Young Adult

The Black Kids

The Black Kids

  • Downloads：2020
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-02 09:54:27
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Christina Hammonds Reed
  • ISBN：1471188191
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Perfect for fans of The Hate U Give， this unforgettable coming-of-age debut novel is a unflinching exploration of race， class， and violence as well as the importance of being true to yourself。

Los Angeles， 1992

Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life。 It’s the end of high school and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom。 They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer。

But everything changes one afternoon in April， when four police officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death。 Suddenly， Ashley’s not just one of the girls。 She’s one of the black kids。

As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns， Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal。 Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots。 Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble。 Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid， LaShawn Johnson。

With her world splintering around her， Ashley， along with the rest of LA， is left to question who is the us？ And who is the them？

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Reviews

CHANDLER ，

Was not expecting this to take place in the 80s but I love it。 The highs and lows were very moving and realistic。 RECOMMEND 👸🏾👸🏾👸🏾👸🏾👸🏾👸🏾

Kelly ，

"It's like the riots pulled focus from one Los Angeles to the other， but it's all part of the same photo， if you're looking。 Always has been。 The palm trees and the pain， the triumph and the trauma—all of us， one big beating heart。 The' real Los Angeles。' The 'real America。'"Wooooooow。 This YA novel follows a Black girl from an affluent family before， during， and after the riots that followed the acquittal of the cops who savagely beat Rodney King。 It's a coming of age with a unique voice， and I "It's like the riots pulled focus from one Los Angeles to the other， but it's all part of the same photo， if you're looking。 Always has been。 The palm trees and the pain， the triumph and the trauma—all of us， one big beating heart。 The' real Los Angeles。' The 'real America。'"Wooooooow。 This YA novel follows a Black girl from an affluent family before， during， and after the riots that followed the acquittal of the cops who savagely beat Rodney King。 It's a coming of age with a unique voice， and I cannot say enough good about this one。 It was verrrry close to a five start for me。 。。。more

Allie York ，

it's hard to remember that this book was set nearly 30 years ago and things haven't changed nearly enough。。。。 It's relevant。 Beautifully written。 Definite five stars。 it's hard to remember that this book was set nearly 30 years ago and things haven't changed nearly enough。。。。 It's relevant。 Beautifully written。 Definite five stars。 。。。more

Brenda Morris ，

Ashley's coming of age captures so much honesty about life for teenage girls and especially teenage black girls in a white society。 White readers like me might relate to the attempts to shield us from the realities of racism， although clearly my experiences were not as difficult as Ashley's and her family's。 I really enjoyed how the family secrets were revealed and how the backdrop of the riots over the Rodney King verdict intrudes more and more into the story。 I also enjoyed how the characters Ashley's coming of age captures so much honesty about life for teenage girls and especially teenage black girls in a white society。 White readers like me might relate to the attempts to shield us from the realities of racism， although clearly my experiences were not as difficult as Ashley's and her family's。 I really enjoyed how the family secrets were revealed and how the backdrop of the riots over the Rodney King verdict intrudes more and more into the story。 I also enjoyed how the characters are developed and how Ashley grows throughout the story。 There is one paragraph where Ashley finally comes to grips with truths she hadn't fully confronted before that feels a little bit preachy， but that's a minor complaint in a novel that is overall compelling， authentic， and insightful。 Additionally， this novel is crafted in a way that would really lend itself to high school literature study with some beautiful imagery， symbolism， and structure。 。。。more

Lyse ，

3。5⭐️

Erica Greathouse ，

I would definitely recommend this book， especially if you wish to diversify your reading。 The story takes place in the 1990s LA， dealing with social injustice and racial inequality。 I feel that it was an interesting concept， with the main character being a female black teenager who has been somewhat sheltered from the realities of racial inequality going on around her。 I felt that there were moments where the writing style kind of had me confused because it does jump around a bit。 However， I fee I would definitely recommend this book， especially if you wish to diversify your reading。 The story takes place in the 1990s LA， dealing with social injustice and racial inequality。 I feel that it was an interesting concept， with the main character being a female black teenager who has been somewhat sheltered from the realities of racial inequality going on around her。 I felt that there were moments where the writing style kind of had me confused because it does jump around a bit。 However， I feel like it was a great story and I’m glad that I read it。 。。。more

Sara Barnes ，

The Black Kids meets The Hate U Give。 A very enjoyable story， but I kept waiting for that big moment and I didn’t get that。

Candace ，

Thank you so much for making a Candace that isn’t a stripper， hooker or murderer。 This book was fantastic。 However， I did find the ending happened abruptly。

Amy Watkins ，

Beautiful bookThis book was amazing。 It is a must read。 It talks about a well to do black family who lives in la during the Rodney king verdict。 The main character battles with who she is - torn between relating with the fortunate and struggling。 There are several thought provoking points written throughout the book that gives you pertinent insights。 Wonderful book。

Ashli Hughes ，

This was such an emotional book to read， because the events that occur aren’t just fiction。 They happen， to so many people of colour throughout the world and its heartbreaking。 This story is so beautifully written， with such detailed accounts of events history would rather you forget。 With different perspectives of class and how race can combine with that to create different situations。 Honestly， I was gripped from the moment I picked it up， it was beautiful to read。 Ashley， the main character， This was such an emotional book to read， because the events that occur aren’t just fiction。 They happen， to so many people of colour throughout the world and its heartbreaking。 This story is so beautifully written， with such detailed accounts of events history would rather you forget。 With different perspectives of class and how race can combine with that to create different situations。 Honestly， I was gripped from the moment I picked it up， it was beautiful to read。 Ashley， the main character， had so much growth throughout this book and it was amazing to read。 Realising that even though she was raised surrounded by white people， she’s still a person of colour with a heartbreaking history that is hers。 Watching her in-learn her own behaviours， accept herself and present boundaries was so amazing to read- she was a great character to have the book based around。 I really enjoyed the writing style of this book too， it was really unique and kind of made you feel as though you were in a haze， reminiscing old memories you wish you would have forgotten。 I think this is a really important book to read， and an enjoyable one too。 。。。more

Laura ，

Ce livre young-adult engagé est une lecture forte ！ Avec cette histoire forte et poignante Christina Hammonds Reed nous parle de nombreux sujets autour du racisme （colorisme， micro-agresssion， traitement de la société，。。。）。 C'est un livre nécessaire qui permet aux lecteurs de s'éduquer sur des sujets complexes。 Beaucoup de sujets diverses qui remuent et font réfléchir。 Ce livre young-adult engagé est une lecture forte ！ Avec cette histoire forte et poignante Christina Hammonds Reed nous parle de nombreux sujets autour du racisme （colorisme， micro-agresssion， traitement de la société，。。。）。 C'est un livre nécessaire qui permet aux lecteurs de s'éduquer sur des sujets complexes。 Beaucoup de sujets diverses qui remuent et font réfléchir。 。。。more

Ashley ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I feel so very conflicted about this book。 I really wanted to absolutely love this one。 I mean， the character shares my first name （Ashley， that oh-so quintessential 90s name） and it takes place during the 1990s。 As a true 90s kid having been born in 1990， I thought this would delve deep into nostalgia （though I was really way too young to have any inkling of what was going on during the Rodney King riots）。 I mean， it did， but I wanted to like this book for so many more reasons than that。 The B I feel so very conflicted about this book。 I really wanted to absolutely love this one。 I mean， the character shares my first name （Ashley， that oh-so quintessential 90s name） and it takes place during the 1990s。 As a true 90s kid having been born in 1990， I thought this would delve deep into nostalgia （though I was really way too young to have any inkling of what was going on during the Rodney King riots）。 I mean， it did， but I wanted to like this book for so many more reasons than that。 The Black Kids follows Ashley Bennett， a sheltered high school senior who only has thoughts about where she's going to college， her friends， and the forbidden boy she has feelings for during the spring of 1992 when the cops who brutally beat Rodney King are acquitted。 Meanwhile， Ashley's troubled sister， Jo， finds herself in the middle of the events that occur。 I was truly let down by Ashley （and by default her parents） even though I did relate to her a bit。 She was completely frustrating。 She is a Black girl growing up in a suburban neighborhood and goes to a mostly white private school with her three white friends: Heather， Courtney， and Kimberly。 There came a point that I wanted Ashley to go off on these girls for their endless microaggressions。 For example， one of her so-called friends calls her a Negress and says 'Women are the n****** of the world'。 I wanted Ashley to correct her， but she never does。 Another one of her friends is just rude from the get go but she gradually starts to say some things that definitely left me wanting to jump in the book and punch her。 One scene culminates with this "friend" calling Ashley the 'N' word for something that Ashley did （that admittedly was really crappy） but Ashley feels she deserves it。 By 'it'， it's never specified if Ashley believes she deserves to be called the 'N' word and that just didn't sit right with me。Her parents were annoying in that they told her nothing about racism or anything related to that because they wanted to protect her and her sister from the world。 In all actuality， they did her a disservice。 Ashley starts hanging out with the titular Black kids for the last couple chapters of the book。 I would have loved to Ashley start this transition much earlier than that。 I mean， Ashley does a lot more than not stand up for herself or her Blackness to her friends。 She is in a cheating relationship and she starts a rumor about one of her classmates that almost costs them their future （which I felt was forgiven much too quickly）。 By the time Ashley really started to grow on me and come into her own， the book was over。 The 1992 Los Angeles riots remain in the background and hardly comes into Ashley's thoughts until it has a major impact on her towards the end of the novel。 I really wish I would have seen more of what was going on。 I understand the book was probably meant to explain that nothing has changed since 1992 but this book could have totally taken place in present-day and nothing about its message would have been lost。 What really made the story were the side characters。I really wish this book had been her sister， Jo's， story and had been elevated to maybe a New Adult setting。 Honestly， it felt more Jo's story than Ashley's in most places。 It would have added so much depth to read about a young Black woman who is mentally ill during such a poignant time in American history。 I think the book was right on the money with how much mental illness is a stigma in the Black community。 Usually， you're supposed to just pray about your problems and seeking therapy？ That wasn't the done thing。 The way Ashley's parents treated Jo made me so angry。 They never truly tried to understand her。 I also loved LaShawn， Lucia， and Lana。 Lucia is Ashley's nanny from Guatemala who is basically for the most of the novel more of a mother than Ashley's actual mother。 LaShawn and Lana are new friends that I enjoyed every moment they were on the page。 The other reason: Reed's writing。 Oh， the prose in this novel was just lovely。 There were a lot of truths that Reed wrote in this book that I found myself nodded my head to。 Here are a few examples:"'When you go out thee in the world， you're not just you， Ashley，" my grandma Opal said one summer while she braided my hair into four long strands that she embellished with yellow ribbons， "you're all of us， your family， black folks。 You have to be better than those white kids around you。 It's not fair， but that's the way it is。" （pg。 24， Scribd edition）"If all the heroes in our stories are white， what does that make us？" （pg。 99， Scribd edition）One plotline does not have any resolution， and I have seen many other reviewers say they wished they had one， but I kind of don't。 It was obvious to me that Ashley （despite being an avid particpant） was kind of being used in that situation and that this boy was never truly into her in the first place。 To me， it felt like this dude was just into her because she was some exotic unknown and after he got what he wanted， he disappeared off the face of the earth。 It was actually realistic。 Like I said， I was really conflicted about this one。 For a while， I loved it， then I couldn't pick it back up again， and then I liked it。 I'm kind of hoping we get a follow up about Jo from her perspective。 I would totally buy that。 This book had some thought-provoking moments that I did appreciate and I loved the side characters， but Ashley was just。。。ugh。 I really do wish I liked this one more than I did。 。。。more

Niquita Utrera ，

I really enjoyed this book！ I love when fictional stories intertwine with actual events and I've never seen it done with the L。A。 riots that happened in the early nineties before。 This story is so well balanced and the music mentioned in the story brought back so many good memories。 I really enjoyed this book！ I love when fictional stories intertwine with actual events and I've never seen it done with the L。A。 riots that happened in the early nineties before。 This story is so well balanced and the music mentioned in the story brought back so many good memories。 。。。more

Amanda ，

4。5/5

Clare Snow ，

"Protesting isn't supposed to be easy。 Revolution isn't easy。 Not when you're trying to dismantle an entire system。" "Protesting isn't supposed to be easy。 Revolution isn't easy。 Not when you're trying to dismantle an entire system。" 。。。more

Zaquira ，

Everything a young person could be be feeling is ingrained in this book。 A fantastic read that I highly recommend。

Morgan ，

This book proves that things have not changed。

LaPommequirougit ，

https://lapommequirougit。com/2021/06/。。。Déjà， dès que j’ai vu le titre et le résumé， j’ai été directement excité par le message qui voulait être transmis ici。 De plus， une fois que je l’ai lu， cela n’a fait que se confirmer， page après page ！Nous nous retrouvons à los Angeles en 1992。 Nous suivons le personnage d’Ashley， une adolescente de dix-sept ans， Afro-américaine。 Elle a une vie plutôt paisible， sans souci et elle se pensait hors d’atteinte de tous ses préjugés racistes dont certains étaie https://lapommequirougit。com/2021/06/。。。Déjà， dès que j’ai vu le titre et le résumé， j’ai été directement excité par le message qui voulait être transmis ici。 De plus， une fois que je l’ai lu， cela n’a fait que se confirmer， page après page ！Nous nous retrouvons à los Angeles en 1992。 Nous suivons le personnage d’Ashley， une adolescente de dix-sept ans， Afro-américaine。 Elle a une vie plutôt paisible， sans souci et elle se pensait hors d’atteinte de tous ses préjugés racistes dont certains étaient victimes。 Pourtant petit à petit， cette dernière va ouvrir les yeux sur la dure réalité。 Comment Ashley va-t-elle réagir face à cela ？L’histoire est aussi magnifique que le message qu’elle véhicule。 Le roman est accrocheur et on se laisse porter par la plume de l’autrice。 De plus， elle transmet dans ce roman des valeurs que je défens que trop bien depuis des années， le fait que les mots peuvent blesser， même s’ils ne sont pas dit dans ce but-là。 Ici， on y montre l’impact qu’une soi-disant blague peut avoir， on y met avant qu’une blague n’en est pas une si tu es le seul à rire， elle met en avant énormément de type de discrimination dans ce titre。De plus， ce roman est une mine d’informations sur le contexte historique à travers de petites notes qu’on retrouve en bas de pageEn bref， c’est une lecture addictive。 Exactement le genre d’histoire que j’aime。 Engagé et transmettant un message。 Fort et poignant， ce titre saura， j’en suis sûr， en séduire plus d’un ！ 。。。more

Louise ，

A good and powerful story - I prefered reading about the friendship between the girls over the love interests， but all in all I enjoyed everything。

Melanie ，

I absolutely loved Christina Hammonds Reed's writing style and therefore fell in love with this book right away。 Her use of language will carry you throughout the story and really makes you feel like you're in the middle of Los Angeles in the 90s。 The main character's， Ashley's， character development is quite beautiful to watch and throughout the storyline you'll be able to identify yourself with her （no matter your skin color） and you'll be able to feel her pain as she watches her entire belief I absolutely loved Christina Hammonds Reed's writing style and therefore fell in love with this book right away。 Her use of language will carry you throughout the story and really makes you feel like you're in the middle of Los Angeles in the 90s。 The main character's， Ashley's， character development is quite beautiful to watch and throughout the storyline you'll be able to identify yourself with her （no matter your skin color） and you'll be able to feel her pain as she watches her entire belief system crumble apart。 Definitely recommend it。 。。。more

Vuma Lillian （the diaspora reader） ，

Dnf at page 159。 It's not for me。 This book feels so predictable。 There's an extent where the MC keeps repeating herself， and the concepts are clearly present in books that have come before。 Last， there’s not much to the characters outside the tropes the author established very early on。 It's all just a little too distant for me。 Dnf at page 159。 It's not for me。 This book feels so predictable。 There's an extent where the MC keeps repeating herself， and the concepts are clearly present in books that have come before。 Last， there’s not much to the characters outside the tropes the author established very early on。 It's all just a little too distant for me。 。。。more

Amie ，

The last two chapters were SO good， unfortunately the rest of the story was just meh for me。

Aeriel ，

READ IT NOW ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

Cheriee Weichel ，

Set against the backdrop of the Rodney King riots in LA， the story focuses on the life of a privileged black girl。 Ashley Bennett is one of a handful of black kids attending a prestigious private school。 All of her friends are white。 Her older sister has dropped out of college， married a white construction worker， and become a communist。 This complex narrative shows readers that no matter how successful black people become， no matter how much they try to shelter their children， ultimately racism Set against the backdrop of the Rodney King riots in LA， the story focuses on the life of a privileged black girl。 Ashley Bennett is one of a handful of black kids attending a prestigious private school。 All of her friends are white。 Her older sister has dropped out of college， married a white construction worker， and become a communist。 This complex narrative shows readers that no matter how successful black people become， no matter how much they try to shelter their children， ultimately racism is inescapable。 Reed provides us with a cast of authentic individuals。 I really appreciated how rich， complicated and layered all her characters are。 I loved this quote。"You can’t tell people to pull up on bootstraps when half of them never had any boots to begin with， never even had the chance to get them。" 。。。more

RoRo ，

4。75 stars

Courtney ，

Wow！ What a gem of a book！ Straight to my classroom library。 4。5 ✨

Hannah Johnson ，

This is a story of finding your identity through tragedy。 It is definitely a coming of age story。 The 90s references， though a lot of them went over my head because I was born in 96， were fun。 I appreciated having the chance to watch Ashley grow and find herself

Lisa C。 ，

Probably 3。5。 I saw this book and was intrigued， as I was living in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots。 Though I was a 20 something white girl experiencing the events from a different perspective， her description of the city， before， during and after， was spot on。 There seemed to be a few loose ends when the story was finished， but a strong debut all the same。

Malisa Spencer ，

I wanted to like this but I struggled to really ever care about the character and her problems。 The climax was very anti-climatic and the way she deals with the whole thing afterward， though probably realistic to highschoolers， just left me bored。

Iselin ，

You know when a book is so important that that very fact takes precedence to it being。。。 good？ Enjoyable？ That was what this book was for me。 It’s not a masterpiece， but it’s so imporant that you read it anyway。In the beginning， this book dragged on to no end。 I was annoyed， frustrated and didn’t want to read on。 Then it started picking up when the riots finally began。I knew very little about the Rodney King riots in LA in 1992 before this。 It was fascinating learning about the beatings of the t You know when a book is so important that that very fact takes precedence to it being。。。 good？ Enjoyable？ That was what this book was for me。 It’s not a masterpiece， but it’s so imporant that you read it anyway。In the beginning， this book dragged on to no end。 I was annoyed， frustrated and didn’t want to read on。 Then it started picking up when the riots finally began。I knew very little about the Rodney King riots in LA in 1992 before this。 It was fascinating learning about the beatings of the truckdrivers， the destruction of Koreatown and the "rooftop Koreans" and the lootings and arson that destroyed so many black businesses （and more。）Themes this book touches on: black people having to be better than white people because they’re held to a different standard， white people seeing a black person and immediately drawing a gun （we love shooting out some racists’ tires in this household，） racist police， how riots impact poor black people’s businesses too， being black and rich vs。 being black and poor， how black children don’t get to be children for very long， how even when black people become rich， they’re still black and therefore still disadvantaged。 It was all very interesting and educational for me as a white person。Ashley’s white friends were。。。 awful。 Just straight up。 It didn’t sit well with me how cheating was almost equated with calling someone the n-word。 When you cheat on one person you dont cheat on every person。 When you call one black person the n-word， you call all black people the n-word。 Those two are not compareable in the slightest。How there hasn’t been a second civil war in America I don’t know。 I’ll end this with a suggestion （a quote from a dumb movie I personally like）: "Power to the people。 Stick it to the man。" 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Black Kids

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Black Kids&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Black Kids&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0