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.
