Great Reads for Great Readers

 

We Are Not Like Them, by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza.

         

  

            Riley Wilson and Jen Murphy have been best friends since Jen was sent by her mother to Riley’s grandmother’s day care centre (a glorified name for their converted lounge) when she was very small – and Jen has always blessed her feckless mother’s decision (even though it was entirely a matter of convenience), for she was always treated as part of Riley’s loving family, an important part, a feeling entirely absent at home with her mother, who is anything but maternal, and proud of it.

            The fact that Riley is Black and ambitious – she is a television journalist and hopes to be News Anchor soon – and Jen is white and married to a member of Philadelphia’s finest, a city police officer – makes no difference to their regard for each other;  they will always be Besties, no matter what.  In fact, Riley has lent Jen enough money for one last crack at IVF:  Kevin has a low sperm count but now, Jen finally has a successful pregnancy.  The baby will be born in three months!  After many vicissitudes shared in the course of their long friendship, life is finally good.

            Until it’s not:  a shocking and terrible quirk of fate intervenes.  Police Officer Kevin and his new, inexperienced partner are chasing a criminal who tried to hold up a store; during their pursuit, Kevin’s partner sees a figure walking down an alley – and shoots.  His victim is a 14 year-old Black boy on his way home for dinner;  he made the fatal mistake of reaching into his pocket to turn off his headphones when the cop shouted at him.  Now, the worst has happened:  he lies bleeding out on the ground and the cops have realised that there is no gun.

            Riley is fortunate enough to eventually score an interview with the young boy’s grieving mother:  Jen is not so lucky.  She and Kevin are forced to leave their rented home and hide at his family’s house after people paint MURDERER on their fence and leave filth on their doorstep.  The trolls on social media are also unrelenting:  murder charges should be – will be laid – unless Kevin cuts some kind of a deal to throw his partner under the bus.  There are no winners in this awful tragedy:  racism and bias flourish as strongly as ever.  How can any friendship prevail against such innate hatred?

            Pride and Piazza, one Black, one white, have produced a mighty testament to America’s deeply troubled times.  They are not afraid to call out tokenism and hypocrisy, or question the ‘justice’ system (which was formulated by old white men), and they do it brilliantly:  this great book should be compulsory reading in every school.  SIX STARS.