How to STOP Judging Your Friends! We Are Not Like Them book review
There are times in the books where I absolutely hate Jen and then there are times when I love Jen. How many other ways can you be judgmental with five little words? We are not like them.
I just finished the book, We are not like them. This book has two authors, Christine Pride and Joe Piazza. The genre of the book is fiction. The theme of the book is literature. This book was an easy read about a complex subject. And that is very, very hard.
In the book, you're following the friendship of Jen and Riley. Now, listen, the book is about social justice. It's about police brutality. It's about death. But the core of the book, to me, the absolute core is friendships. The biggest plot twist in the book is when you find out that Riley helped Jen get pregnant. OK. And that was so surprising because you're like, wow, look at their friendship. It's changed. It's growing. There are physical changes. Right. Jen cut her hair; she looks a little bit different (like a Karen). And Riley changes her name.
BIG differences throughout the friendship. But you get to watch it grow from when they were kids to teenagers, to being in college, to where they are now. Even at the end, when you're reading it, you find out that Jen is moving from their city to Florida. You're just like, 'NO!' but how will this change the relationship? But also good for you, right? There are times in the books where I absolutely hate Jen. Then there are times when I love Jen. I thought Riley was going to date the brother, um, what's the mom's name? The crux of the entire story is this friendship, absolutely the friendship. If they were mere acquaintances, you know, you would not have nearly as many challenges, almost as many reasons to support the friends. Right. So that's a level to their relationship because Jen is married. And what happens when another person, when a spouse, comes into the relationship?
Do you agree with me that friendships grow and change and mature and do all these crazy things, or do you just have different friends for different seasons? Okay, I have a friend that I've had since the sixth grade. Our relationship has changed 18 different times, all right? But I also appreciate when you get some friends that you've known for like three or four years, right? Not people that have known you forever, okay?
So friendships are so meaningful to me because life's changed, things grow, and then all this stuff happens. But Riley was so instrumental in Jen getting pregnant, and then the pregnancy being such a big deal about everything that's happening in their lives. It was like, every possible thing that could have been wrapped up between these two happened, right? Short of Jen being married to Riley's brother. That's the only thing that would have made it absolutely more complicated.
Now, I read We Are Not Like Them in March of 2023. And so there have been several things that have happened this year that are absolutely heartbreaking with the police. There have been many things that have been happening in the last 10 to 20 years. Right. Go back to Rodney King—trigger warning. If you are sensitive to stories about police in the news, people dying, and things like that, please know that is a strong part of this book.
I don't mind giving that spoiler because don't pick this up if it will send you into a tailspin and throw you off for the next week. Whatever, you need a break from it just like you need a break from the news, just like you need a break from anything, right? I can't even binge-watch The Walking Dead too many seasons, or I'm like, 'Okay, look, I can't sleep.' Thank you for spending some time with me.
With my head in a book,
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