We Are Not Like Them ★★★★★

We Are Not Like Them (Click Here To Buy)

★★★★★

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza is a fiction novel about two friends, one Black, one white, whose friendship is tested when the white woman's husband, who is a police officer, kills a Black boy. Each author writes from one of the women's perspectives.

I checked this book out from the library.

Jen and Riley have been best friends since childhood. Jen, who is white, is married to a police officer and pregnant with her first child, which is all she’s ever wanted. Riley, who is Black, works at the local news station where her dream is to become an anchor. When Kevin, Jen’s husband, shoots and kills a 14 year old Black boy, Jen and Reily’s relationship is strained and tested beyond normal limits. Riley is assigned to cover the case at the station and both women struggle to find a way to talk about the racial implications of the situation.

What I loved most about this book is how the authors used the story as a platform to model how discussions about race can be had. Race is something that we need to talk about and the authors do a great job of showing how it’s difficult for individuals who are Black and white and also how we can go about overcoming those difficulties.

If you liked We Are Not Like Them, I also recommend Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

Happy reading -

Ms.Bjork