We Are Not Like Them
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- Create Date：2021-11-11 06:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Christine Pride
- ISBN：1982181036
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Summary
Told from alternating perspectives， an evocative and riveting novel about the lifelong bond between two women， one Black and one white， whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event—a powerful and poignant exploration of race in America today and its devastating impact on ordinary lives。
Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten。 As adults， they remain as close as sisters， though their lives have taken different directions。 Jen married young， and after years of trying， is finally pregnant。 Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia。
But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband， a city police officer， is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager。 Six months pregnant， Jen is in freefall as her future， her husband’s freedom， and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty。 Covering this career-making story， Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community， her ambitions， and her relationship with her lifelong friend。
Like Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things， We Are Not Like Them explores complex questions of race and how they pervade and shape our most intimate spaces in a deeply divided world。 But at its heart， it’s a story of enduring friendship—a love that defies the odds even as it faces its most difficult challenges。
Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten。 As adults， they remain as close as sisters， though their lives have taken different directions。 Jen married young， and after years of trying， is finally pregnant。 Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia。
But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband， a city police officer， is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager。 Six months pregnant， Jen is in freefall as her future， her husband’s freedom， and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty。 Covering this career-making story， Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community， her ambitions， and her relationship with her lifelong friend。
Like Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things， We Are Not Like Them explores complex questions of race and how they pervade and shape our most intimate spaces in a deeply divided world。 But at its heart， it’s a story of enduring friendship—a love that defies the odds even as it faces its most difficult challenges。
Reviews
Katelyn
，
I really appreciated the dual perspectives which I think were enhanced by the dual authorship of the book。 Very timely read， and definitely promotes empathy。
Mary Powell
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I could not put this book down！ It will make you laugh， cry and really think about things from new perspectives。 Two childhood friends， one black and one white， are on differing sides concerning the shooting of a black teenager by the police。 Read this book！！！
Katie Pilling
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If you want to read a book that you hate but can’t stop reading， this is the one。 Raw， Harsh and Emotional。A hard hitting topic that echoes today’s society and forces you to confront your actions and opinions。 I have never disliked characters in a way that still makes me want to read on before。
Cass
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Great read！
Sue
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This is a novel that can truly be called thought-provoking。We Are Not Like Them shows us issues that need highlighting in an unforgettable and emotional way。Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my eARC for review。Authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza seamlessly wrote this book about two friends - one black， one white - whose lives and relationship has been altered by a tragic event。Jen and Riley have been best friends since they were young children。 Jen is married to a cop invo This is a novel that can truly be called thought-provoking。We Are Not Like Them shows us issues that need highlighting in an unforgettable and emotional way。Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my eARC for review。Authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza seamlessly wrote this book about two friends - one black， one white - whose lives and relationship has been altered by a tragic event。Jen and Riley have been best friends since they were young children。 Jen is married to a cop involved in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen。 Riley is an up-and-coming broadcast journalist assigned to the story。The novel is presented in alternating voices， and feels so honest and real - heartbreak on both sides， seemingly without resolution。 Issues of racism and profiling， justice， social equality， gender roles， infertility and motherhood， grief， and the bonds of family and friendship weave through our central characters。 It's insightful and relevant and there is so much food for thought。I can't say enough good about this gem of a book， looking forward to learning more。 Recommended！Released on Oct。 5。 。。。more
Sarah
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There should be more novels tackling this subject matter。 It was a novel I enjoyed reading while simultaneously being completely stressed out by it。 I loved Riley and I liked Jen。 I thought the authors did an excellent job of letting us inhabit their heads and letting us get an inkling of what those lived experiences might be like。 I also felt like this novel only scratched the surface。 This book will， no doubt， be a great jumping off place for people （book clubs） to dig deeper。 While I liked th There should be more novels tackling this subject matter。 It was a novel I enjoyed reading while simultaneously being completely stressed out by it。 I loved Riley and I liked Jen。 I thought the authors did an excellent job of letting us inhabit their heads and letting us get an inkling of what those lived experiences might be like。 I also felt like this novel only scratched the surface。 This book will， no doubt， be a great jumping off place for people （book clubs） to dig deeper。 While I liked this enough to give it 4 stars I did find a few things annoying。 One being that I thought Jen could have been a better friend to Riley。 Jen was clueless at best， selfish and deliberately obtuse at worst。 However， Riley enabled those behaviors in her friend as well。 I had a hard time completely buying the depth of their friendship when they had never really delved into race issues during their "life-long" friendship。 I get Riley not wanting to bring it up all the time and wanting to shield her friend from those topics。 I can likewise see why Jen would stay away from topics that are uncomfortable。 However， we're meant to believe that this is a truly deep and admirable friendship that neither woman wants to lose。 They treat it more like acquaintances who want to keep things friendly and peaceful。 That's not how a true friendship looks， IMO。 Okay， rant over。 All of that said， the author's tackled the difficult feelings of all of the characters involved even if it wasn't to the depth I was hoping for。 They did a great job of showing all sides of the story- even through minor characters。 I have a few other quibbles with the choices they made for the story but this is still a 4 starred book for me overall。 。。。more
Len
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For concept and originality， this could have been great。For execution， that wasn't the case and is the reason I can only give it 3 stars （and even that is pushing it）。This could have been a genuine exploration of both sides， a "what would I do？ what would I think？" quandary that would have， no doubt kept book clubs chatting for hours。Would the average reader have been able to say to themselves "I can see both sides of the issue here"， this could have been a great addition to novels speaking of t For concept and originality， this could have been great。For execution， that wasn't the case and is the reason I can only give it 3 stars （and even that is pushing it）。This could have been a genuine exploration of both sides， a "what would I do？ what would I think？" quandary that would have， no doubt kept book clubs chatting for hours。Would the average reader have been able to say to themselves "I can see both sides of the issue here"， this could have been a great addition to novels speaking of the current times。But that's not what we have in this novel。 Jen and her entire side of the story are so one-dimensional， clearly racist， and probably 'white trash'， with Jen as little more than a user of her friend Riley and therein lies the crux of the problem - the story is incredibly unbalanced。While this could have been a subtle and nuanced look at race that challenges the reader to understand that there are sometimes 2 sides to a story or issue， the battle lines have been so clearly drawn from the beginning with fairly obvious villains as to allow for no nuance， no understanding that people have different ways of looking at things， because the Jen character， and those of her family， are so unlikeable to begin with。This could have been better， could have been much more thought-provoking and challenging if it had just been played a bit less heavy-handedly。 。。。more
Colette
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Hard to review as I have mixed emotions。 Explores the factors affecting black and white friends especially when crisis happens
Anne B。 Kennedy
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Amazing！ Truly a great story。 Gave me a new perspective about race relations。 Thank you so much。 Any more by these amazing authors？
Alexandrea Stephens
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It was okay。 I enjoyed the dual perspectives and the dual authors gave a fresh feeling to it。 However it is a heavy topic and the story felt like it was done， okay？ But without much depth for such a heavy topic。 And like there were too many moving parts。
Zoë Hurt
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4。5 ⭐️ I feel so seen！well done。 These authors tackled the complexities， frustration （and sometimes joy） that comes from discussing race with those that have different life experiences from you。 As a Black woman， there were so many moments where I found common ground with Riley and her family， and where I appreciated hearing Jen’s perspective and seeing her grow and work through her own stuff （even if her viewpoints were sometimes frustrating and unfair）。 I liked that this book shared both women 4。5 ⭐️ I feel so seen！well done。 These authors tackled the complexities， frustration （and sometimes joy） that comes from discussing race with those that have different life experiences from you。 As a Black woman， there were so many moments where I found common ground with Riley and her family， and where I appreciated hearing Jen’s perspective and seeing her grow and work through her own stuff （even if her viewpoints were sometimes frustrating and unfair）。 I liked that this book shared both women’s perspectives。 While I think this story could have been successfully told from Riley’s perspective alone， it was valuable to get an inside look at Jen’s life as well。 It wasn’t always fun to read her p。o。v （since I have very little in common with her life）， but I think Jen’s chapters helped to humanize her character。 I also really appreciate how this book started and ended with Justin and Tamara， two characters who deserved to be centered and represent so many other families that have become victim to police brutality。 ••••🏆“Riley had once tried to explain this particular mindfuck to me: you could never be sure what was about race and what wasn’t， so you always had to second-guess yourself （Was that because I’m Black？）。” 。。。more
Kelly Veatch
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This was a really， really good， thought-provoking book！
Mary Anne
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Important read， but could have taken us so much further in discussing both the inner angst of the white woman when confronting her husband's actions， and the nuances of the relationship between the women。 Important read， but could have taken us so much further in discussing both the inner angst of the white woman when confronting her husband's actions， and the nuances of the relationship between the women。 。。。more
Iona
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Grateful to NetGalley for the chance to read this book！
Kathy
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Jen and Riley: best friends until Jen's husband， a policeman shoots a black teenager in a split second mistaken identity situation。 Riley a newscaster in Philadelphia is covering the story and is having concerns with her best friend and suddenly the racial inequality is pervasive in their relationship。This reads like a Jodie Piccoult novel。 A pertinent， contemporary discourse on a particular subject that seems to more about making commentary than developing a compelling narrative。 Jen and Riley: best friends until Jen's husband， a policeman shoots a black teenager in a split second mistaken identity situation。 Riley a newscaster in Philadelphia is covering the story and is having concerns with her best friend and suddenly the racial inequality is pervasive in their relationship。This reads like a Jodie Piccoult novel。 A pertinent， contemporary discourse on a particular subject that seems to more about making commentary than developing a compelling narrative。 。。。more
Kristine Mckenna
，
In the US， we are not a color blind society。 There is such a long history of damage that we have inflicted， sometimes it feels as if this can never be healed。 Sometimes， I wonder if many people do not want healing and are dismissive of a discussion that we can not just look away from。 This is a book about two best friends， Riley and Jen。 One is black and the other is white。 They have a long history， having been friends since Kindergarten。 That matters， but is it enough when Jen’s husband shoots In the US， we are not a color blind society。 There is such a long history of damage that we have inflicted， sometimes it feels as if this can never be healed。 Sometimes， I wonder if many people do not want healing and are dismissive of a discussion that we can not just look away from。 This is a book about two best friends， Riley and Jen。 One is black and the other is white。 They have a long history， having been friends since Kindergarten。 That matters， but is it enough when Jen’s husband shoots a 14 year old black boy？ It brings all the cracks in their friendship and forces them to confront who they are and if it’s possible to continue their friendship。 I think this book was excellently presented and felt quite honest about how hard this was going to be。 Yet， perhaps there is hope that each can truly see the other and have a more honest relationship。 You see the flaws and strengths each has， and also the enormous role our culture plays in making a lasting connection so difficult。 Yet， I routed for each of them。 Can they find their equilibrium again？ Loved two hand squeeze。 。。。more
Marisa Hossick
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This book is outstanding。 Required reading for anyone looking to increase their capacity for empathy and understanding of justice。
Garner Ellison
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I don’t know exactly what I expected for the ending of this book， but I will say I was disappointed with the lack of growth and lack of humility that Jen displayed。 However， upon further thought， I think that’s the authors’ point entirely。 The book was written in a way that allows readers to confront difficult topics， but I do think there is more to be desired regarding the depth the authors could have gone into。 All in all， the book is a great read and beautifully displays how some friendships， I don’t know exactly what I expected for the ending of this book， but I will say I was disappointed with the lack of growth and lack of humility that Jen displayed。 However， upon further thought， I think that’s the authors’ point entirely。 The book was written in a way that allows readers to confront difficult topics， but I do think there is more to be desired regarding the depth the authors could have gone into。 All in all， the book is a great read and beautifully displays how some friendships， even the best of friendships， can be completely one-sided and unhealthy， regardless of how much love the friends share for one another。 。。。more
Whitney Gaston
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This book was very modern and relevant to everything our world is going through now。 But I kept waiting for something to happen。 I like the social commentary it was going for but I never felt like there was a resolution or lesson that came from the events of the story。 Everyone just kind of went about their life and nothing really changed。 I will be interested to hear what others think！
Katie
，
DNF
JoAnne Boncher
，
👮🏼♂️👮🏼♂️👮🏼♂️。5Very compelling plot。。。with so many places to get stuck or do damage to a family or relationship。 What is bravery， loyalty， what does support look like？Questions that swirled thru the plot。The writing was not fine literature。。。more beachy。 However， the plot gave me pause to think。
Lisa Mcbroom
，
Riley is a high profile African American newscaster。 Jenny is a white woman married to an police officer。 Riley and Jenny have been best friends since childhood。 When Kevin （Jenny's husband） and his partner accidentally shoot an unarmed teenager， Riley is assigned the story and puts her friendship with Jenny in jeopardy。 Riley is a high profile African American newscaster。 Jenny is a white woman married to an police officer。 Riley and Jenny have been best friends since childhood。 When Kevin （Jenny's husband） and his partner accidentally shoot an unarmed teenager， Riley is assigned the story and puts her friendship with Jenny in jeopardy。 。。。more
Ran
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3。75I appreciated the two different perspectives by these two friends， all the tangled complexities that surround the challenges of having deep friendships across the race/cultures lines， lines that seems like it shouldn’t be but the reality is otherwise。 I also loved that it has Philly as its backdrop
Penny
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This book is a "must read" in America today。 Both sides of race relations are reflected in a true， raw， real and relatable way。 It forces us to dig deep。。。 Think。。。。 Reflect。 Make a committed effort to do better。 BE better。 This book is so very RELEVANT to the problems America is facing today。。。 and the Change our country needs。 This book is a "must read" in America today。 Both sides of race relations are reflected in a true， raw， real and relatable way。 It forces us to dig deep。。。 Think。。。。 Reflect。 Make a committed effort to do better。 BE better。 This book is so very RELEVANT to the problems America is facing today。。。 and the Change our country needs。 。。。more
Kerleisha
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ending fell a little short for me， especially considering how thought provoking the first half of the book was。 I think there were some really interesting character developments brought up that were not explored as much as they could’ve been。 Still， for a good portion of the book， an interesting read for someone with some significant childhood interracial friendships。 （view spoiler）[I’m still not sure if Jen is actually going to take anything away from all this。 Kevin’s microagressions were neve Ending fell a little short for me， especially considering how thought provoking the first half of the book was。 I think there were some really interesting character developments brought up that were not explored as much as they could’ve been。 Still， for a good portion of the book， an interesting read for someone with some significant childhood interracial friendships。 （view spoiler）[I’m still not sure if Jen is actually going to take anything away from all this。 Kevin’s microagressions were never addressed。 I’m sure Cory [sp] is a perfectly nice guy， but that layer of the book was absolutely unnecessary and there was really nothing of note in their relationship for me to grab on to and root for them。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Jenn （burlingtonbibliophagist）
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Book ReviewWe are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo PiazzaThanks to @simonandschusterca @atria and @netgalley for my gifted ebook in return for an honest reviewThis book was refreshingly honest about interracial relationships。 The bias， the privilege， the allyship; the bigotry…all of it。 The authors pull no punches giving the reader insight into both perspectives。 This is possible because these 2 amazing authors collaborated to make it possible。 To address the unsaid comments and thoughts Book ReviewWe are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo PiazzaThanks to @simonandschusterca @atria and @netgalley for my gifted ebook in return for an honest reviewThis book was refreshingly honest about interracial relationships。 The bias， the privilege， the allyship; the bigotry…all of it。 The authors pull no punches giving the reader insight into both perspectives。 This is possible because these 2 amazing authors collaborated to make it possible。 To address the unsaid comments and thoughts one has in an interracial friendship。 To share a glimpse to the hidden social etiquette of dos and don’ts。 These authors boldly traverse current events including the idea of the “blue brotherhood” in the police force， racial profiling， and gender biases in the workforce。 They don’t stop there， they also tackle infertility， the bonds of female friendship， loss， life， and family history。 This book was messy。 There were no clear answers。 No simple resolution。 No fairy tale happy ending。 No winners。It is honest。 It is insightful。 It is relevant。 It is needed。 My thanks to these talented authors。 I cant wait to discuss this book。 To talk。 To ask questions。 To listen， and learn。 。。。more
Linda Kelly
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This book captures the nuances of race within friendship， and the intense mother’s love for her child。 The many facets of race and white privilege are intertwined within the story in such a way that I felt sorry for most of the characters。
Christi Parks
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One of the best I’ve read this year。 This is a novel that stays with you。
Mainlinebooker
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Yes， there are little quibbles that I could make about this novel， but I ADORED this book。 So timely， with fleshed out characters that were achingly alive。 Filled with issues of friendship， racial division， loyalties and betrayals， police brutality and its insular nature， and pregnancy difficulties， this well-timed novel is set in Philadelphia。 Because I live there， many of the sites mentioned and issues pursued felt very familiar to me。 Jo， a white girl born to an unloving mother， takes refuge Yes， there are little quibbles that I could make about this novel， but I ADORED this book。 So timely， with fleshed out characters that were achingly alive。 Filled with issues of friendship， racial division， loyalties and betrayals， police brutality and its insular nature， and pregnancy difficulties， this well-timed novel is set in Philadelphia。 Because I live there， many of the sites mentioned and issues pursued felt very familiar to me。 Jo， a white girl born to an unloving mother， takes refuge in her best friend's family from when they were very little。 This lifetime deep friendship between Jo and Lily is at the crux of the story。 Told by the characters in alternating chapters， we get to dive deeply into the interior of their lives， physically and emotionally。 Jo is a homemaker pregnant with a child conceived by IVF and married to a cop。 Riley is a black newscaster at the local station who has big dreams of upward mobility and whose ex-boyfriend was white。 When a 14 year old innocent black boy is accidentally shot by Jo's husband tensions skyrocket。 Jo is devastated for the child and her husband and the hate rhetoric she is exposed to 。 For Riley， this could be one of the biggest stories for her but doing so， she would be forced to forsake her friend。 Meanwhile， she becomes increasingly angry about overall race inhumanity as she becomes the spokesperson for the Philadelphia black community。 How they cope with this devastation and how it resolved is the answer the reader will be anxious to envisage。 。。。more
Lisa
，
The plot and well-developed characters kept me interested in this novel and I thought it generally was a good read。 Maybe it will bring some people into the discussion about race that they need to consider。 Perhaps people uncomfortable with talking about systemic racism will be more comfortable beginning here。 But this addresses only the early beginning of the discussion。 An innocent young man was murdered yet his story was in the background while a petty， shallow “friendship” was in the foregro The plot and well-developed characters kept me interested in this novel and I thought it generally was a good read。 Maybe it will bring some people into the discussion about race that they need to consider。 Perhaps people uncomfortable with talking about systemic racism will be more comfortable beginning here。 But this addresses only the early beginning of the discussion。 An innocent young man was murdered yet his story was in the background while a petty， shallow “friendship” was in the foreground。 I wasn’t comfortable with this prioritization。 The white couple was portrayed as victims although the grieving mother should have been the surviving victim here。 The class difference between the two characters divided them maybe as much as the race difference。 The white woman took advantage of her friend in a way that showed her privilege even though she came from a lower class。 Much of this book was shallow and cringe worthy。 But maybe it can start a discussion among people that don’t need to think about racism。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=We Are Not Like Them
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=We Are Not Like Them&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,We Are Not Like Them&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0