Hello! Long time no see, friends. I recently started grad school and it became extremely difficult to balance bookstagram, studies, and this blog. I’m hoping to write more entries this upcoming semester, starting with this one.
Thank you to Inkyard Press for contacting to be part of this blog tour. I was really looking forward to this book and it turned out to be my first read of the year!
Summary:
A shockingly powerful exploration of the lasting impact of prejudice and the indomitable spirit of sisterhood that will have readers questioning what it truly means to be an ally, from sister-writer duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, authors of Dear Haiti, Love Alaine.
ISN’T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH?
When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.
One of the good ones.
Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.
My review of One of the Good Ones:
I received an ARC of this book which did not influence my thoughts in any way. Thank you once again to Inkyard Press for providing me with a copy.
Who gets to be “one of the good ones” and why?
Maika and Maritza Moulite’s sophomore novel explores this concept and adds its own mysterious twist to it. One of the Good Ones packs a punch in its 300ish pages discussing a wide range of topics from family, social injustice, and the church. This review will be brief because I believe going in without knowing a lot of it is better. I don’t want to be like one of those long movie trailers lol.
One of the Good Ones weaves family generations in a story via an item, the Green Book, and I thought this was masterfully done. Using one object, tracing its history through the family, and creating a new narrative with was absolutely brilliant. The use of the Green Book allows for the explorations of several POVs, which span for multiple generations. This part of the novel took me by surprise. I was expecting the story to follow mainly the sisters, but instead it gave me a scope of their family history.
You have one character speaking about an event and then such event is explained in the narrative. The reader gets the whole experience of the moment instead of the being told why this particular family memory is important. The story’s structure offers full immersion by showcasing family.
The story’s structure builds the mystery of the novel wonderfully. The mystery is well paced and with each POV you are left wondering, “how is everything tied to one another?” Then you keep trying to guess and have your deduction and by “you” I mean me. As more tidbits were rerelease I wonder what event was tied to what. The pacing of each reveal was extremely enjoyable and engaging. Below an accurate representation of me while reading One of the Good Ones.
One of the Good Ones contains several discussions of the church and it is mostly tied to Kezi and Happi’s parents. I found the exploration of religion very interesting and enjoyable. Due to these discussions bringing up valid points about the church’s role in enforcing restrictive mindsets when it comes to LGBTQIA+ youth. The scenes in which these were discussed left me with many emotions and the progression of this theme brought forth so much growth to multiple characters. I immensely enjoyed this theme and was glad that it was included.
In terms of the characters my favorite was Happi. Her character arc was exquisite. The juxtaposition between her and Kezi exemplifies how society expects members of the Black community to be perfect in every way in order to be deemed worthy of remembrance. Happi’s personality very much reminded me of my own sister (I’m very much Genny out of all the sisters). They even share some of the same interests and sitting there reading about her grief prompted me to contact my sister.
The discussions of sisterhood left me with many emotions and solidified the authors’ message. Characters like Happi need to come in abundance, she became one of my favorites quickly. I rooted for her and I loved seeing her growth without changing her core self. She was not perfect and that was the beauty of her character because she felt real, she felt like someone I knew.
One of the Good Ones is a wonderful exploration of the phrase which should not bound by one genre. The mystery of it will keep the reader on edge while providing a roller coaster of emotions. The use of valuable objects to depict family ties, the narrative structure, and the character work are just some of the amazing aspects of this novel. One of the Good Ones contains multitudes and should be on everyone’s TBR!
Conclusion: Highly Recommend
One of the Good Ones was my first of the year and well deserving of 5 stars ✨ due to the wonderful topics that it explored as well as its narrative structure. At every turn there was something immensely important being discussed and the collaborative aspect of the novel (since it was written by two authors) is simply amazing. This novel will give its reader an array of experiences, make them think about the weight of words, and the value of family. One of the Good Ones is out now! Find your copy at your local library or any of these retailers:
Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Books-A-Million
About the authors
MAIKA MOULITE is a Miami native and the daughter of Haitian immigrants. She earned a bachelor’s in marketing from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of Miami. When she’s not using her digital prowess to help nonprofits and major organizations tell their stories online, she’s sharpening her skills as a PhD student at Howard University’s Communication, Culture and Media Studies program. Her research focuses on representation in media and its impact on marginalized groups. She’s the eldest of four sisters and loves young adult novels, fierce female leads, and laughing.
MARITZA MOULITE graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in women’s studies and the University of Southern California with a master’s in journalism. She’s worked in various capacities for NBC News, CNN, and USA TODAY. Maritza is a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania exploring ways to improve literacy in under-resourced communities after being inspired to study education from her time as a literacy tutor and pre-k teacher assistant. Her favorite song is “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire.