By: Kiley Reid
Narrated By: Nicole Lewis
This is the highly anticipated debut novel by Kiley Reid. I had avoided this book until now because I don’t like the title, but after deciding that wasn’t a good enough reason, I went forward with listen to it on audible.
This is the story of the dangers of well-intentioned white people. Emira, who is a 25 year old, college grad who is still trying to figure out “what she wants to be when she grows up,” finds herself as a babysitter for an affluent white family who has an adorable and highly inquisitive 3 year old named Briar. At the beginning of the story, Emira is accused of kidnapping Briar at a grocery store, and then we get to watch as the world reacts to this situation. Kelley and Alix offer opposing, yet equally harmful proof that being well-intentioned is often coupled with underlying ideologies that actively cause harm to people of color.
I liked this book a lot.