Contemporary Fiction: One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon

As a long-time fan of Nicola Yoon's young adult novels, it was easy to decide to pick up and cover her first offering for adult readers, One of Our Kind. With a description that likened the plot to Get Out, and a promise that it would appeal to lovers of Paul Beatty's The Sellout, I was more than intrigued and interested to see where this story would go.

The Situation: Jasmyn Williams is a public defender, committed to helping young Black men stay out of the system. With one young son, and another one on the way, Jasmyn is certainly interested in creating the best possible life for her growing family, but that does not mean she is completely sold on moving to Liberty, California, the so-called utopia that is 100% Black. Not only are all of the residents Black, but so are the teachers, the service industry workers, even the cops. Even the 'modest' houses are large and expensive, and Jasmyn's husband, King, is convinced this is the right move for them. Since affording it is not a problem, especially with King's career taking off, Jasmyn pushes down her feelings of abandoning her roots and the people she serves and makes the move.

The Problem: Residing in a house with three living rooms may take some getting used to, but what Jasmyn is having the hardest time getting used to is some of the other residents. Being that Liberty was created to be a safe haven for Black people, she expected to find like-minded individuals just as interested in activism and the fight for equality as she is. Instead she is met with blank and apathetic responses to the latest shooting of an unarmed Black person, and comments that not only leave her perplexed, but angry. When she fears that King is becoming a little too comfortable with the Liberty way of life, she decides to dig deeper into the city's history, but what she finds may destroy everything.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction, set in the made up town of Liberty, California, a place that was built specifically for Black people, granted they are wealthy enough to be able to afford to live there. Jasmyn fears that moving there will turn her 'bougie,' only giving in to her husband's wishes when taking into consideration the kind of safety a place like Liberty could give her husband, her young son Kamau, and the baby boy she is due to have in a few months. Divided up into five parts, there are excerpts from various articles and interviews that give more information on the founding members of Liberty, some of its other important residents, and also a few current events. The book looks at the wide range of opinions on police brutality, protesting (peaceful and otherwise), and even black hair care.

My Verdict: This is a pretty fascinating premise: A young and growing Black family moves into what is supposed to be a Black utopia, but the wife has a feeling that something is not quite right. It is a great set up for a thriller; unfortunately, the execution is more than a little off. I have to admit to being almost immediately turned off by the protagonist within the first 15 pages. Jasmyn is incredibly judgmental, and mostly of other Black women, and to the point that her assertions of someone else not being enlightened ends up showing how unenlightened (and insecure) she is. The protagonist is unlikeable and tiresome, and the constant mentions of police brutality and the suffering of Black people was heavy-handed and unnecessary. Instead of providing a good story, the plot got lost, and the book became cumbersome and almost hard to take seriously.

Favorite Moment: From the beginning, it is amazing how Jasmyn begins to accept her upgraded life, despite how critical she likes to be of others 'not doing enough.'

Favorite Character: Jasmyn's friend Tricia does not show up much in the book, but she is pretty much the only one to mention the positive aspects of being Black. She does what Jasmyn constantly fails to do, and that is look for the joy.

Recommended Reading: The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson is a YA thriller and a re-telling of Carrie by Stephen King. 

Nonfiction: The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum by Margalit Fox

While some readers will flock to any book about a serial killer or cult leader, I have always been more interested in con artists and organized crime. The title of today's book by Margalit Fox immediately caught my attention: The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss. A hopefully in-depth look at a little known figure from America's crime history certainly sounded exciting to me.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that looks into the life of Fredericka Mandelbaum (who was also referred to as "Marm" Mandelbaum, "Mother" Mandelbaum, "Ma" Mandelbaum, and even "Mother Baum"). She would arrive in New York City, after leaving what is now central Germany, in 1850. But by 1870 she would be the picture of wealth and status, even though it was well-known by many around her how that wealth was accumulated. While chronicling Mrs. Mandelbaum's rise to prominence as an underworld figure, the book also explains what her role as a "fence" would entail; explores the lives of the men and women of the time who helped her grow her empire; gives detailed explanations of what it would take to successfully rob a bank in mid-19th century America; and lists all the reasons why Mrs. Mandelbaum was able to do what she did at that particular point in history. 

My Verdict: As is common with many nonfiction books out there, this one often feels like it is a magazine article that has been stretched out into enough pages so that it can be printed and sold as a book. With actual content that makes up only 206 pages - followed by 70 pages of references - not all that much of those 206 pages is actually about Mrs. Mendelbaum and her life. What I was hoping would be more of a biography of the woman's life is more of a look at how fences operated in the middle of the 19th century in New York City. The details concerning her inevitable fall from prominence are indeed fascinating, along with the lengths officials went to in order to catch her. But it felt like something was missing from the whole account, or perhaps maybe there was not quite enough material to fill out the book.

Favorite Moment: Included in the book are many illustrations and photographs, my favorite of which were diagrams of certain buildings and schemes that were important to how Mrs. Mandelbaum's enterprise operated.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, a work of fiction whose main character is a reluctant fence operating out of his own furniture store.