Name: Bec's review of One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite
Item: One of the Good Ones
Rating: 5
Author: Bec

Maika Moulite

A shockingly powerful exploration of the lasting impact of prejudice and the indomitable spirit of sisterhood that will have readers questioning what it truly means to be an ally, from sister-writer duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, authors of Dear Haiti, Love Alaine. ISN'T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH? When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic. One of the good ones. Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind--why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?--Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there's a twist to Kezi's story that no one could've ever expected--one that will change everything all over again. Praise for the Moulites' debut novel, Dear Haiti, Love Alaine "I couldn't put Dear Haiti, Love Alaine down!" --New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory "An enchanting and engrossing novel full of wit and laughter." --Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory "Remarkable, funny, and whip-smart." --Ibi Zoboi, author of American Street, National Book Award finalist "Maika and Maritza Moulite have created quite the masterpiece." --NPR.org "Alaine's sarcastic quips...are worth the price of admission alone." --HYPEBAE "A beautiful story from start to finish." --Buzzfeed

One of the Good Ones

The message of this book is really powerfull. I just think that the fact that Khezi isn't dead ruins it a little bit.

Ellen Strauch

Jennifer Dieter

"Unfortunately, it takes books like this to humanize Black people and show that, like everyone else, we deserve to have peace." - Maika Moulite in the authors' note

I went into One of the Good Ones based on a recommendation and didn't know what to expect. I was immediately drawn into Kezi's story and the different perspectives kept me wondering where the story was going. This book takes all kinds of twists I wasn't expecting, and I really enjoyed it. It occasionally does the YA thing where it overexplains how you're supposed to feel or think in a moment, but the well developed characters, engaging plot, and strong writing make up for it. 

This should have been the Green Book story that won an Oscar instead of that white savior film.

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[racism, homomisia/phobia, grief/loss depiction, death of a family member, fire, arson, burn victim, kidnapping, confinement, hanging/lynching, police brutality/violence (hide spoiler)]

This book started off as a really great YA contemporary, full of incredible social commentary. It ended as something fantastic and unpredictable and amazingly played out.

If you are a fan of Tiffany D Jackson and Nic Stone this should, without a doubt, be the next book you pick up. The Moulite sisters have weaved a story with multiple perspectives, gorgeously illustrating the idea of why some people are deemed more worthy than others. Full of commentary about race, racial violence, loss and grief, heritage and sisterhood, this is a book that will keep you hooked until the end.

The characters are crafted perfectly. The primary perspective follows Happi and Genny, as they make sense of the loss of their other sister Kezi. The complexity of loss and sisterhood is so raw and genuine that, by itself, this storyline would have made a fantastic story.

But the book is something so much more than this initial storyline. One of the Good Ones is further bolstered by perspectives from others linked to Kezi's death. Each perspective lends its own element of commentary, every one being as necessary to reader's in today's society as the last. In addition, they enlighten the reader that there is much more to this story than the blurb suggests.

Brilliant pacing pulls the book together. Readers are given just enough information to be intrigued and guessing about the full story and how the various perspectives come together. And intertwined in it all is the question of what it means to be "one of the good ones".

A special shout out also goes to the narrators of the audiobook - Bahni Turpin, Jordan Cobb & Carolyn Smith. They embodied the different characters fabulously and created an engaging experience throughout.



  Note: Review copy (audio) received via Libro.FM. This does not impact opinions within this review.


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Bec &
One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite

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One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite