This was unlike anything I’ve ever read. I’m not sure that is a good thing. 

 

Energy: Devastating. Dogmatic. Intolerant. 

Scene: 🇺🇸 Liberty, a gated suburban community just outside Los Angeles, consisting of 100% Black Americans. 

Perspective: We follow an activist and public defender who focuses on helping young Black Americans caught in a prejudiced system. They are married with a six-year old and expecting their second child. At the urging of their spouse, they agree to move to a gated Black-only community. 

 

🐺 Growls: Chaotic handling of important topics. Ending made me 😭 for all the wrong reasons. Moralizing but in a self-racist way?  

🐕 Howls: One-sided viewpoint with only the unhinged/ignorant characters providing nuanced commentary or alternative viewpoints. One-dimensional main character. 

🐩 Tail Wags: Brave commentary sometimes. The exploration of how utopias are synonymous with lack of diversity and all the resulting pitfalls. Exploration of toxic suburbia.   

 

Jasmyn is overbearing – as a friend, neighbour, spouse, mother… I initially thought the point was to show imperfection of our main character. I love imperfect characters, but Jasmyn’s one-size-fits-all (i.e., My-Thoughts-Are-Facts) style dominates the story. Her criticisms aren’t always wrong, but her personality overshadows their importance; she lost credibility because she used unfair, superficial judgement of others to drive home a point, and that made it feel more like the author was using her to suggest anyone not in alignment with her is inherently wrong or racist.

 

This has hard-hitting critiques of toxic suburbia: how lack of diversity leads to paranoid insular lifestyles. The overprotection of biological family and ‘people like me’ against perceived non-threats was excellent, but it was cross threaded with important topics around racism that made them also feel like perceived non-threats or paranoid overprotection. 

 

The story oversimplifies complex issues and misses out on the opportunity to explore various forms of activism and the diverse experiences and traumas of racism. I wish we had a deeper look from other perspectives, even if they were also morally grey. 

 

The ending was problematic at worst, incomplete at best. I can’t figure out any symbolism or meaning other than that safety and success are unattainable unless one conforms to a White American culture of wealth-driven goals and Us vs Them mentality on a cellular level. It felt like between Jasmyn’s POV and the outcome, this entire book was saying Black people shouldn’t exist. The ending left me devastating and not in meaningful way. I felt like I was tricked into reading propaganda. Did I miss something? Was that the point?  

 

🤓 Reader Role: Deep in Jasmyn’s mind hearing all her thoughts, opinions, and judgements. Almost like we’re having an internal discussion after hearing what characters say or think. 

🗺️ World-Building: I effortlessly imagined the homes and community set by vibe/energy. 

🔥 Fuel: Is this community a utopia or a disaster waiting to happen? What’s with the Wellness Centre that some residents have become so enamored with? Are all the residents Black enough to be there? Why are they suddenly losing interest in protecting others outside their new community? 

📖 Cred: Sci-fi ‘utopian’ realism with over-the-top elements. 

 

Playgrounds. Gold stars. Quiet cars. Incense. Massage. Rays of sunshine. Robes. Screaming. Police bodycam. Tinny news on phone speakers. 

-Controversial commentary about racism, utopias, effects of diversity (or lack thereof), suburbia, isolation, us vs them, and being Black in America. 

-Contemporary fiction about balancing parenthood and a career + moments of psychological and social horror

 

Content Heads-Up: Racism (graphic, on page; police brutality, gun violence, prejudice, dismissal, hatred). Racial slurs, racial profiling. Pregnancy (on page). Betrayal. 

 

Rep: Heterosexual. Lesbian. Cisgender. Black American. Dark and pale brown skin tones. 

 

📚 Format: Library Audio