Introverted Bear

I really do like this book. It started off strong, sort of leveled out in the middle, and I'm not sure what to make of the ending. The ending was left open, and I'm not sure if the character ever resolved the concept of her whiteness vs. colorness. I suppose that's for the reader to decide.

I also really like the concept of whiteness vs. colorness. It shows white privilege and brings race to our awareness. I wouldn't doubt people who look white but are colored are treated different. I know a girl who looked white in high school but claimed her black heritage, and to be honest, I remember being surprised that she said she was black when she looked white. It's a strange bias that's hard to put in words. I give kudos to the author for trying to put it into words, but I also hoped that she could have resolved the issue but she didn't. Maybe she didn't because the issue still goes on in this day.

Even though we don't know a lot about all the characters, I feel connected to them, especially Ida Mae and Lily. I wouldn't mind being friends with someone like Ida Mae even though she sounds anxious sometimes. Mama and Grandy are also fun, and I wouldn't mind being in their family. However, sometimes it felt like the stories of the other characters were just dropped off. I think you could write some really cool fanfiction about the other characters, especially expanding on Jolene's story. However, it may be better left to the author to write those stories.

Although it's very realistic what happen to the women of the WASP, I wish something different would have happened to Patsy and Lily. I guess we can't always win though.

As I read the book, I had a suspicion that it was written by a Northerner and not someone native to New Orleans. What gave it away were the comments about the weather and calling the August weather cool. It is never cool in August, especially since August is usually the hottest month of the year. I'm not sure that the dialect used in the novel is accurate, but I'm going to assume some of it is accurate. There were no "making groceries" or "neutral ground" phrases though.

There were some good funny lines though.