everyone, please read this. being mindful and respectful is a life saving habit, and one we owe to the world at that. an important read

Okay, so I know that writing is difficult and I know that it is easy to fall into writing tropes but How to Talk to Black People by A. Anon takes it to a whole new level.

How to Talk to Black People reads like a paint by numbers. The main character is given some unlikable qualities but we also are meant to feel sorry for her because of her alcoholic mother and deceased father. She is held back in school because of her social status - she is poor therefore she cannot be smart. She is affected by the people around her and doesn’t know any better - vis a vis race. The whole set up was to problematic, twee and due for a moment of realisation to neatly wrap up all of the storylines. However, I cannot tell you if that happens because I had to DNF this book.

It was awful. The narrative was over written - seriously just call a bus a bus not a banana yellow machine to take me to my scholastic destiny - okay I'm potentially exaggerating with my example but there were several times when the writer just didn't call nouns by what they actually were. It was tedious.

I read about 30% of this book and I realised I have several hundred other books that are worthy of my attention and this was draining me of potentially reading a great book.

I'm sorry but How to Talk to Black People was a big fat DNF for me.

How to Talk to Black People by A. Anon is available now.

I think this is such an important book. The author at the beginning mentions that you may find yourself not liking Ivy, the main character, and the author is definitely correct at times. She's insensitive, ignorant, and defensive. Definitely she's been handed a lot of bad luck that has helped sculpt her cynical view; hurt people hurt people. Her father died in an awful accident at the factory he worked at and afterward her mother fell apart, they lost any and all savings and stability and most days Ivy struggles to find enough food to eat. She feels like the establishment in their town is determined to keep her in her "place." Like how they won't allow her into advanced classes even though she has great grades. She feels the odds are stacked against her and she's just trying with all her might to make it out and make her life better than it is now.
When a new student comes to their very not diverse school, he's immediately singled out in an assembly. The doctor trying to make an "encouraging" but extremely condescending example out of him. So that's Alex's first foray into his new hometown. It's quite clear that the people in this town don't know how to act around anyone of color, Ivy included. When Alex and Ivy are assigned as lab partners she actually makes a joke about slavery and picking cotton - it turns yours stomach. Alex handles it with such poise, it's amazing. He corrects her and points out that just because other people laugh, doesn't mean something is a joke or funny. Ivy is irate and embarrassed.
It does lead to an eye-opening friendship for Ivy and a path of education about all the stereotypes and judgments that she's been either subtly or overtly taught throughout her life. It's encouraging to see her progress and the open conversations she's eventually able to have with Alex and his family about the scary realities they face daily as people of color. I think I was most proud of Ivy when she confronted her mother, in a very calm and caring way, about her mother's own racism. When her mother jumps to defense, Ivy explains that yes, some people can be "overly sensitive" but if someone is telling you your words hurt them, you have to respect them. You don't get to decide what somebody feels and if you hurt them, you should learn from it and try not to do it again.
Alex's mother, Leticia is a great character in this story. It seems she always knows the right thing to say, but she isn't an unrealistic character. Instead, she allows her feelings and emotions to show and to show Ivy that her comments are painful and mean but she keeps lines of communication open. This encourages Ivy to become a better person and a better friend. Leticia is a remarkable woman whose strength is inspiring.
There are plenty of other characters in this book who are just like people you may know or have known. They're realistic, some good, some bad, some somewhere in between. It's a realistic glimpse into a young teen realization about white privilege, racism, and prejudice.

I was very enthused to read this book. Reading books from different points of view than mine has always been enjoyable and challenging for me. However, I could never get into this one. The characters never really clicked with me. I sadly, could not finish this book.

I think this book is important. It has a good concept and interesting ideas. But it isn't perfectly executed and the writing is a little rough at times. I think this will fly under the radar as it is not the best written, but it deserves praise for the subjects it tries to tackle.

This is a book that deserves an audience. It boldly addresses issues of racism and the examination of white privilege. The execution of the narrative is a bit clunky at times, but the overall premise of the book is challenging and necessary.

I'm really disappointed in this …
I had high expectations..
I didn't like the ideas behind the words more then the writing style and the story in general …
This book will for sure , have contrasting reviews depending on the reader ideas , believes and way of thinking ….

This book is a must read. Besides it being relevant in today’s time, it is very well written and teaches at the same time. I devoured this book and have already recommended it to people. The author states that she insisted that the book be published as written. I am so glad she did this. Kudos and thank you so much for this book Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

This was a very informative book. Being that I am a minority myself, I understood where the writer was going with this. It's a fast paced book, that keeps you asking yourself a few questions after you have finished it. I respect that the writer remained "anonymous" after writing this book. I think that this book should be presented to school all across the country, as I feel like they would learn a great deal from it.

Rating 4

This story centres on Ivy who lives in a trailer park with her drunk mother and the sad memory of her dead father. Along with her bargain basement wardrobe, she also has a bit of an attitude. Her one and only best friend is the quirky and very likeable Magnus who also  lives in the trailer park with his grandmother after the death of his parents.

There's a new student at school Alex, he is smart, good-looking and brilliant at sport. His mother is an award-winning surgeon and his dad is a big name in the basketball world. Ivy thinks this may be the chance for her to finally get out  of her remedial class when she finds out that Alex is her lab partner. He's her ticket to an easy A.

High school is hard going for most but Ivy feels it is especially difficult for her, where everyone looks down their noses at her and considers her trailer trash. Can she ever see how hard it is for Alex being the only black kid at school and in the neighbourhood. Will she ever see things through his eyes?

This book was very thought provoking and talks about racism, stereotypes and class structures.
I think that this book needs more recognition as it sends out a very important message.
It is aimed at the Teen/YA market but should be read by adults alike.
Some of it was very hard to read for me, to actually believe that there are people out there with such ignorance in this day and age, or ever, is a bitter pill to swallow.
I hated the thought of anyone having to role play with their kids about how to act around police just because of the colour of their skin. To actually fear that they might kill you if you made one wrong move is just beyond belief.
Some of the situations within the book didn't flow as well as they could; it was as if they had been stuck in as an afterthought. I feel it still needs a little tweaking here and there.
I don't really think that Ivy was that shocking either so not really sure why the author was asked to tone her down.
Overall, this is a very good book and to be honest, I cried my eyes out in the end. Even though I knew it was coming, it broke my heart.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

Let me start by saying that I admire the purpose of this book, which is to start conversations about race in the US. These conversations are especially important among children and young adults; that is where true change will start. With that being said, I had a hard time getting into the story, as it felt rushed and pieced together. There were a lot of competing story lines, including class conflicts, bullying, death, grieving, academic pressure, and also the focus on race. The main incident also felt like an afterthought, rather than the driving event in the story. Regardless of the impact of the writing, the book does hit the mark with the idea that if everyday, "average" Americans don't recognize and strive for change, none will come.

A really good read, as a white person reviewing this I feel uncomfortable as it’s not really my place to discuss how it is, with white privilege I’ll never experience anything a person of colour has to at the hands of prevalent white power. Ivy is really an unlikeable character, but given how she is and acts you should feel this way as she is the example of white privilege, the horrible jokes that will make your skin crawl, the not understanding her bigotry, unfortunately there are millions of Ivy’s still prevalent in this world and I wish it wasn’t true. A great starting point for discussions about race and also class, books like this should be mandatory in schools. Uncomfortable but essential reading for white or any privileged people.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This was a really great read! I really enjoyed reading this book, would definitely recommend. This is a good book for all ages.

** Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review **
Me parece genial que sé publiquen libros que alienten a hablar sobre racismo, que nos obligan a re pensar todos nuestros conceptos y nuestras acciones, y provoquen un cambio. Eso es lo que me paso con este libro. Me parece importante, teniendo en cuenta el genero del libro, que se publiquen este tipo de materiales para adolescentes y jóvenes, que hagan que esos puedan re pensar sus acciones, y que sean el punta pie para poder hablar de temas difíciles como el racismo.