Book Review: One of the Good Ones

ONE OF THE GOOD ONES | Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite
01.05.2021 | Inkyard Press
Rating: 4/5 stars

When teen 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 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 OF THE GOOD ONES is more than just a contemporary young adult novel examining American society and the inherent racism that runs deep through not only the country’s history, but also in the present day. I loved the mixture of historical and modern references and situations that the author’s chose to use when showing the readers what has changed, but more importantly, what hasn’t changed. In addition to touching on deeply important societal topics, the authors also cover more personal areas such as grief, religion, and coming out. The cast of characters root themselves deeply with the reader from the first few pages and the alternating narratives allow for bonding with not only multiple characters, but multiple aspects of the story. I was so swept away in this book that the twists came out of nowhere and they hit me hard. They were powerful and added even more meaning to the story as a whole.

🎧: I chose to pick up the audio for this one after seeing a few positive reviews. I have to say that the narrators absolutely nailed bringing the story to life! They were the characters for me and I think through the narrators I was able to feel the story even more deeply. Highly recommend!

This book is available to buy from: Amazon | Book Depository

A huge thank you to HTP Books for my gifted copy!

Disclosure: What Jess Reads is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way influences my opinion of the above book.