American Street by Ibi Zoboi

Summary from Goodreads:

The rock in the water does not know the pain of the rock in the sun.

On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life.

But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own.

Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?

Review:

This was so different from the other work I read by Zoboi. It’s her first book, so I guess I’m reading things all out of order. It wasn’t what I was expecting. It was rough, raw, and emotional. But, it was also this whole new perspective for me. Right away, I loved Fabiola. How hard it must be to immigrate here, lose your only family member at the airport, and then be thrust into this harsh Detroit reality. Between culture clashes, reality checks, and high school, this was a dramatic read.

It’s about perspective and learning that things are not always what they seem. America is not what it seems. Your family isn’t always what they seem. Love isn’t what it seems. And then the big one: you aren’t always who you think you are. Fabiola learns what she’ll risk things for, what’s worth the risk, and what isn’t.

There are so many tough subjects in here. And I like that this book isn’t exactly about them. They take the backseat to family and to Fabiola growing into herself. They are important, sure. How can drug dealing, violence, domestic abuse, police brutality, etc not be important? But in a way, they are just so much part of the norm for these characters that they can’t take center stage. I wished some of the characters were able to get more help. But, maybe that was point too. This isn’t a book where everyone has a happy ending or even where the happy ending is clear for each character.

Some of the things that happened even had my gasping out loud in shock. I was taken aback by one plot development. It was so sad. I had tears in my eyes at the end and I genuinely had no idea what was going to happen at the very end. Then ending was insane. I loved the suspense, the characters, the tidbits about Haitian culture, and the drama. I found this to be a very strong and relevant book. But, it was also very emotional and intense. It took me longer than normal to read the whole thing. I had to space it out over time and read it all at once. I give it a 9/10. I’ll definitely be looking for more to read by this author.