When No One is Watching book review

What you do when no one is watching is really important. Keep reading to find out what book I'm talking about and why you have to pay attention to who's watching. 

Hey y'all, it's Kyla Denanyoh.  I read a book called When No One Is Watching. The book was written by Alyssa Cole. It's a fiction novel with a suspense thriller theme. 

So there will be spoilers.

It's a book review, but one of the most significant twists, shifts, turns —whatever you want to call it— was when Theo came out wearing the Black Lives Matter shirt, and Sydney was like, "Please take that off." You've got to take that off. Please, please, please. So that was important because Theo is white, Sydney is black, and he was wearing the shirt to show his support. 

One of the kids in the neighborhood was being harassed by the police, so he was wearing the shirt. He just thought he was being an ally, and we appreciate allies of black people. We do. However, the Black Lives Matter shirt was just not the right time. It was drawing attention to Theo in a negative way. 

My black sweatshirt is a vibe. It stands for black clothing. But really, it's talking about black people. Black people are our whole vibe. And it's awesome that it can be on a tie-dye shirt. Almost even ironic. But it's those kinds of things. You're already here. You're showing that you're involved. You're attending community meetings. The Black Lives Matter shirt, we don't need it. We don't need it. Please take that off. 

And she was like, I need you to change your clothes right now. So I love that part. I thought that was great. So why was that important to me? It was important to me because I have had a lot of people who are not black. So that includes people of color. That includes white people who have supported me and been allies of mine as a black woman. I appreciate it. I love it. It's great. And some people try but don't know what to do. 

So, I remember summer 2020, and I was pregnant, preparing to have my daughter, when a lot of stuff was happening and all the Black Lives Matter protests and things like that. And I saw a message where someone said, "Some people support financially, some people support with their time, some people support by protesting."

Basically, there are different ways to show your support. And that was how I felt while reading the book. I was like, Wow, I appreciated that Theo was trying to be an ally, and Sydney was honest with him and told him we don't need that right now. Just continue being an ally and showing up. You don't need to wear the merchandise.

So I really enjoyed that piece, mainly because I have many allies who are not black. And I am making that distinction because people of color and Black people are different. It's different. Black with a capital B. It's different. This book was deep. I mean, my husband and I are trying to buy a house, so the book had to deal with gentrifying neighborhoods and institutionalizing black people, getting them addicted to drugs so that you can buy their properties. It was hitting just so close to home while I'm struggling to find a house. 

I would not re-read the book because I'm not going to forget it. It's just not… It was a good thriller, but most thrillers I don't need to re-read because I was scared while reading them. I'm like, okay. No, I wouldn't re-read it, but it was a great book. It was an excellent book. 

Until the next book review, Kyla