Rebel Town Reviews [OPEN]

Black Lives, Like Mine - @Di_Rossi

Black Lives Like Mine (Chapters 1 - 6) by Di_Rossi

Reviewed by ESHurricane

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Overview

So, I was commissioned to read any five chapters that I wanted to for this collection, but I ended up reading all of them. Black Lives, Like Mine is a smattering of short fiction that centers around the common theme of being from the point of view of a person of colour. Some are harsh and raw, some are cute and heartwarming, but I took a common thing from all of them. And that's that we're all human beings.

All of these stories were relatable to me in some way, and I feel like that speaks volumes for readers of any race. That no matter what race we hail from we still share similar experiences and feelings. I feel like stories that remind us of our shared humanity are so important.

Cover/Title

I simultaneously like and don't like the cover. Aesthetically it's well designed, bright and clean and has a nice message with the 'Be Strong' on the mug. But I feel like it's just too generic for this collection of pieces. Then again, maybe that's the point. The profound stuff is inside, the cover can just chill.

I adore the title. Black Lives, Like Mine is a well crafted title. It speaks to the multitude of different races of characters living lives that are different from one another but not all that different. It's clever and it's poignant.

Summary/Description

The description is short and sweet and tells exactly what is in the tin. It's my favourite kind of summary in its simplicity, without spoiling any of the contents.

Grammar/Structure

The grammar is absolutely impeccable here. There were one or two typos but they were clearly typos and not misspelled words. The author takes a lot of liberties with grammar and structure and style that were clearly intentional based on the protagonist's speaking style or the situation they were in. I especially liked Hurry Up Dee Dee, in which the narrative is a stream of consciousness drabble that really conveys the protagonist's panic in a very endearing way.

Characters

There are a lot of characters at play here, and each one had their own very clear voice. The author definitely has a knack for character style, because each and every one of the characters—even the secondary ones—are very distinct.

Chicken Boy sticks out to me the most in this aspect, with the back and forth between April and Mr. Chicken, and then April and Mr. Carter. The dialogue is sharp and realistic and diverse, and the flow of the conversation is so natural.

Warehouse Home is also incredibly well voiced in the narrative, with the character being Japanese. The english is written very formally, and it concisely reads from the point of view of a character that didn't grow up in North America.

Plot/Pacing

The author requested specifically for me to touch on whether or not the stories actually grabbed my attention or if they fizzled. I have to say that each of these stories grabbed a hold of me in some way, and they were short and succinct enough that they definitely didn't fizzle!

Horse Race caught me from the get go, with an intense danger right out of the gate. Being in the POV of someone that would be construed as the antagonist was definitely fresh, and then the ending was like a punch to the gut.

Nutter was just really sad to me. I don't know if it was the use of bold and italics for the dialogue bits, but I figured out what was going on very quickly and was just waiting for the reveal while simultaneously just feeling awful for the protagonist. It was a weight off of my chest that the cops actually wanted to help him.

My New White Boyfriend was very visceral in its descriptions and had a beautiful full circle moment with what the character knew their mom would say. And the reveal at the end caught me right totally off guard, really enjoyed that one!

Hurry Up Dee Dee was just really adorable and fun. It made me feel like I was a tween again, getting into trouble for the first time.

Chicken Boy made my heart swell a bit, the conflict was real and complex and the protagonist ended up handling it really well. I'm glad that this story ended up the way it did, and feel like their meet-cute could really have the potential to be an amazing full length novel. Out of all of the stories, I can easily say that this one is my favourite.

Warehouse Home was another sad one, very contemplative and kicking me right in the heart. It's a very realistic 'day in the life' portrayal of something that many of us would never know or think about, living in North America. It's extremely powerful and the thought that we all have our dreams, whether it be going to concerts or a next hot meal. It puts things in perspective, to be sure.

Closing Comments

I don't have much to close with, except to strongly recommend reading this collection of stories. They have a great message, and aside from that are well written pieces of fiction. They will add a dash of something different to your day.