brilliant to make Starr a character who is walking the line between worlds. She sees her friend killed by a police officer but her beloved uncle is on the force so she knows not all cops are bad. She goes to a predominantly white school so she can speak with authority on the little things people do, without realizing it, that can negatively impact a person of color. I almost wish Starr had more in depth conversations with her friends about these things since communication is the key to understanding. I loved the close knit community of Garden Heights and yet understood Starr's mom's desire to move her family to a place where she would feel comfortable letting Starr's little brother ride his bike. Starr's father has a great redemption story and still you understand the reasons why people from that neighborhood get stuck in a cycle of gang activity. I definitely think this is a book I will revisit later to read slower and ponder since during this read I was anxious to know what would happen next.

Everything you said Shea except I feel Starr did attempt to explain to her friend (forget her name) how hurtful her comments were. Said friend totally disregarded the messages. Don't Asians have cat for thanksgiving? This assumption of superiority and privilege is what causes the hate and discord so prevalent in today's world. My opinion.

Lynn, the one I was thinking of was when Starr was upset about about the fried chicken comment. I got the impression it was everybody's favorite school lunch but when the friend mentioned something about Starr liking fried chicken it was taken as a racist comment. In my ignorance, I was not aware there was a negative stereotype associated with fried chicken.