Final Thoughts on "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi

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     I really enjoyed this book. My favorite aspect of it was probably the character of Papa Legba and the shroud of mystery that surrounds both him and the gun used to kill Dray. The little magic mixed in with more serious problems in society was a nice touch. Besides that, I think that the way the author introduced more and more backstory and personality of each character was so effective and made me want to know more. 

    The only thing that did not satisfy me was Fabiola's character at times and how naive and hasty she was at making vital decisions. She should have known better, considering the fact that she did grow up fighting and constantly having to look out not only for herself but for her mother as well. Yes, she is just a teen, but being exposed to the things she was exposed to in Haiti would still prepare her more than perhaps a typical American adolescent. 

    Now, when it comes to issues that were addressed in the novel, they were portrayed spectacularly. I know we all feel for both Fabiola and Kasim (and maybe even Dray) in the end, but the fact that this story did not end in butterflies and rainbows, instead showing the consequences of risky decisions taken because of poverty, a sense of obligation, peer pressure, and, most likely, police brutality, makes it so much more real and impactful to me. 

    I did like "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" more and I feel like it has to do with how likable the main character is to me and the dark humor was a huge seller as well. "American Street" is more suitable for the classroom though, in my opinion. I know that when we talked about it in class, everyone agreed that this book is strictly for the older children but I believe that if the little kids of minority groups experience even a sliver of what is in the book, it is never too early to bring attention to that, especially since everyone has parents who were raised with their own biases and beliefs on what is right and what is wrong. Introducing another point of view is crucial before those beliefs are made concrete in the child's mind if they should be inaccurate. "American Street" also has a more serious tone to it than Diary, which is helpful in providing an idea of how the audience should feel toward the topic. Besides, Diary is much more clear with its sexual connotations which I think is more taboo for younger children to hear than a few cuss words in "American Street" that they, most likely, already heard either from parents or even their own peers. 

Comments

  1. AngelSeptember 18, 2022 at 6:12 AM

    I wanted to be more clear about how Dairy is more "explicit". In my experience (three younger brothers haha), I have learned that children latch onto words and not phrases to understand something. For example, in "American Street", Fabiola is told multiple times to keep her legs closed. A child would not usually ask what that means because they know the meaning behind each word in that sentence. They either take it literally or brush the whole thing off. In Diary however, the word "boner" is used multiple times which a little kid would definitely want to elaborate. Anyway, I hope that made sense.

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  2. Samantha ReinhardtSeptember 19, 2022 at 10:49 PM

    I love your response and I agree with your perspective. While it's hard to pick just one thing to reply to (because I was nodding the whole time!) I'll pick this: "I know that when we talked about it in class, everyone agreed that this book is strictly for the older children but I believe that if the little kids of minority groups experience even a sliver of what is in the book, it is never too early to bring attention to that, especially since everyone has parents who were raised with their own biases and beliefs on what is right and what is wrong."

    I do think that the themes and implications of "American Street" make it suitable for a strictly older audience (perhaps around Fabiola's age), mostly because I think that age plays a factor in what kids can actually get out of the book. At around Fabiola's age, I think adolescents are more than well-equipped to examine her actions critically. However, you raise a very good point--there are most definitely books that explore the same difficult topics as Fabiola's story that can and should be taught to younger students. Literature is an excellent way to raise awareness and to create empathetic and critical thinkers so it's very important to expose children to as many stories as we can while balancing "age-appropriateness" (whatever that means). It's a difficult question to answer because I think you could ask ten different people what age-appropriate means and get ten different answers. For me, as someone who has no idea about the development of children's brains beyond what I learned in psychology class, I'd probably just ask myself--is this exposing my kid to something that would cause them undue distress because of the complexity or content matter; i.e. are they equipped with the emotional and logical tools to handle such a story (even if they don't grasp every part of it).
    Such a thought provoking discussion!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Samantha ReinhardtSeptember 19, 2022 at 10:51 PM

    I forgot a word in my first paragraph lol:

    "You raise a good point--**and** there are most definitely books that explore the same difficult topics..."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Samantha ReinhardtSeptember 19, 2022 at 10:52 PM

      In my second paragraph*. It's late, I think I'll close my laptop now LOL

      Delete

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