American Street

by Ibi Zoboi

American Street is an evocative and powerful coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Everything, Everything; Bone Gap; and All American Boys. In this stunning debut novel, Pushcart-nominated author Ibi Zoboi draws on her own experience as a young Haitian immigrant, infusing this lyrical exploration of America with magical realism and vodou culture. On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie-a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola's mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit's west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own. Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?

• ISBN10: 0062473042
• ISBN13: 9780062473042
• Publish Date: 23 March 2017 (first published 14 February 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 17 May 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: Balzer and Bray
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[roundtableknight]

“This is the beginning of the good life. Une belle vie.”
~
Rating: 3/5 stars (June 19th 2020)
~
So, I've been going back and forth on what to say about this novel and how to rate it. On the one hand it showed a heartbreaking view of immigration and families being split apart due the immigration system the United States has, but on the other hand a lot of what happened seemed unnecessary for the type of story it was trying to tell.

Throughout the novel I never really became connected to any of the characters, which made me contemplate if I should dnf the book. I loved the intertwining of cultures that Fabiola has, but the book seemed to forget somewhat about her mission of reuniting her and her mother and only brought it up when it was relevant, and the addition of selling drugs completely changed the tone of the book to something more obscure. I still think it is a solid book, but some parts were questionable.

[Bianca]

— I wanted to like this but I just couldn’t. I think the book was trying to do too much (dealing with immigration, drug trafficking, violence) and ended up with an undeveloped mishmash. I also didn’t like how it normalized abuse. Just no.

[nannah]

Ahh, this is some good contemporary YA fiction. I don't even like contemporary fiction all that much, but I enjoyed this a lot.

Book content warnings:
drugs
domestic violence/abuse

Fabiola and her mother are finally coming to America from Haiti to live a better life on the corner of America and Joy street. But when her mother is detained, and the picture-perfect American ideal is dashed when she discovers life is just as dangerous here as it is in Haiti. It's not the only discovery she makes about America--or her family: her three cousins and her aunt.

This book is incredibly engaging, and what I loved most about it is probably the weaving in of religion. Though, I really hesitate to call it magical realism? I mean . . . I understand why, but at the same time, if Fab was a Christian and didn't practice Vodou--and therefore Papa Legba was an Angel and not an Lwa, would it still be magical realism or under the category Religious? Maybe that's a discussion for a different place/time . . .

Anyway, that mix of religion and contemporary fiction was so genuine and beautiful, especially because that religion wasn't Christianity (as I'm not Christian myself). It's so nice and refreshing to see a religion treated so beautifully and without judgement (especially religions practiced by non-white people) in young adult books. Then again, the author is black, so that's probably the main reason why!

I feel like I should like the secondary characters better (i.e. Fab's cousins, Pri, Donna, and Chant), but I really couldn't become as attached to them as I was for Fab. I loved the details Ibi Zoboi gave them, like that Pri uses a binder for her breasts, but they really failed to become fully fleshed to me for some reason. Also, and this is suuuuper nitpicky, but I didn't like that Pri, the only lesbian/lgbt character, was the cousin that was the most aggressive character in the book.

But anyway, a good read! A really good read.

[Leigha]

A Haitian immigrant is torn between multiple crossroads in this bittersweet young adult contemporary novel.

This is a really hard review for me to write. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It brings an important perspective to the young adult genre. It features a POC main character, Fabiola Toussaint, struggling with immigration, gang violence, and abuse against women. Fabiola is a likable narrator, full of conviction and heart. Her Vodou faith centers her. It's one of the best representations of a faith-driven character not associated with Christianity.

Zoboi brings alive the Detroit inner-city, particularly her description of Joy Road and American Street. I felt very present in each and every moment. Fabiola's Haitian heritage and Vodou beliefs juxtapose interestingly against the American culture exhibited by her cousins and friends. The ending is absolutely perfect considering the plot set into motion.

However, this book contains a LOT of hate and violence against other women. Fabiola's cousins and friends are constantly making hateful remarks against other women, even if unprovoked. Now, I'm aware we do not live in a utopia where women, particularly teenage girls, only build each other up. But I was kinda surprised at the vitriol these girls would have for other girls. If you choose to read this book, be prepared for women against women hate.

tl;dr A unique perspective on the immigration experience with a likeable narrator and a bittersweet ending.