Thursday, September 6, 2018

Review: Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Pride
Ibi Zoboi
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Retelling
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.
I must confess, I have never read Pride and Prejudice, but I have now read so many retellings, I feel quite familiar with the story, and I really enjoyed the way Zoboi took on Austen.

I lived in East Flatbush, Brooklyn until I was almost 14, so I LOVE books set in my place of birth. It was fun visiting some of the many pockets of the borough with Zuri, and remembering why I loved Brooklyn so much. Sitting on the stoop, yelling out the window, playing in the hydrant, attending a block party -- these were such trademarks of city living, and I smiled with each reference, that brought back a childhood memory for me.

Brooklyn was not the only character I enjoyed in this book though. I thought Zuri was pretty fabulous. She was quite fierce and super opinionated, but that had a lot of do with how proud she was. She was proud of her neighborhood, her family, and her heritage, and with each home sold and each building renovated, she saw something she loved changing and slipping away. People, who didn't know and love Bushwick and its inhabitants were coming in and pushing them out. Zuri spent some time reflecting on the gentrification, but I think this was just he tip of the iceberg, when it came to what she really feared - change.

I was also a fan of Darius. He was really stuck up in the beginning of the book, but as Zuri, and we, got to know him better, we learned there was a lot more to him, than met the eye. He felt kind of like an outsider. Though his family was wealthy, and he enjoyed the privilege of living in a ritzy Manhattan apartment and attending a posh private school, he was never fully embraced by his peers or his neighbors. The same thing seemed to happen when he moved to Bushwick. This was a definite stumbling block for him, and could explain why he fought his attraction to Zuri. However, once he realized how much more there was to Zuri, he showed a fantastic side of himself, and I really enjoyed watching his affection for Zuri and their friendship grow.

This book had such a wonderful family focus! Zuri came from a large, tight-knit family. The dynamic was fabulous, and I loved seeing the sisters interact. There was heaps of love in the Benitez home! But Zoboi also took time to show us how Zuri's neighbors were like family, which is usually the case when you grow up in a real neighborhood. We saw the neighbors celebrate and mourn together, but regardless of the situation, they were there for each other.

Zuri's poetry was a wonderful way to share her feelings with the reader. She hid a lot in order to protect herself. These poems gave us a direct look into her mind and emotions, and I really enjoyed reading them.

Overall: A wonderful take on an Austen classic, which was told with warmth and humor, and incorporated many timely themes and social issues.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Do you have a favorite Pride and Prejudice retelling?
Let us know in the comments!

27 comments:

  1. OMG! Why haven't you read Pride & Prejudice?! It's one of my favorite classics of all time!
    Anyways, I've been hearing such good things about this one and I'm excited. I loved the author's debut. I love how the neighbors were also an important part of the book!
    Great review!

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    1. I think I tried to read some of those romances from that era, and I just couldn't get into them. I will probably cave and watch the movie, because my daughter was shocked I have not at least seen one of the newer adaptations. Zoboi captured that NY neighborhood vibe, that I have never again experience in any of the other places I have lived. They weren't just my neighbors, they were my family, and my parents still meet up with people from our old neighborhood.

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  2. It's okay, I haven't read Pride and Prejudice either and I majored in English. I have, however, read Persuasion and enjoyed that. I'm glad you liked this re-telling though. I love that it's a contemporary and it sounds like it's full of great characters.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Good to know there are a few of us in the world. 😉 I enjoyed the setting and characters and the way Zoboi translated the story a lot.

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  3. I haven't read P&P either but I really enjoyed this one. I felt like some of the characters were undeveloped but Zuri is such a strong character I was ok with it.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. I did think Zuri was really fleshed out, but there were a few other characters I would have liked to know better

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  4. I haven’t heard of this one but I’m always up for a P&P retelling.

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    1. I thought it was a fun book, and most reviewers are saying it's true to the original

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  5. Wow I had no idea this book existed but now I am adding it to my TBR! Fantastic review Sam!

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  6. I don't want anyone to yell at me, but I've never been a big fan of the classics. They just don't stimulate my brain (unless I can't fall asleep). However, retellings do interest me, and I haven't heard of this one. I like fierce and opinionated characters, so I'm sure Zuri and I would get along smashingly, lol. Adding this one to my list! Thanks for sharing. :)

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. I am not a reader of classics either so *high five* Zuri was definitely a girl who stood her ground when necessary and had a lot of pride and loyalty

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  7. I only read Pride & Prejudice for the first time either last year or the year before! I've read quite a few retellings, though, and this sounds pretty unique! I don't think I've seen a YA one before.

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    1. First & Then by Emma Mills is supposed to be a P&P retelling (which I hope to read this year, since I OWN it). Then there was Prom & Prejudice, Epic Fail, Prada and Prejudice, Sasquatch, Love, & Other Imaginary Things. I should read the original and then as many retellings as possible, and do a thing about it. Though, I have read more adult retellings than YA.

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  8. I've had my eye on this one for a while, although I'll admit I haven't read the source material either! I'm honestly not sure if I've read any Pride and Prejudice retellings, but this one sounds really unique! Thanks for sharing :D

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    1. This is very comforting, as I always feel like I am the only non-P&P person out there.

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  9. I am still trying to process that you haven't read P&P. Have you watched an adaption? I love that this addressed social issues but had humor.

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    1. I have neither read nor watched. I know! I was already berated by my daughter for that

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  10. I love this retelling! And Zuri sounds fantastic!

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    1. She was. She had all the trademarks of the original heroine, and it was great seeing her view of things evolve and change, while she still stood by her core beliefs.

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  11. This sounds just as good as I hoped it would! Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorites so I'm always on the lookout for retellings that are well done. I'll definitely be picking up a copy of Pride. Great review!

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    1. I took this as just a contemporary with some romance, and I really liked it. I did hear P&P people saying Zoboi did well with maintaining the integrity of the original story. I thought it was a great spin on the classic, and brought some interesting current issues into the story. I couldn't resist all the familiarity in the story for me - the Brooklyn setting, the sister at Syracuse working at the bookstore (just like my child), and just city living in general.

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  12. Aah, I'm so excited to read Pride! It sounds so good! I've never read Pride and Prejudice, either. I've tried, but I just didn't get on with it. But I love the story and the various movie/TV versions, so I know it well enough to recognise elements in a book. And Pride sounds like an important read as well as a enjoyable one. Need to get this book soon! Great review!

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    1. I really need to watch a P&P adaptation soon, because it seems to be really popular among retellings. I enjoy trying to find the original story in a retelling too, and from what I heard, Zoboi did a good job.

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  13. Excellent review! I'm looking forward to this novel as well. :)

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  14. You've not read Pride and Prejudice? That's insane! Although I do know what you mean, I think some classics get mentioned and referenced so often actually reading the book is unnecessary as the story is familiar already. I think it's awesome Brooklyn got to feel like a character all of it's own and that it was written so well that it felt so familiar to you, what a great feeling when you're reading. I admit, I added this one to the to buy list based off of the cover alone and I'm not actually a fan of P&P retellings so I am so glad it was so good, I think I may just have to treat myself to a copy (even if I shouldn't buy anymore books).

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