Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Shhh…don’t tell Sarah or Carrie or Chanin, but I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice.  And just in case you were wondering, it wasn’t part of our high school curriculum that I “skipped” (looking at you, Great Expectations).  I guess I had just heard too many people complain about Jane Austen and I was too busy reading Andrew Greeley mysteries in my late teens and early 20s to pick up Jane Austen.  Sorry, Jane.

Fast forward to 2020 and my book club goes virtual (you can still drink wine during virtual book club, btw) and chooses Pride by Ibi Zoboi for our monthly selection.  Hailed by Zoboi as “a modern remix of Pride and Prejudice set in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood,” Zoboi introduces us to Zuri, a spunky teen with very opinionated opinions about the new, rich family that renovated the block house and moved in across the street.  We watch Zuri struggle with her own identity, her own prejudices and eventually find her own definition of love. 

I loved Pride.  I loved Zuri’s intensity of wanting to protect her neighborhood and culture from “strangers.”  But then I loved Zuri’s eventual softness and maturity.  Zuri’s personal growth can be a lesson to all of us no matter our age, race, or individual prejudices.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

We do a gift exchange at Christmas with my husband’s somewhat extended family. It’s always fun and interesting to see what we end up with, especially from those who we don’t know as well or maybe just for as long. This year, my name was drawn by my hubby’s step sister’s daughter in law... and we’ve spent some time together and I like her a lot, but we can’t really say that we know each other well.

She gifted me Where the Crawdads Sing with the aside that it was the only thing that had brought her  real joy last year.

I put it off. I tend to liked the straight romances or mystery. I comforted myself with re-reads during the quarantine, and I’ve never been much for what I would call book club books. While I like to think critically in real world situations , I tend to like simpler entertainment where reality doesn’t much intrude.

I finally picked it up the other day, when stuck at home with a wounded foot. And I read it in a matter of hours. And I’m still thinking about it. Perhaps I need to rethink my book prejudices...

This was beautifully written. Coming of age? Check. Romance? Check. Mystery? Check.

Told in flashbacks, but not too jumpy, Kya is a child of a war vet who has taken refuge in a Carolina marsh. Her family life is problematic, to say the very least. We see her turn from a six year old into a young adult. There is a small town murder thrown in. The heartbreak and beauty of her life is so well written that small phrases will just haunt you.

I don’t want to say a lot more. Just read it. Trust me.