Review: Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Pride
Ibi Zoboi
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Retelling
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

I must confess, I have never read Pride and Prejudice, but I have now read so many retellings, I feel quite familiar with the story, and I really enjoyed the way Zoboi took on Austen.

I lived in East Flatbush, Brooklyn until I was almost 14, so I LOVE books set in my place of birth. It was fun visiting some of the many pockets of the borough with Zuri, and remembering why I loved Brooklyn so much. Sitting on the stoop, yelling out the window, playing in the hydrant, attending a block party -- these were such trademarks of city living, and I smiled with each reference, that brought back a childhood memory for me.

Brooklyn was not the only character I enjoyed in this book though. I thought Zuri was pretty fabulous. She was quite fierce and super opinionated, but that had a lot of do with how proud she was. She was proud of her neighborhood, her family, and her heritage, and with each home sold and each building renovated, she saw something she loved changing and slipping away. People, who didn't know and love Bushwick and its inhabitants were coming in and pushing them out. Zuri spent some time reflecting on the gentrification, but I think this was just he tip of the iceberg, when it came to what she really feared - change.

I was also a fan of Darius. He was really stuck up in the beginning of the book, but as Zuri, and we, got to know him better, we learned there was a lot more to him, than met the eye. He felt kind of like an outsider. Though his family was wealthy, and he enjoyed the privilege of living in a ritzy Manhattan apartment and attending a posh private school, he was never fully embraced by his peers or his neighbors. The same thing seemed to happen when he moved to Bushwick. This was a definite stumbling block for him, and could explain why he fought his attraction to Zuri. However, once he realized how much more there was to Zuri, he showed a fantastic side of himself, and I really enjoyed watching his affection for Zuri and their friendship grow.

This book had such a wonderful family focus! Zuri came from a large, tight-knit family. The dynamic was fabulous, and I loved seeing the sisters interact. There was heaps of love in the Benitez home! But Zoboi also took time to show us how Zuri's neighbors were like family, which is usually the case when you grow up in a real neighborhood. We saw the neighbors celebrate and mourn together, but regardless of the situation, they were there for each other.

Zuri's poetry was a wonderful way to share her feelings with the reader. She hid a lot in order to protect herself. These poems gave us a direct look into her mind and emotions, and I really enjoyed reading them.

Overall: A wonderful take on an Austen classic, which was told with warmth and humor, and incorporated many timely themes and social issues.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Do you have a favorite Pride and Prejudice retelling?

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