Not to mention I just wanted to reach out and tell her I would shoot for her ANYDAY. I actually learned so much from this book and it was humbling to see how many terrible acts of violence against Black people don’t make it into the history books because white history is the standard and we continually get pushed out of places that we have cultivated for our own communities.Ĭan I also get a shout out for the mental health representation in this book? A Black woman going through depression, anxiety, and just overall struggling with the white people in her neighborhood while being a bad bitch and keeping it together? I loved how real and upfront Sydney was. I absolutely loved the duality of perspectives that Alyssa Cole provides as you get to see gentrification from the lens of a Black woman, who is desperately trying to hold onto her community's past and present, and white man, who is navigating his way in a Black space.' loved the Black history tidbits that were thrown in there right from the beginning.

Can we get an amen? Oh, and he reconciled with how although he meant well, his ignorance about the ramifications of how he came to live in the neighborhood did not absolve him of being part of the problem. When Theo and Sydney pair up to dig into the history of the neighborhood, it is refreshing to see how Theo is confronted with his white privilege. The funny thing is Theo's background is low key not what it seems, so there's that. Now, enter one of her new white neighbors, Theo, who is intrigued about his new neighborhood and attempts to immerse himself in the community.

Alyssa cole when no one