Early Reader Review: Malcolm and Me by Robin Farmer

Source:  Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Malcolm and Me: A Novel by Robin Farmer
Publisher: SparkPress 
Publication Date: November 17, 2020 (TOMORROW) 

 

Format: Ebook

Rating: 

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Philly native Roberta Forest is a precocious rebel with the soul of a poet. The thirteen-year-old is young, gifted, black, and Catholic—although she’s uncertain about the Catholic part after she calls Thomas Jefferson a hypocrite for enslaving people and her nun responds with a racist insult. Their ensuing fight makes Roberta question God and the important adults in her life, all of whom seem to see truth as gray when Roberta believes it’s black or white.

An upcoming essay contest, writing poetry, and reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X all help Roberta cope with the various difficulties she’s experiencing in her life, including her parent’s troubled marriage. But when she’s told she’s ineligible to compete in the school’s essay contest, her explosive reaction to the news leads to a confrontation with her mother, who shares some family truths Roberta isn’t ready for.

Set against the backdrop of Watergate and the post-civil rights movement era, Angel Dressed in Black is a gritty yet graceful examination of the anguish teens experience when their growing awareness of themselves and the world around them unravels their sense of security—a coming-of-age tale of truth-telling, faith, family, forgiveness, and social activism. 

Malcolm and Me follows a 13 year old girl names Roberta navigate being black in a mostly white, catholic middle school. Within the first few chapters, readers are thrown into the prejudice and racism of the 1970's (and today) along with religion, faith, and social activism. Roberta is trying to figure out who she is in a world that does not accept or want to see her for what she is, an clever, outspoken and smart girl. All they see is color. 

This was a beautifully written book about horrible themes that still seem to plague our society today. Farmer does a wonderful job setting the stage for Roberta's identity story and intersperses it with faith and inquisition that is like nothing else I have read recently. It was so well done. 

The story does a good job speaking out about the injustices of the time and makes it painfully clear that we have not gotten very far. Which is sad but needs to be seen and realized. 

Roberta is a strong female characters that had me fully with her, I wanted to read Malcolm X's autobiography, I wanted to slap nuns, and fight for her along with her and I was able to through this book. I think that I would have been better prepared had I actually read Malcolm's autobiography but it was a wonderful story either way. 

There is always a place for characters of color especially as main characters and I think that this would be a great book to include in any classroom or as reading for anyone anywhere, any age! I recommend this book to all, and will be talking about it for a while.

About the Author

Robin Farmer is a national award–winning journalist and transplanted Philadelphian who currently calls the Richmond, VA, area home. At eight, she told her mother she would write for a living, and she is grateful that her younger self knew what she was talking about (many young folks do). Her other interests include screenwriting, poetry, movies, and traveling. She’s still hoping to write stories about young people for television and film. Robin earned her degree in journalism from Marquette University. She lives in Richmond, VA.