A terrific coming of age, young adult novel. Set in 1992 in Los Angeles amidst the Rodney King riots, this book deftly explores the myriad of ways micro- and not-so-micro- racial aggressions play out in the life of a black person. Fans of "The Hate You Give" will see a lot of parallels, though this book takes a much more internal approach to its characters and plot. I wish there had been further character and plot development, but found the book compelling throughout. This book is extremely timely given the current racial unrest, and a searing how we've evolved (or in many ways, not changed at all) as far as race in American society.

From the moment I read the description of The Black Kids, I knew this was a book I needed to read. I was beyond ecstatic when I learned that the publisher would be sending me an advance copy for review. I was eight-years-old, in second grade and living in Redlands, CA when the four LAPD members were acquitted for the beating of Rodney King and LA erupted in riots and violence. As a young Black child living in southern California with family in the LA area, this was my first introduction to the simmering race issues that exist in our country. I remember watching the video of the police beating Rodney King and asking my parents what he had done and if the police beat everyone who was suspected of breaking the law? While my parents tried to explain to me what had led up to the beating, they also told me that no, the police did not beat every person who was suspected of a crime.

The eruption of the riots led to my further questioning why the people were rioting and if my family members who lived in the LA area would be okay? I don’t remember exactly how my parents explained the riots to me, but I do remember them reassuring me that our family would be safe because they didn’t live in the part of LA where the riots were occurring. The other thing that sticks out in my mind from this time period is telling a Redlands police officer, who was White, that when I grew up I wanted to be a detective for the LAPD and he told me that while he thought it was great I wanted to be a detective, I should pick a police department different from the LAPD due to them being a police force that had issues with corruption and racism.

This is all to say that reading this book spoke to me on many levels and allowed me to reflect on my own experiences as a young child watching the riots and now as a grown women with the recent Black Lives Matter protests that have been sweeping across the country and around the world. There were many things about this book and the main character, Ashley (aside from our shared first names) that I found I could identify with. Like Ashley, I was fortunate to grow up in an affluent upper-middle class Black family and attend schools where not only was I a minority, but I was in the minority. Most of my friends growing up, and even now as an adult, as well as most of the men I’ve dated, have been White. I know how uncomfortable it can sometimes be to be the only Black person in a group of friends and to have them make comments that point out my Blackness and how said Blackness can result in different outcomes of treatment or punishment due to the differences in our skin color.

There’s a moment in the book when Ashley is reflecting on the first time she was called a N***** and the discussion she had to have with her parents about that word and what it means. It was a point in the book when I found myself thinking back to the first time a White child called me that, I was six-years-old and it was the fall semester of my 1st grade year when another child on the playground called me that. Unlike Ashley, I reacted by hitting the child without knowing what the word meant, other than being able to figure out it was a bad word based on the tone with which it was said. After speaking with the principal about what happened and asking what the word meant, an explanation he felt was better had with my parents, as he was White and more than likely not comfortable with or even sure it was really his place to explain the meaning of the word to me.

Much like The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, The Black Kids is a necessary book not only for Black readers, but for all readers who are looking to be better informed about being Black in America and who are working to be anti-racist and allies to the Black community. The book covers not only a key part of police brutality, racial protests and riots in American history, but a period that was the first real introduction to the racial tensions which exist in our country for many of those of the millennial generation.

This is a book that was both difficult and reaffirming to read as a young Black woman who remembers this period of time and has continued to witness the ways in which Black and Brown people are treated differently in this country not only by strangers on the street, but by the justice system as it exists today. It helped to remind me that it is perfectly acceptable to cut ties with friends who don’t support me as a Black woman while knowing that there are also those friends who admit that they will never understand what it means to be Black, but who love and support me and are continuously working to be both anti-racist and an ally.

The Black Kids by Christina Hammons Reid is a story about a black teen in LA in 1992. Ashley lives in a world full of privilege. Her parents have intentionally raised her in this way and area of the city. When the riots happen after the Rodney King verdict, Ashley begins to explore questions around her identity, as well as the relationships she has with friends and peers. I was in elementary school during this, so I honestly don't have a strong memory of what happened, so it was interesting to read a novel set in this time against this backdrop. Anyway, as the protests happen, Ashley begins to realize what she thought to be true is not. For all the work her family and she has done to "fit in" to the world of privilege, she is different. She starts to realize she is indeed a black kid, and she begins to learn what that means. It means some relationships aren't what she thought, and it means she has to figure out where she does have connected. This was such a captivating and emotional story. The characters were so authentically written, especially Ashley as the character who is centered in it all. While a fiction read, there was so, so much truth in this, and it is one that y'all absolutely need to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this recent release!

** I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book finds such amazing ways to showcase a scary piece of history and to blend it so seamlessly with what is currently happening in our country. Unfortunately, there are too many similarities between them, but the Rodney King Riots weren't really that long ago... Reed does a fantastic job of blending the time with a character that struggles to find herself in her race and with her friend group. What I truly loved about this book was Ashley's growth and the challenges to understand herself that I know can be felt by many of the students I see every day. The issue of being true to yourself and to those who share so much with you is what really makes this book so relevant to all young adults.

I wish there was more I could say, but as someone who is not a POC, I don't feel that I can put their life into words. I just simply know that this book covers what it says it will so well and that I know I will be finding it a place in the library that I work at.

In 1992, I was a middle schooler in a small town/rural area of south Alabama. Life hasn’t ben a cakewalk for me, but I am fairly certain that biggest stressor in my life at that time was likely something along the lines of not being able to buy the mint green Bongo jeans and the red ones, or maybe whether we could get all the pictures we needed and the film developed in time to meet our yearbook deadlines. That was my 1992.

In The Black Kids, Ashley Bennet was living a very different version of that year. Ashley’s 1992 was primarily centered around the aftermath of the verdict from the trial of LAPD officers who brutally beat Rodney King after a chase and during his arrest for drunk driving. After the trial was moved to a community that was primarily White and where most White police officers lived, the officers who attacked Rodney King ( a Black man) were acquitted of all felony charges. This spurred widespread anger, violence, riots, and looting in the South Los Angeles area. Two of the officers were later convicted of violating Rodney King’s civil rights and eventually served brief sentences in prison.

The Black Kids is a coming of age novel similar to Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give. Ashley’s experiences as a senior in high school during this time are profoundly shaped by the race riots of ‘92, but also of her own experiences growing up in a wealthy neighborhood and attending a posh private school. This book draws a thread between issues of class and race, whereas most of its predecessors have only focused primarily on one or the other. Like many high schoolers, Ashley makes decisions that she is both proud and ashamed of, all of which contribute to who she is becoming as a young woman transitioning out of childhood and entering a scary, violent world…on her terms.

Although I would only recommend this for high school and up, I do believe that The Black Kids fills a gap not previously seen in teen and adult literature.

*Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Another great #ownvoices story that is set in LA in 1992 during the riots that followed the Rodney King verdict. Ashley is a wealthy black teen who lives a pretty good life. Even though she is the only black person in her friend group, she hasn't spent much time thinking about her race. But when tragic events in her community begin to hit home, she can't turn away from the facts that stare her in the face. Suddenly the few other black kids at her elite school don't seem like "them" anymore.

Although Ashley's story may seem like ancient history, its relevance today can't be denied!

This book was everything that we need right now!

Growing up in a prominently upper-class white neighborhood, Ashley has gone to a private school since she was younger. She didn't really even know she had a different skin tone until her best friend said something to her when she was 6.

Now a senior living in LA in the aftermath of the Rodney King trials her eyes are finally opening to how privileged and sheltered her life really has been, and her friends might not be her friends after all.

As someone that doesn’t care for historical fiction, the fact that I was excited for this was pretty shocking. And then the fact that I liked it was even more shocking. But with this being set in the 90’s, it doesn’t really seem like historical fiction to me, since I grew up in this time. I don’t know if that makes me feel old or what lol


Ashley has had the same friends all her life. Never mind the fact that they aren’t exactly great people, but they’re her oldest friends and she knows what they they “mean.” But then a man named Rodney King is beaten by the cops and the cops are acquitted for it. Suddenly there are riots breaking out all over L.A. and Ashley tries to keep things as normal as possible. But some things are hard to ignore, like how she’s suddenly not just one of the kids, but one of the Black Kids.


It’s difficult for me to think of the 90’s as historical fiction because the 90’s is when I grew up. Granted in 1992 I was only 4, but still. I don’t remember how the rest of the world was during the Rodney King riots, but I did know about them. Most kids (or at least the ones I worked with) didn’t know who Rodney King was. Like they knew his name from the many references, but he didn’t know who he was or what he did. (I asked them when I first head about the book and whether or not they counted this as historical fiction.) And because of this, I really wish she had put a bit more of the background into it. I knew what started the riots, but there are some teens out there that have no background and think those riots spawned out of nothing. I was able to get them to look it up on their own, but since I’m a librarian and not a teacher, it’s not something they had to do. BUT, in a promo video about the book, Reed says she views this as a love letter to L.A., so I can understand why she didn’t go more into it.


Another thing about the historical part of this book is the music. Reed made me make a whole playlist for this book because I was listening to them as she mentioned them. It drove the setting home completely for me. And to make it better, it was all GOOD music. Other things that were mentioned like Clinton/Gore signs in yards made me feel like I was back in 92.

The main character, Ashley, was great. She was privileged with not having to worry about certain things and where she and her parents stayed. She didn’t notice it until she started a rumor about her fellow classmate. I can’t lie, I was not a fan of her in the beginning, but as her character grew over the story, I definitely had a change of heart for her. This is an amazing example of a coming of age story.


As for the plot, I did like the way it was told. It showed L.A. Before, During, and After. It made it easier to show how things were changing and why they were changing so fast. I think I was most captivated in the after when it showed Ashley’s and the rest of the world’s biggest changes .


And lastly, the writing style was easily my favorite part about this novel. I can hardly believe that this is a debut. I got lost in her words and I wrote so many quotes from this down it spanned over 4 pages. AND, I used a post it to flag the entirety of page 325. You just can’t read something like this and NOT be moved by her words.


This rating was not easy for me to come by. I had to sit with it for awhile. This book will make you think and will definitely make you want to jam some 90’s music. I hope everyone picks this up. It’s pitched as historical fiction, but it’s so relevant towards what’s happening today. As Nic Stone says, it should be “Required Reading.”

I read and reviewed this book as part of the blog tour organised by the publisher. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. 5 stars

I finished this book last night and immediately tweeted about how it had me ugly crying (just a little bit) at 1AM. At this point, I'm not really sure what to say in this book review because I feel as if nothing I say can do it justice. (Sorry in advance for the waffling and blabbering in this review!) It was unsettling and it certainly made me uncomfortable. It was shocking and eye-opening. It made me cringe and gave me goosebumps. It made me angry as hell but it also made me ugly cry from all the hopeful feelings at the end. When looking at this cover (which I love), the vibrant colours and illustration kind of gives the impression of a fun YA contemporary but don't be fooled--this book gets heavy. If there's one thing I can say without doubt is that everyone should read this!

I think it's probably one of the best coming-of-age stories that I've read in a very long time! It's centred on issues of race and class, but the identity journey our protagonist goes through to learn about who she is in her society, what she'll stand for, and connecting with her history and roots, is something that I think many readers can identify with. I know that I would've been over the moon discovering a book like this when I was younger but as an "adult" (*cough*) I'm so appreciative of the fact that it now exists.

There was something about the writing that I found so simple and clear but very beautiful and there ended up many quotes and passages I highlighted because they got me in my feels. I thought Hammonds Reed portrayed the voice of our teenage protagonist, Ashley, so well. There's a blasé tone to her voice that screams jaded, spoiled, and very confused teenager of the 90s. Ashley was… an extremely flawed character that I couldn't help wanting to vigorously shake at some points but who I eventually managed to empathise with. These types of characters usually drive me mental but there's no denying that Ashley goes through some incredible growth throughout this story. That said though, the emotional detachment in her voice was also what made it difficult to connect to a good portion of the book, and as we're looking through Ashley's perspective the whole time, it often made the pace feel very slow.

Aside from Ashley, many of the characters are flawed but realistic, no matter if they were horrible or decent; no one is one dimensional and you get to see many sides to them as the story progresses. Ashley's friends were particularly annoying and toxic though. Kimberly especially was one of the most insidious and blatantly racist characters that I've had the displeasure of reading. There's a bit of a cheating storyline that I didn't really understand the point of (aside from showing how Ashley is flawed and confused), but compared to how I'd normally feel about cheating in books, I really didn't feel sorry for the characters because they were so awful (I can't even).

What was most harrowing to me though was that through this book, Hammonds Reed clearly points out that not much progress has been made since the 90s in regards to race and class issues. Although this book very clearly takes place in the the 90s when the riots started after the Rodney King incident, if minor tweaks were made (i.e. different incident, city, time), it could've basically been written about what recently happened after the George Floyd incident. Not just that but this book also exposes what happened in Tulsa in what was known as Black Wall Street, and other events that happened to the black community throughout history. As a Southeast Asian who lives in Asia and has never lived in America, the experience of what life is like for black people in America is literally foreign to me. It's beyond shocking that what these black communities experienced then, is what they're STILL facing now, and WHY. It's horrifying, heavy, and disheartening and it left me speechless...

This book made me examine my privilege and it made me examine the actions of those around me throughout my lifetime. I learned so much through this book and I feel like it's definitely one of those reads that will have a lasting impact on me. Despite the heaviness of the topics covered, Hammonds Reed does an incredible job ending the story in such a way that leaves you feeling hopeful and like actually, although everything isn't perfect, it's still going to be okay. I am so looking forward to reading anything else she writes in the future because book this was an exceptional story and I'd highly recommend it!

Even though this book is set in 1992 it is such a timely book! It is hard to see that this is still going on today!
The beginning was a little off-putting, how Ashley and her friends only really care about themselves. But I had to remember that it is a YA book and it was just teenagers doing their thing.

The Black Kids takes place in LA 1992, during the Rodney King Riots. There’s both blatant and subtle racism, within this book.. But also, there’s community, friendship, family, kindness, and love. A book about a young girl growing up straddling the line between privilege and not, making mistakes, trying to find herself and where she belongs, in a world that hurts and doesn’t always make sense. Ashley not only learns things about herself, but about the world around her and how one little thing can affect so many others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book!

I loved this book so much. I love any book that is "YA but more" and this definitely falls into that category. The characters were great, the story was great, and I couldn't put it down! HIghly recommend.

I don’t even know how to begin to untangle my feelings about this book. It’s a hard read that everyone should pick up ASAP. This is definitely a book I will be discussing in my media and representation courses moving forward.

The Black Kids takes place in LA 1992, during the Rodney King Riots. There’s both blatant and subtle racism, the n-word slur is used often, there’s police brutality, there’s violence, there’s pain. But also, there’s community, friendship, family, kindness, and love. A book about a young girl growing up straddling the line between privilege and not, making mistakes, trying to find herself, trying to find where she belongs, in a world that hurts and doesn’t always make sense. As a Latina who grew up on that line, so many parts of this book resonated strongly with me.

One of the most painful things about this book was the fact that even though it takes place in 1992, the entire story could be plopped into 2020 and no one would blink. It’s infuriating how many years this country has had to protest the same thing. It needs to stop: the disregard for Black lives has to stop. Police need to be held accountable for their misuse of power, for their crimes, for murder. When will it be enough? It should have been enough by now, so many times over.

Ashley Bennett is a Senior in high school. The year is 1992 and she lives in a posh L.A. neighborhood with her parents. Attending a private school, Ashley has had a somewhat sheltered existence. Her parents do everything they can to provide their girls with a less stressful upbringing than they had, which I think is something a lot of parents do. But even her parents admit, for reasons you learn as the novel progresses, they may have sheltered them a little too much.

At her school, Ashley is one of only a handful of black kids in attendance. Regardless of the numbers, all of her friends are white. Ashley doesn't find it odd that she is the only black girl in her friend group. It has always been that way and even when her closest friends make racist comments, she shrugs it off. It's just how it goes.

Her comfy existence is shaken, however, after a young black man, Rodney King, is beaten nearly to death by LAPD officers and the subsequent trial of those involved. Even though there is video evidence of the heinous acts of violence, the policemen are acquitted and the city erupts in anger. Protests and riots sweep the city and the topic of race is on everyone's lips.

Ashley's sister, Jo, becomes involved in the protests and her Uncle's store is threatened by looters. It becomes unsafe to leave the house and the smell of smoke and char lingers in the air. These events force Ashley to examine her life and her position as a black woman in a way she never has before. She starts to learn more about her family and what it means to be black in America.

This book was a ride for me. I feel like my attachment to it evolved along with the story itself. It was a difficult one for me to rate, as I was torn almost the entire way through about how I felt about it. On the one hand, the content, real-world issues and personal growth, were A++, 5-stars. This story is extremely topical and definitely packs a punch.

On the other hand, there's the style in which it is told. That is what was rough for me. The stream of consciousness narrative is always very hard for me to get into. It just does not vibe for me at all. If I were rating this book based solely on that, I would have given it 3-stars. I decided on a 4-star rating as it is a fair way for me to express my overall experience with the story; style versus substance be damned.

Please note, my personal preference for not liking stream of consciousness narrative is in no way a reflection on this author. She is clearly very talented and I am sure she chose the format she felt best to tell Ashley's experiences. I loved the story behind the style. Does that make sense?

Additionally, I thought using a historical event to frame this discussion was such a smart choice. It made the whole story feel very real. I was in the 8th-grade at the time the officers were originally acquitted and although I lived on the opposite-side of the country, the impact was felt like a shock wave. I have never read a fictionalized story framed around that time and really appreciated that context. I also appreciated Ashley's growth as a character. She truly transformed from start to finish and by the end, I was attached her.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this novel. It's a hard-hitting Contemporary that everyone should read.
A huge thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I look forward to reading more from Christina Hammonds Reed in the future!

This book is so relevant at this moment!

I have to admit that I did not connect that well with the characters and the overall plot. But I definitely learned something from this book, and more importantly this book made me think! And I think it is very good when books do this!

In this book we follow Ashley, who has been friends with these 3 white girls most of her life. And this is the part of the plot that really made me think. Personally I don’t think I’m racist, or say racist things. But reading this book from a black POV made me realize that some comments, that to me might not sound racist, really are! It made me think about think about things I might have said that might actually have been really rude to say. I think this was a really good thing about this book, because now I might think twice before saying certain things!
Ashely has been friends with these people for most of her life, and they make so many rude comments to her. ‘It is all your fault, cause you’re black’, uhmm what..?! You don’t say that!
Besides it shows how Black people are treated in general (at least in the US), as in they are being pulled over for driving in a ‘too nice’ car. The mom of her new friend accuses her of being a thief, just because she has never seen her before and she is black.. The fact that these things happen.. is just mind-blowing..

Part of the plot is about riots that are happening after the police almost killing a black man, which again makes this book very relevant to the current protests in the US. I think it was very interesting to see what our main character was thinking about these riots. And also her discussions about these riots with both her white and black friends! It was very interesting to see how these discussion were quite different from each other. Some of her white friends were scared without real reason, since they live in rich neighbourhoods, and basically have nothing to do with the riots. While her black friends lived in the neighbourhoods of the riots, or had family there, and were scared because what if they went home and their house was burned down?!

I think these discussion, and the whole book in general, really gave me some more insights in how black people are being treated, and that it is far from being over!
I definitely recommend reading this book! It really made me think, and I definitely learned things from this book!

What's not to love about this book. When I first picked it up and started reading I was instantly drawn into the writing and the characters. Set in 1992 it gives you all the 90s feels and vibes. It should be required reading because the story is so relevant to this day. It showcases what it feels like to be black in an all-white environment. As well as different perspectives of police brutality.

There are certain fires in history that carry embers to our present. Some of us place them behind a glass case to observe the small flames from afar. Some days, a tentative hand is pressed to the glass and the warmth of the embers ignite a kind of compass to guide our lives by. Then, there comes the day when we inevitably become a part of living history and the screams of injustice vibrate against our safe enclosures. In moments of resolute realization, tentative hands become fists that shatter the glass borders of our extended selves. The embers are cradled, but there is no blood...only fire.


Rodney King, Michelle Cusseaux, Freddie Gray, Janisha Fonville...


These are their names and The Black Kids is their legacy. Read it. Learn it. Remember.

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed is more than just a work of literature. It is a work of history and reflection of just how much our society, and humanity, has yet to go. By allowing readers to see Los Angeles through Ashley Bennett's eyes in 1992, we not only have the opportunity to reflect on our own recent horrors of 2020, but also have the unique privilege of action. Ashley's journey to discover her own sense of identity in a world where she is coming of age in the background of LA's blaze with the effects of police brutality, is laced with the authenticity of adolescence. She is our humane perspective of a faulted world that bases itself on otherism and prejudice that shifts a gaze towards the future of her generation.


Reed's ability to bridge Ashley's life and the political and societal environment that surrounded LA in 1992 speaks directly to the heart and I found myself tabbing passages so that I can return to these inspirational words for future days. Ultimately, The Black Kids is a story laced with the author's love and hope that we can still educate ourselves and find our voices against brutality.

This was a story of a young Black girl, Ashely growing up and finding her voice throughout the backdrop of the Rodney King Riots. Though the book takes place in the 1990's readers will be able to connect a lot of the events to the events of 2020. I expected something really big to happen in the story, but the plot was more about everyday high school life - she wasn't involved in the riots or the protests, but they were still shaping her and her relationships. Occasionally the pacing was slow, but overall it kept my interest. A very timely book and one I would recommend for the high school classroom.

Going into the book I was very excited about this book. Once I started reading the pacing in this book started to bore me. The smart remarks that Ashley friends would say to her and she didn't address annoyed me. Like I said the pacing nothing much was happening besides the riots. Ashley was bland to me. She didn't care about cheating with her so called best friend boyfriend. Unfortunately I didn't have that feeling of wanting to pick this book up all the time when I put it down. I think its important since Rodney King is discussed and there are a lot of teaching moments I just think this fell flat for me.

The Black Kids is a great coming of age story that really captures teenage life in the 90s. It’s impactful with its perspectives during the 1992 Rodney King trial.

This story revolves around Ashely and it’s really about her final months as a senior in high school. She’s just trying to make it through when the Rodney King trial and verdict comes down. She starts to take a different look at her life, at her friends and where she feels like she belongs. Her growth and understanding are really the center of the book. I loved Ashely because she felt like a real teenager to me. That some of her experiences, like the friends drifting apart and even the boy debacle reminded me of High School. Her mistakes don’t make her.

There are so many things in this story that reminded me of high school. There are things that happen like cheating, which I know some people do not like that in books. I know that’s a part of life, it happened to me in High School. Should it happen, of course not. Lots of things shouldn’t happen but I would hope that would not steer you from the book because that’s not the most important message here.

I really liked how there are so many different perspectives. We have Ashely who attends a predominantly white private school and her friends are also all white. There are other black students. Her sister Jo is older and believes in fighting for your rights. She also mentions communism a lot. There is Ashley’s Uncle and Cousin who live in her father’s old neighborhood. Trying to protect their family store from rioters. LaShawn is a scholarship student and star athlete. We get to see what the 1992 LA riots mean to each of this characters and I think it’s so good to read about.

The book is well written and interesting. This is one to pick up.

Absolutely loved this book- and it is perfect for its moment in time. As a 90s kid myself I loved the oozing nostalgia, and I think current teens will too. Some of it might go over their heads, but as a "contemporary historical fiction" this is the perfect setting. The family relationships are difficult and real, the friendships are spot-on for teens. loved it.