Book Club April 2022- We Are Not Like Them
By: Christine Pride & Jo Piazza
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 334
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Told from alternating perspectives, an evocative and riveting novel about the lifelong bond between two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event—a powerful and poignant exploration of race in America today and its devastating impact on ordinary lives.
Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.
But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband’s freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend.
What I thought
Stephanie picked this book for book club and I won’t lie that it made me a little nervous after I read the summary. The cover is bright and I think a little misleading, but definitely the kind of cover I would pick up. The summary is heavy and I would probably have put it back down, even with my promise to read more things that make me uncomfortable.
I won’t sugar coat things. This was a difficult book to read. It tackles a very tough and very real topic and they don’t pull any punches.
Riley is a black newscaster. Jen is a white wife of a cop. Jen and Riley have been friends since day care when Jen’s husband shoots an unarmed 14 year old black boy and Riley is asked to cover the story.
First of all, is this book flawless? No. Do I think it’s a great starting point for tackling these topics? Absolutely. This book isn’t perfect. I thought it was interesting that even though Jen’s husband shot the boy, he was not the copy that identified the shooter (this comes out pretty early in the book so I don’t think it’s a spoiler). I also think that Jen and Riley’s friendship is a bit of a weak point and at times it seems like they only stay friends to keep the story moving forward. However, I think that it will spark a lot of wonderful conversations that need to be had and even these flaws might spark some great conversation.
I thought it was so interesting that the book was written by one black author and one white author. I think it brought a truth to the characters that I appreciated. Jen and her husband’s relationship did confuse me a little. I never felt like she really liked her husband so I was a bit confused as to her defense of him at times. I absolutely loved this book and am thankful it was picked for book club so I would pick it up. I can’t wait to discuss it and highly recommend it.
What Book Club Thought
Everybody loved this book. We all rated it 5 stars and we had so much to discuss. We probably could’ve talked even more about the book than we did. It is such a great book for book club discussions. We talked about our difference of opinions in what happened with Jen’s husband as well as the romance with Riley and whether or not it was necessary. But every time we discussed parts that we maybe weren’t crazy about, it sparked a discussion about how other people interpreted it and why the authors maybe made those choices and therefore why maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.
So, long story short, I highly recommend this book and recommend it even more as your next book club choice.