We Are Not Like Them: A Novel


Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
20
Narrator
5
Release Date
October 2021
Duration
11 hours 43 minutes
Summary
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

Named a Best Book Pick of 2021 by Harper’s Bazaar and Real Simple

Named a Most Anticipated Book of Fall by People, Essence, New York Post, PopSugar, New York Newsday, Entertainment Weekly, Town & Country, Bustle, Fortune, and Book Riot

Told from alternating perspectives, this “propulsive, deeply felt tale of race and friendship” (People) follows two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event.

Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.

But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband’s freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend.

Like Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, We Are Not Like Them takes “us to uncomfortable places—in the best possible way—while capturing so much of what we are all thinking and feeling about race. A sharp, timely, and soul-satisfying novel” (Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author) that is both a powerful conversation starter and a celebration of the enduring power of friendship.
Reviews
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Latoya L.

My first book of 2023..... I only read 39 books last year. I hope to surpass that this year. Jen and Riley of Philadelphia have been best friends since kindergarten. They were more like sisters than friends. But there's one thing that's different, their race. One's Black, Riley, and the other, Jen is white. I know, I know not everything is a race issue, but in reality, it is. Jen was welcomed into Rileys family. She stayed the night and spent holidays with her. Rileys grandma showed her famous bread recipe. Fast forward, the girls grow up. Jen marries a police officer and is finally pregnant after multiple tries. Riley became a tv journalist, one of the 1st Black female anchors. Their friendship and bond get tested when Jens husband, a police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Jen, pregnant and left alone to deal with the aftermath. She didn't realize that she had and used the same mocroafgressioms and racial ideations as others. She used the statement, " I can't be racist,my best friend is Black. Ughhhhhh. It's so exhausting. I just want it to stop. Y'all do know that, isn't it. Slave owners loved their slaves, they slept with them, and they had children... I digress. Rileys wool over her eyes was lifted. She began to wrestle with the implications of Jens' husband's actions on her Black community, her friendship, and her ambitions. Especially when they want her to cover the story at her job. We Are Not Like Them is a reality, a much-needed conversation starter, and a testament of the enduring power of friendship. #Book1of2023 #BookWorm #WhatsNext

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K O.

I was not a fan of this book. While this book describes the cure climate between race and law enforcement, I was looking for educational solutions to a problem. I was disappointed.

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