Welcome to Litsy!

2.75/4 ⭐️

I think this is a soft pick for me. I was expecting a different story. This wasn‘t a bad story, just sad. I enjoyed the magical realism elements. They weren‘t overpowering though. It was more like realism with a touch of magical.

“If only I could break the glass separating me and Manman with my thoughts alone.”

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Very good story!

#ImmigrantMC

#BookBinge 📚

#TBR ❤️

This was OK, but I didn‘t love it like I expected to and I‘m having a hard time pinpointing way. The writing was good, the audiobook narration is great, but maybe there was just too much going on? It markets itself as an immigrant story and is one, but the focus quickly moves to Detroit, abuse, crime, racism, police violence, etc. so maybe it was just all a little much going on to make a cohesive, satisfying whole? Still a soft pick.

At it's core, this book is an American dream counter story layered with so much: Haitian culture, love for family and oneself, seeking justice, moral quandries, and a touch of magical realism. The protagonist, Fabiola, is one of the most complex literary characters I've ever read. I was rooting for her to reunite with her and I couldn't blame her for any of the decisions she made no matter how frustrating and heartbreaking they may have been.

The first few pages of this book already have me ready to cry 😢

This is fine. A good YA I've just read. It nicely packages the whole world of Haiti by replanting it to the urban Detroit. Nice writing style. Good story

Reading now.

This is good but it's definitely YA. A girl moves to Detroit from Haiti and does what she can in a foreign environment to get her mum out of a detention center. It's good but I found the super naive MC hard to relate to.

1. Yes, not often, but when when is getting a lot of Buzz I will read.
2. I loved American Street
3. Age of the protagonist and themes.
#SundayFunday @ozma.of.oz

December #bookspin

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Barely squeezed this one in last night. I thought this was a middle grade book but it‘s YA so the gritty content wasn‘t what I was expecting and it threw me off a bit. There are also a lot of social issues the author is trying to address but in the end I really enjoyed this immigrant story about a young girl from Haiti moving to Detroit.

Looking forward to these reads!

The book lived up to the beautiful cover. It‘s as much about the difficulty of being a teenager new to America, dealing with a new culture, trying to learn new slang, as it is about family and loyalties.

This! I wasn‘t sure about it in the beginning, but by chapter 4 I couldn‘t put it down. This. Is. Soooooo. Good!

Good thing it‘s still hot in TX, because Igor has claimed my favorite cardigan as his own. It usually lives draped over the back of the couch, but this is the second day in a row he has pulled it down and chosen to lay in it instead of his fleece blanket.

I‘m starting American Street tonight. I‘ve heard so many good things!

It‘s arrived! Thanks so much @ReadingRover ! I may have already eaten the chocolate frog, and the graphic novels are great for fall reading. It was worth the wait!

#WhiteRabbitSwap @LibrarianRyan

#doublebookspin is done! This was a heartbreaking story about Fabiola who is coming to America with her mom from Haiti. But when her mom is detained at customs it leaves Fabiola traveling to Detroit on her own. When she arrives she is living with her aunt and cousins. Everything is different from what she is used too and she misses her mom so much. Fabiola has to make heartbreaking choices to help get her mom back with her.

#80 of my year and this is one of the books I bought from MahoganyBooks.com in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and I have committed to ordering at least 3-4 books each month from them so I can broaden my reading experience. This is 2/4 that was ordered. It did take a long time to get (over a month) BUT it was worth the wait if you‘re a patient person & want to show support I encourage you to order from this shop 💛

My TBR List.

When a book captures you so much that you actually cannot wait until you work from home again, you know you found a winner. Robin Miles does a fantastic job narrating this story of Fabiola, a teenage girl from Haiti who learns to navigate the US and Detroit. It‘s moving, and to see the difficult choices Fab has to make is gut wrenching. Definitely worth the read (or listen). My pick for the #AuthenticVoice prompt of #TeenAngst #BBRC

Thank you @Dcueto for these perfect books, also thank you for turning a negative situation into a positive one. No Debbie Downers here! 😊

This was a great story! I loved hearing about the Haitian immigrant experience as well as how they try to assimilate to American culture. I especially enjoyed the main character. This is a must try!

Review:
http://vonniesreadingcorner.blogspot.com/2019/09/audiobook-review-american-stree...

My #bookhaul from the Book Outlet sale arrived a few days ago! A few books for Maya, a few for me, and a few for swaps (which is why some are faced the wrong way 😃).

Ibi Zoboi will be at the Winston Salem Bookmarks Festival in September, which I absolute hope to make this year, so I had to pick up another one of her books!

And apparently, I am also sharing the sticker book with my child. 😂

Fabio is a Haitian immigrant moving with her mother to Detroit to live with her aunt and her three cousins. Except her mom is detained and she goes onto Detroit along. She enters a life she doesn't understand so uses “voodoo“ to explain what's happening to her. This book has so many layers and themes. It stayed with me - haunting me as Fabio was haunted by mystery, guilt and misunderstandings. Ibi came to my school and she is a fantastic speaker!

A solid fast read with a few questions remaining. That may be what the author wanted. Trying to empathize with a situation that seemed a bit contrived? Still, a strong statement that is strongly made about our country and its imperfections.

I LOVED the voice of Fabiola in this book, and the realness of the story and situation, as heartbreaking as it is.

Coming of age, immigrant stories are some of my favorites to read. Add in an amazing narrator and some truly phenomenal writing and it's a winner. This book packed an emotional punch. I loved Fabiola and all the other side characters, including her three cousins. A little longer than I thought it needed to be and a short stop ending that felt a smidge abrupt but still so amazing, I gave it 4 and a half stars.

What a gorgeous Monday - the suns out and the postman brought me a wonderful gift from @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled

Thank you sooooo much. Surprise treats are the best ❤️❤️❤️❤️#littensrock

This audiobook was fantastic!! The same narrator as Binti- which I loved. 🎧

I will say the ending left me a little confused...
#audiobook #ya #contemporary

I love coming of age stories, especially when it focuses on young immigrants. This book gets ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I felt drawn into the neighborhood and the relationships between the characters. A little bit of a tear jerker, but well worth the read. Thanks to @LeshaMac for this pick! #blitsy

Really compelling, really heartbreaking story about a Haitian immigrant who comes to the US to live with her aunt and cousins only to be separated from her mother. The lengths she goes to in order to “save” her mother and reunite her family have devastating consequences but the narrative voice convinced the reader that they‘d do the same. The audiobook is especially well-produced.

Born in America and raised in Haiti, Fabiola and her mother return to Detroit to care for her Aunt Jo. Fabiola is allowed in, but her mother is detained. Fabiola goes on to her aunt‘s house, where she reconnects with her three street-savvy cousins, even as culture-shock hits hard. Life in the little house on the corner of American Street is gritty and Fabiola faces tough choices. She also brings the magic of Haitian Vodou to her new home.

And the t-shirt deserves it‘s the own post! Thanks soo much @LeshaMac I 💜💜 it. I‘m guessing you made the shirt or the magnet! Am I right? #BlitsyHistoryMonth #BHMSwap #BHM

⭐️4/5 I have yet to have an experience with audiobooks that I loved this much. The story line—while cringe worthy at times—was good. I was surprised by the ending and didn‘t lose focus like I tend to when listening (also why I don‘t do movies).

Please leave more audiobook recommendations for me!

Almost 5 hours done and a clean house ✅

Giving an audiobook a try today while I clean. I find audiobooks are a hit or miss with me based entirely on the narrator. Anyone have any good suggestions I should give a try?

I cannot tell you how much of an Ibi Zoboi fan I am, after reading American Street and Pride. Check out our latest Unabridged highlights episode focusing on these two works. We debate the merits of Pride and Prejudice, dive (spoiler-free) into both novels, and then delve deeper (with spoilers!) into American Street.

This book really started to pick up to me after the first 100 pages. Thats when I really got into the swing of things. I found the story as a whole enjoyable but the only character I actually enjoyed was Fabiola, her cousins got on my nerve even though all of them were well developed. I loved that this story highlighted what it is like making such a huge adjustment moving to the US trying to navigate social norms

I‘ve had this on my TBR shelf for sometime. I was even able to get a signed at an event a few weeks back. Really glad to finally get started on. So far it‘s interesting. #readBlackwomen

So, so, so, so good. Zoboi wrote a story that felt so real and authentic. I was very surprised by the ending, and did not see that coming. While I wished the book would have ended it differently, it was well done and meaningful.
#blitsy
#readingwomen book borrowed in 2019

This book is breaking my heart. 😭😭😭

I really enjoyed this listen. I loved the growing dynamic between Fabiola and her cousins as well as the glimpses into Haitian Culture. From a story standpoint I did have some issues with the narrative, particularly the intense shift with the ending climatic sequence. And the themes and messages the book seemed to try and portray didn‘t pack as much of a punch, some plot lines should‘ve been focused more on. But still, I‘ll give it a pick ☺️

I loved this book. It‘s a beautiful novel written from an important perspective. All I can say is read it, enjoy it, and fall in love with Fabiola like I did. 💕

I have a hard time reading books that are set in #mytown. Detroit is easily misunderstood and has been a punching bag in a lot of pop culture portrayals, so I can get my hackles up pretty quick. I didn't love everything about the Detroit of Zoboi's imagination, but I did love Fabiola, the main character, so, so much. Bonus that the intersection of Joy Road and American Street is a real one, and only a few miles from where I stay. #ANewChapter

OMG, this book is gorgeous. The perfect inclusion of magical realism, the gorgeous immigrant story, the romance, the family. Zoboi has packed in SO. Much. And it's just lovely. The twists are ample but believable, and the story of Fabiola's need immediately to integrate and then gradually to truly belong is moving and heartbreaking. Loved it! I cannot wait to talk about it on @unabridgedpod.⠀
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