A Good Neighborhood

by Therese Anne Fowler

A Good Neighborhood


I’m not even sure what to say but “wow”. I’ve rounded it up to four stars because the last 1/3 I cold not put it down but the first 2/3 were slow. This book made me angry as the topic should, it made me sad, it brings up the heavy issues of racism we are finally talking about; it broke me heart and made me feel. I don’t want to say much more as to not spoil it. I had not read reviews or knew anything about this book other than my daughter loved it.

This one will sit with me for a very long time. The reason it wasn’t 5 stars was because I felt there was too much build up and a bit slow for my taste during the first half of the book. The reader is “teased” by the narrator (which was a a collective voice of “the neighborhood) that something bad was going to happen but it took almost to the very end for it to happen. With the exception of Valerie, the other characters were not complex. They all had a very specific character/personality to play. For me these are small things to pick at. I’m so glad I read this book and I hope many people do.