Author: Sarah Jamila Stevenson
Publisher: Flux
Publication Date: January 1, 2011
Pages: 327
From Goodreads:
Our philosophy is simple: Promote a latte-colored world! —from the Latte Rebellion Manifesto.
When high school senior Asha Jamison gets called a "towel head" at a pool party, the racist insult gives Asha and her best friend Carey a great money-making idea for a post-graduation trip. They'll sell T-shirts promoting the Latte Rebellion, a club that raises awareness of mixed-race students.
Seemingly overnight, their "cause" goes viral and the T-shirts become a nationwide fad. As new chapters spring up from coast to coast, Asha realizes that her simple marketing plan has taken on a life of its own-and it's starting to ruin hers. Asha's once-stellar grades begin to slip, threatening her Ivy League dreams, and her friendship with Carey is hanging by a thread. And when the peaceful underground movement turns militant, Asha's school launches a disciplinary hearing.Facing expulsion, Asha must decide how much she's willing to risk for something she truly believes in.
***
I was really excited to read this book because of the topic it tackles. Racism and prejudice are always taboo subjects, and I highly applaud the author for tackling these important issues. While I did enjoy the book overall, it fell a bit short for me in some areas.
I enjoyed reading about Asha’s journey creating and managing The Latte Rebellion. My heart went out to her throughout the book while she dealt with the racial slurs and other terrible things people would say. I think what makes it even more sad is that it happens in real life every day.
Where the book fell short for me was the way The Latte Rebellion was created. It was purely a marketing ploy to sell t-shirts to fund Asha and Carey’s vacation after graduating high school. It really wasn’t meant to raise awareness or tackle an important issue. It ended up turning into that, but only after it caught on with other groups around the country. Because the initial reason for The Latte Rebellion was solely for money, Asha had no idea how to handle the group when it became too large. While she is young and naïve, I got frustrated with her at times and her actions didn’t sit well with me. I also got a little confused because the story would jump between past and present events. I found myself going back and double-checking to make sure I understood what was going on.
Even though the book didn’t fully live up to my expectations, I’m still glad that I read The Latte Rebellion because it still brings to light the issues we have with race in our country.
I received this book courtesy of Good Golly Miss Holly’s ARC tour – thanks Holly!
Rating:
Really nice review Tara, I can see how switching between past and present events would get a bit confusing at times. Love the premise though and knowing it deals with such an important issue is a great incentive to read it despite it's flaws.
ReplyDeleteThe switching of tenses got me, too, but I'm glad to say I enjoyed it overall. Great honest review, Tara! :)
ReplyDeleteSometimes the review is not (no pun intended) just black-or-white. You might not love a story, but you can still be glad you read it. Nicely conveyed here!
ReplyDeletePS: Let's do lunch soon. Say yes.