This book is upsetting. And it should be -it's tackling racism- yet I can't help but feel this was written to educate a white audience. Shock us into action... just unfortunately at the cost of consuming a lot of POC pain. 
 And I mean A LOT. 
 Don't get me wrong; it's clear the author deeply cares about racial issues. White people need to join the conversation and the story is about overcoming racism. 
 There are good intentions here. 
 It's just... 
 I'm just unsure how to feel about a white author speaking FOR black people on the topic. Yes, I also believe writers are free to create as please -I'm not going to censor anyone, especially when they do their homework- but it was uncomfortable with all the slurs. Of course it's portrayed in a negative light, so again; not sure how to feel. 
 And you know what? I'm okay with not knowing. As a white reader, it's not my place to say if this book got it right or wrong. So instead of listening to me, check out these two perspectives written by POC reviewers to help make up your mind: 
 [Positive Review] 
 [Negative Review]