Maritza Moulite

The Hate U Give meets Get Out in an honest and powerful exploration of prejudice in this stunning novel 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

YA Novel

Sam Pulliam

3.5

“I know that existing as a human on this Earth should be enough to deserve respect and justice. But it isn't. Instead, we focus on those who we deem worthy, for whom we allow ourselves to feel the weight of their loss.”
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Kezi is an activist fighting for change when she dies on her eighteenth birthday after attending a rally against police brutality. A few months later and trying to heal, her sisters Happi and Genny, are on a road trip with some friends to honor Kezi’s life. But there’s a twist no one sees coming.
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*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
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The only thing I knew about this book before going in was that it was pitched as “The Hate U Give meets Get Out” and that was enough to get me excited. I dropped everything as soon as I got a notification from Netgalley and found a compelling story and characters I really loved but aspects of the structure and writing didn’t work as much for me. I really liked the set-up of this story. Getting to know all the key players and their pasts that would become important later caught my attention and I especially enjoyed getting to know Kezi and her girlfriend. I also liked the multi-generational aspect of the story. You get to learn about Kezi’s family history and what sparked the road trip in the first place. There is also a mystery element that REALLY picks up in part three and was especially gripping. The ending provided some powerful commentary on how the media portrays Black people when they are killed and how they decide who is worth mourning - who is “one of the good ones” - and the impacts of those decisions.
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The main aspect of the book that brought down my reading experience was down to transitions between scenes. Sometimes scenes would end and there was not really an indication we were moving to something else apart from a paragraph break and sometimes it took me a bit to realize what was happening. I would quickly get back on track but there were a few times when I felt like a couple of sentences might have been missing. I also felt like I wanted a little more from the ending. The peak of the action was very late in the story and then it was just over.
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Overall, I still recommend this story as it deals with important themes of police brutality, who we decide is worth mourning, and what can happen when racism is passed down through generations. Even though I had some issues with the writing, I think the positives definitely outweigh any of that.
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Trigger Warnings from BookTriggerWarnings(dot)com
Death
Drugging
Fire
Grief
Homophobia (religious)
Lynching descriptions
Police brutality
Racism

Katie

I think this is a book hangover.

This book merges family history with social justice issues that are still prevalent today, a coming-of-age story about a teenager coping with grief combined with a thriller twist that I, personally, did not see coming. And I am glad I didn't. The way this book blew my mind when Things were revealed was wild, and even now I swear I'm having heart palpitations because of it.

All the characters are beautifully, brilliantly written. We follow several different perspectives in both the past and present and see how their stories intertwine. Each character is heartbreakingly REAL, with dreams and hopes and flaws. Knowing the premise of this book, I was sure I was in for some tears once I got to know them, but I underestimated how masterfully the Moulite sisters can weave a narrative. This is largely a character-driven book, with most of the actual "plot" and action happening in the later half. Before that, it's largely flashbacks to the inciting incident, as well as further back in the Smith family's history, and introspective grieving from Happi. However, I was more than happy to sit back and learn about these characters and their relationships.

Although this is a crying book, it is not entirely a sad book, and that is what strikes me the most. There is hope for change, if we are all willing to do the work.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: One of the Good Ones

Author: Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: LGBT+ characters, Black main characters

Recommended For...: ya readers, contemporary lovers, lgbt+ readers

Publication Date: January 5, 2021

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+ (grief, violence, police brutality TW, murder, generational trauma, coming out)

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 384

Synopsis: 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.

Review: Do not read this book when you’re already sad. You’re going to cut onions reading this book and it’s going to give you a sadness headache. Or is that just me that gets those? Seriously though, this book is SO GOOD! I loved the story and plot and I loved that this book included something I’ve only read about before: The Green Book, which was this book that was published in the 1930s to help Black people travel and stay in safe places (seriously, more books should include this piece of history). The character development is amazing and the history and world building was amazing as well. This will definitely be a book I buy and reread.

The only thing I had an issue with was that the beginning was a bit slow but it definitely picked up.

Verdict: Highly recommended reading! We should know our history as a nation and how to best be an ally!

Megan Leprich

*Thanks to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review*

I was a little confused about what was going on when I first started this book but once I read further I pieced it all together and could really enjoy the story. These two sisters have a great way of writing together and their individual writing styles mesh together perfectly. This wasn't like any other contemporary I've read, there were historical facts thrown in that really added to the story and that I really enjoyed. I'm very excited to continue reading from these two authors with anything they come up with next!

Becca Futrell

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of One of the Good Ones in exchange for an honest review!

One of the Good Ones explores police brutality, racism, and dives into the concept of "one of the good ones." Honestly, the sophomore novel of the Moulite sisters 100% deserves a spot in your 2021 TBR; not only is it extremely important & so freakin' timely, but it's also absolutely well-written and dives deep into the characterization of our three sister characters. 

The synopsis reads that there'll be an unexpected twist & I'm to say, wow that 100% isn't a lie. It adds an extra layer & makes it even more intriguing to readers outside of contemporary (thriller fans, get on this.) 

On top of that, there's a road trip, sibling bonding and a non-linear timeline that pieces together so well! Please make sure to get yourself a copy of One of the Good Ones.

Yeldah Yousfi

Kate

Poignant, moving and utterly page-turning. This was absolutely superb. Featuring with raw and distinct voices, a genre-bending, time-travelling plot and painfully relevant and important narratives, this is not only an important read but a highly enjoyable and addictive one. I can't wait to read more from Maika and Maritza in the future. Also.... this book needs to be made into a movie like, right now?

YA Novel

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