October 8, 2020
I fell in love with this cover the way you fall down a very steep set of stairs when you miss a step: instantly and without a chance of resistance
My first Tiffany Jackson book won't be my last. As a matter of fact, Allegedly has been on my radar for years and now I'm even more determined to read it. Grown was brutal thriller, a battle cry, a sucker punch on rape culture.
I finished this book in half a day. I flew through the pages in a single sitting. It helped that the chapters are short, the pace quick, the story enthralling and horrifying at once. It's about a Black girl from a poor family who loves to sing. When a famous rapper discovers her at a talent show he takes her under his wing and promises her love and fame. Sounds like a dream, but it's a nightmare. Enchanted is 17, Korey 28. As his influence on her grows, she loses control over her future, her body and her mind.
The book starts with a body and a lot of blood. Korey is dead, which turns out to be a relief, because the more we read, the happier we are to know that this will all end eventually. To begin with, Korey flirts with her, sends her inappropriate messages, is affectionate and caring. We're supposed to like him, because he's talented and cute but proves to be so vulnerable. But the age gap remains, and if you didn't have a problem with it to begin with, you will soon realise that the power imbalance in this relationship does tremendous harm to the main character - and many other girls in real life that are in similar situations. Korey kidnaps Enchanted, takes her phone, cuts her off from her friends and parents, forces her into clothes and roles she feels uncomfortable in, drugs her, gaslights her, physically and sexually abuses her. All of these things are painful but some even impossible to read. What makes this story even more brutal is that this is by no means a made-up situation. It is a reality that many girls and women but also men, trans, nonbinary and queer people experience. (In each over these case, however, the power dynamic is an entirely different one.) This loosely draws on the case of R. Kelly and his predatory, pedophile behaviour. It is important to mention that we're talking about children here. This book particularly talks about the abuse that some of the most vulnerable people in our society experience: Black and poor teenage girls. That is a blatant abuse of power, but it's not the act of a single person. We're talking a group, an industry, a society that turns a blind eye to violence. It's a structural issue, and that makes it even more lethal.
This is why I'm thankful that books like Grown exist, that they are accessible to young (and old) minds. They give you the tools to recognise and fight injustice. They give you the words to name and fight inequality.
It's an inherently feminist book, one that shows the intersections of identities and how they all influence the privileges we have (or don't have) and how society treats us accordingly.
The only criticism I have is that the book is so fast-paced that the structure of the plot almost crumbles. The closer we get to the ending, the more the story dissolves into fractures, and we often only see the most important scenes; finer details are lost in the cracks. I'm also not entirely sure what I think about those last two pages...
I say, read this book, but only read it if you feel safe and stable. It's very hard to stomach and could easily trigger readers.
Find more of my books on Instagram
My first Tiffany Jackson book won't be my last. As a matter of fact, Allegedly has been on my radar for years and now I'm even more determined to read it. Grown was brutal thriller, a battle cry, a sucker punch on rape culture.
I finished this book in half a day. I flew through the pages in a single sitting. It helped that the chapters are short, the pace quick, the story enthralling and horrifying at once. It's about a Black girl from a poor family who loves to sing. When a famous rapper discovers her at a talent show he takes her under his wing and promises her love and fame. Sounds like a dream, but it's a nightmare. Enchanted is 17, Korey 28. As his influence on her grows, she loses control over her future, her body and her mind.
The book starts with a body and a lot of blood. Korey is dead, which turns out to be a relief, because the more we read, the happier we are to know that this will all end eventually. To begin with, Korey flirts with her, sends her inappropriate messages, is affectionate and caring. We're supposed to like him, because he's talented and cute but proves to be so vulnerable. But the age gap remains, and if you didn't have a problem with it to begin with, you will soon realise that the power imbalance in this relationship does tremendous harm to the main character - and many other girls in real life that are in similar situations. Korey kidnaps Enchanted, takes her phone, cuts her off from her friends and parents, forces her into clothes and roles she feels uncomfortable in, drugs her, gaslights her, physically and sexually abuses her. All of these things are painful but some even impossible to read. What makes this story even more brutal is that this is by no means a made-up situation. It is a reality that many girls and women but also men, trans, nonbinary and queer people experience. (In each over these case, however, the power dynamic is an entirely different one.) This loosely draws on the case of R. Kelly and his predatory, pedophile behaviour. It is important to mention that we're talking about children here. This book particularly talks about the abuse that some of the most vulnerable people in our society experience: Black and poor teenage girls. That is a blatant abuse of power, but it's not the act of a single person. We're talking a group, an industry, a society that turns a blind eye to violence. It's a structural issue, and that makes it even more lethal.
This is why I'm thankful that books like Grown exist, that they are accessible to young (and old) minds. They give you the tools to recognise and fight injustice. They give you the words to name and fight inequality.
It's an inherently feminist book, one that shows the intersections of identities and how they all influence the privileges we have (or don't have) and how society treats us accordingly.
The only criticism I have is that the book is so fast-paced that the structure of the plot almost crumbles. The closer we get to the ending, the more the story dissolves into fractures, and we often only see the most important scenes; finer details are lost in the cracks. I'm also not entirely sure what I think about those last two pages...
I say, read this book, but only read it if you feel safe and stable. It's very hard to stomach and could easily trigger readers.
Find more of my books on Instagram
