THE BLACK KIDS

The final weeks of high school for a wealthy, black teen are marked by the Los Angeles riots.

Ashley and her family are well off—she lives in a large house, has a nanny, and attends a private school with little diversity in the student body. Although there are 12 other black students at her school, she doesn’t hang out with them. Her friends are rich, white, and free with microaggressions. During the last weeks of senior year, their primary concerns are dates for prom, hanging out, and waiting for college acceptance letters. On TV, the trial of four of the police officers who beat Rodney King plays incessantly. When the officers are acquitted and the city erupts in violence, Ashley’s sister joins in the protests, her uncle desperately tries to save her grandmother’s business in the heart of the hot zone, and Ashley struggles to make sense of it all. Before the incident of police brutality toward Rodney King and subsequent lack of justice, Ashley had not explored what it meant to be a young black woman in the social sphere she was traveling in and in the world. Unfortunately, despite this catalyst she remains an underdeveloped character. Even with the memorable setting and explosive moment in time, the novel's struggles with pacing weaken the tension. However, the explorations of race and socio-economic privilege are valuable and will speak to readers who have not previously confronted or thought about these issues.

A timely exploration of ’90s Los Angeles during racial upheaval and one girl's awakening.