4 stars
A powerful read about friendship and family with an emphasis on the continuous learning and action against prejudice, specifically racism and ableism.
Nicely written. This book tackles quite a bit. From police shootings and microaggressions, to dissuading Deaf individuals from using ASL, to family making (intentional and unintentional) racist remarks.
While it is written by a white, hearing person, Gino’s story mainly focuses on the white perspective, exploring concepts such as white privilege, white fragility, white silence, and tone policing. Love that Gino included intersectionality in their characters and explored the ways their various identities affected their lives.
To be honest, Jilly isn’t always likeable. She missteps and messes up quite often. Though she makes mistakes, I love that Gino gave her opportunities to learn from them and a support system, especially her aunt, to talk through various issues. It normalizing families, especially white families, talking about issues of racism, privilege, and how to be an ally.
A great way for young readers with white and/or nondisabled privilege to learn vicariously through the characters. This works as a early introduction to discrimination, privilege, and allyship.
A nice fictional example to see various concepts played out in a realistic setting. Reading this does not excuse readers from continuing to read stories from Black authors, Deaf and hard of hearing authors, disabled authors, and authors of color. But it is a nice starting point, especially for young readers with privilege, to think about discrimination and prejudice in their own lives.
Pairs well with Me and White Supremacy: How You Can Fight Racism and Change the World Today! in showing the concepts covered in a fictional setting.