Book Club- Pride
Our latest book club read was Pride (my choice!) by Ibi Zoboi. I loved it! It’s a YA novel that takes a modern spin on Pride and Prejudice. The main character is Zuri Benitez. She is a Haitian-Dominican-American teenager living in a small apartment with her 4 sisters and parents in Brooklyn (Bushwick, specifically).
I really enjoyed how the author managed to keep the overall story of Pride and Prejudice while also adding modern elements like gentrification, being Black in America, and being a teenager trying to into the college you want.
Two of the book club ladies did not like the book, one was neural and the other enjoyed it like me. The main problem the ladies that didn’t like the book had was that they felt that Zuri prejudged Darius (the modern day Mr. Darcy equivalent). Since I read the original Pride and Prejudice, I knew what to expect so didn’t really think of it that way.
While the book deals with a few heavy topics, overall it is a light read. The characters are interesting and well-developed. Being an only child, I am always drawn to a story where the characters have such a strong bond with all their siblings. The author did a great job of showing that in this story. Zoboi also did an excellent job describing the world, so the reader could really visualize and feel a part of it. I also enjoyed the poetry that Zuri writes in the book.
I definitely recommend this book! Whether you’ve read the original Pride and Prejudice or not, this story of teenage summer love is really enjoyable!
One of the ladies tried out a Skype setting where it puts all the attendees in a location together. It gave us all a laugh, even though poor Sally got cut out of the shot!
The next book we’ll be reading is Fire Keeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. As always, you can check out all the other books we’ve read on my Book Club Pinterest board.
Have any of you read Pride or Fire Keeper’s Daughter? I’d love to know what you thought!