I really enjoyed Nigeria's exploration of life inside and outside of her father's Black nationalist group, The Movement--definitely a unique perspective that will draw in readers. As always, Zoboi's prose is sparkling and the pace of the book clips along. Highly recommended.

I was familiar with the MOVE happenings in Philly and that was def some inspiration for this novel. I loved American Street by Mz Zoboi so this was everything as well. Nigeria's transition from a young girl, losing innocence and realizing her world wasn't what it seemed, was heartbreaking.

This book was the bomb. The words jumped off the page and took me for a wild ride. This book was so good this is a book was something that i need

Ibi Zobi tells a story of a teenager in Philadelphia who is living life vicariously for her father. Nigeria Sankofa Jones is part of the "Movement," a "Power," to the "People" ideology," that her father wants to live by.
Kofi Sankofa lives by the Black Panther Party's vision and even begins his meetings with honor to the party. Kofi Sankofa is all about writing his books and bringing more people into the "movement But, as Nigeria becomes more aware of things, she realizes that things aren't the way her father has been teaching her.

Natalie, Nigeria's mother, had different ideas for her, Ones that would allow Nigeria to broaden her horizons and show her true intellect.
When Nigera goes to Philly Friends School, she realizes the true meaning of Diversity.

This is a story of Loss, Love, Healing, Understanding, Sacrifice, Pain, Growing, and so much more. Ibi Zobi touches on so many topics, such as race, discrimination, slavery, brutality, reparations, and police brutality,..... yet it doesn't outdo the main point of the book.

I am still at odds with my overall feelings about the book. Based on Kofi's actions, I think a 15 year would be more aware, and I don't know how forgiving they would be. The parent or not!


Thank you, NetGalley/Ibi Zobi/HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray/For this eARC in advance for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

I am not really even sure where to start with this book- there were so many layers and so much history and knowledge dropped that it is hard to find a place to start.
Nigeria is trying to find a place for herself in this world since her mother left. She doesn’t feel that it is with her radical black father who eschews all societal institutions (schools, hospitals, etc) and has made her believe that white people and the majority of the rest of the world are veil. Her place also isn’t at the fancy and predominantly white squeaker school she got into. So where is her home? Can Nigeria find a place to grow and learn and find the best parts of all that she is part of and to begin to change the world?
I enjoyed this book but thought it was WAY too long at almost 400 pages. This author always has insightful and thought provoking ideas in her books.

Zoboi writes so eclectically that it's hard to talk about her as an author of X kind of book because she doesn't write about X topics. This one unequivocally cements that. With the smooth verse in [book:Punching the Air|49151299] she moves back into prose with this past/present/future focused story of Nigeria Jones who steps out of the box that she was in to discover there is so much more she doesn't know but wants to know. Her father, a Black man in a Nationalist movement to create a Black utopia wants one thing, but come to find out, her mother, who has been the face of that movement alongside him has different plans, so when she goes missing, the mini-mystery uncovers the layers of Nigeria's own story of inventing herself.

It's tough enough being a teen girl, a Black teen girl, a homeschooled Black teen girl, but now she's got to figure out what she stands for and whether it's with or against or somehow parallel to her father's convictions.

This is a lot to take in because Zoboi introduces history, both remixed and original. Then there's the cultural angle. And a religious/ideological angle. It's got to be a thoughtful, more well-read teen that can move through the nuances and layers of what Zoboi presents rather than just the surface, shallow reading that would include the majority of teen readership about Nigeria's awakening that they could connect with. The presentation in segments and sections equally fragments and disrupts the flow of the story as it does to set up each defining moment, so I'm undecided about how I feel about it.

This book went so deeply into so many aspects of being black in america. The struggle was real with Nigeria being brought up the way she was. I felt bad that on one side she got so much education and training but, on other aspects of her life basically got told nothing (her mom and family). This showed very detailed many of the obstacles and ups and downs she faced in today's society. This was a great coming of age story. Some parts drove me crazy that it was drawn out but it was all a part of the journey and like life answers and the plot do not come fast and easy. I am glad she found a path to go down for herself the best she could.

I so enjoyed this book, and think YA readers and adults alike would gain so much from reading thoughtfully and carefully. The novel focused on Nigeria Jones, a Black teenager coming of age and wrestling with how she understands her identity as a Black woman, and how the world interacts with her as either Black first or a woman first. The novel expertly presents conflict to the reader without expecting the reader (or the characters) to clarify or solve the conflict. The novel presents complexity and asks the reader to grapple with it as the protagonist does. The writing style would introduce young readers to stylistic choices that further the story and themes if used in the context of a class, but it also stands on its own as a story with a powerful and important meaning. This book is worth every high school having on its shelves.

Nigeria Jones has been raised to be a warrior, a revolutionary, a queen. Her father has dedicated his life to the Movement, and he wants Nigeria by his side as he dismantles white supremacy and forms a new, Black nation. This is the only world Nigeria knows, and until recently it's been the only world she wanted to know. But being in the fight day in and day out is exhausting, and the rest of the city, the state, the country—even with its racism and its injustices, even with white-majority spaces and white privilege—is calling.

Nigeria's story is complicated by the fact that her mother is no longer here, no longer in the Movement. She'd been all in for most of Nigeria's life, but her version of freedom was different than that of her husband, with different dreams: Nigeria in top institutions, with the option to break barriers from within as well as without. (Choices. A lot of the book comes down to choices.) And Nigeria is waiting desperately for her mother to return, but in the meantime she's adrift, with more responsibilities and questions than ever.

Zoboi paints such a nuanced picture here. There's so much that Nigeria wants to be and do—but she's not sure how much of it is available to her, both because the country's institutions were built for white people and because her father is so adamant that she have nothing to do with those institutions. But her father is not the villain, and nor should he be: he is a radical, outspoken in ways that make people uncomfortable, and he is truly doing what he believes is best for his people generally and Nigeria specifically. I *love* that there are so few character-villains here—there are characters who do not stand up when they should, and there are characters who stand up too loudly, and there are characters who make choices or comments rooted in ignorance. There isn't any one person to vanquish over the course of the book, though, and the book is far richer for it—it's not like systemic racism and oppression can be overcome by taking down one character, after all. To that end, I also love how conflicted Nigeria is: she wants some of the things her father has railed against, like education in an excellent but primarily white school, but she is also too much her father's daughter to accept such an environment easily, or to discard the truths that she know. Hers is not a story of discarding one belief system for another but of starting the process of interrogating her beliefs and truths and figuring out for herself what holds up.

There's a reveal near the end (keeping it vague to avoid spoilers!) that I'm not particularly keen on—I could see it coming from some distance away, but as a matter of personal preference I tend to prefer that sort of material to be worked in (and worked through) over the course of a book rather than held back from the reader. No matter how well it is done, I always read it as a bit gimmicky. That said—it *is* very well done here, and heart-wrenching to boot.

Here's hoping that this book makes it into many, many libraries and teenagers' bookshelves.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Imagine being raised to believe that you should separate yourself from white people because of their wrongdoings throughout history and spending every moment of your childhood talking and learning about oppression and racism. That is the life Nigeria Jones has had to live. She's 16, and her father's beliefs are so ingrained in her that it's second nature. She's never considered her dreams or desires so focused on "the movement."

This begins to change when she discovers that her mother no longer wants her to be homeschooled but has been working on getting her into a majority-white, private school. Even considering taking this on is a struggle for Nigeria. How can she be around colonizers in such a large capacity when she's been raised to believe they're not needed in any part of her world?'

This was a great read and made me evaluate my thoughts and beliefs. I tried to put myself in Nigeria's position and consider how I would handle things if I were raised in a similar capacity. This book was a little different from my usual reads this year (fantasy), but I'm glad I got a chance to read it. I was pulled in and enjoyed the storyline. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I'm looking forward to checking out others.

What a heartbreaking and beautiful story. Such an interesting read and definitely worth the time. Excited to see what else comes from this author.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

Ibi Zoboi creates an intriguing portrait in this novel, suitable for young adults and also enjoyable for adults, as well. There is much to learn, explore, and discuss, as well as much to appreciate about this book -- another fascinating work from Zoboi.

4/5 stars! I think this book was well-written and the subject matter was really interesting. It was the kind of book that makes you think, which has me processing my opinion on the contents. This story showed strength and power and Nigeria exhibited so much resilience after learning about the world outside of her compound. It was hard to read about her feeling so torn between everything her father had taught her and everything else there is. It was an important story to have told and I think it is a good YA contemporary novel.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily