Can someone really see the errors of what they were taught and subsequently break through the boundaries that they have inflicted on others?
Ivy lives in a trailer park with her drunk mother and is suffocated by the death of her father. Along with her second-hand wardrobe, she also wears a chip on her shoulder. Her only and best friend is the quirky and lovable Magnus who also happens to live in the trailer park with his grandmother after the death of his parents.
There's a new student this year and he's quite impressive—Alex is smart, good-looking and fit. His mother is an award-winning surgeon and his dad was a famous basketball player. Ivy thinks she's hit the jackpot when she finds out that Alex is her lab partner. He's her ticket to an easy A.
But high school is a cruel place when you don't fit in. Ivy is trailer trash, Magnus is misunderstood, and Alex is the only black kid in the entire school. When the year is up, one of them won't see graduation.
How to Talk to Black People is an in-your-face look at how we view race, how we participate in racism, and how we need to be the catalyst for change. It is a challenge to its reader to do better, be better, and to set a better example.
The note to the reader from the author, as well as the character Letitia, were the most compelling parts of the story. Leticia's poise, grace, and wisdom were both insightful and refreshing given the challenges the author seemed to have with the rest of the writing and by extension, the characters. At times the dialogue was clunky and awkward and it took away from the narrative.
Understandably, the reader is not supposed to like Ivy—it wasn't so much that I didn't like her, I didn't like the way she was written and felt that this was some of the weakest writing from the author. Magnus on the other hand was endearing and reminded me of Duckie from Pretty in Pink, projecting a gay vibe but secretly crushing on his best friend.
Where the author was most successful was with their intent. Writing from one perspective, Ivy's, was effective because all of the focus is on the messages, and there's a lot to unpack. The author doesn't shy away from how they present these weighty topics of racism and classism.
My hope is that the finished product is more polished. In the note to the reader, the author seemed a bit defensive in regards to suggestions by a publishing professional to tone down Ivy and I have to agree. I'm not suggesting that Ivy be changed to be more palatable—I think the author is trying to make their audience uncomfortable on purpose so that the reader is forced to examine their own actions/self. My ask is for the author to be more open to suggestion because the work is rough and there are characters that need work. These things detract from the story instead of enhance it.
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