Review of The Black Girl in the White House

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Black Girl in the White House" by Kathy Hoppe.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Sara meets Lee when they are six years old, and they enjoy playing together. Lee's mother tells her to make sure they play in the backyard where Sara's father can not see them because he will beat Sara if he catches her playing with a black girl. She says that he beats up Sara's mother when he is drinking, which is all the time. Sara and Lee tell each other they will be friends forever. Lee wants to go to Sara's white house to play, and Sara agrees one day when both her parents are at work. Only when they get there, they find out Sara's father had come home claiming to be sick and was in the house raping a teenage girl. What does Sara's father do? Will their friendship survive? Will their parents' generation leave scars on them? To find out, you will need to read the story of their lives revolving around misunderstandings, racism, discrimination, white privilege, and abuse in the fictional novella, The Black Girl in the White House, by Kathy Hoppe.

This novella has many positive aspects with lessons that the reader can learn about racism and white privilege. I found the definition of white privilege interesting because I never considered the innocent actions and assumptions that many white people commit that make others feel inferior. I will not elaborate on this topic to avoid any spoilers, but I will caution readers that you do not know anything about a person by looking at only the outside of them. Many people do not realize the power of their words and do not realize that the pain from something hurtful you have said to someone can stay with them for the rest of their life. This quote from the book by an unknown author explains, "Words are seeds that do more than blow around. They land in our hearts and not the ground. Be careful what you plant and careful what you say. You might have to eat what you planted one day." There are many more thought-provoking quotes in this book, as each chapter contains one. The character development allowed me to get to know and understand each of the characters.

There are no negative aspects to this book. The author has done a fantastic job moving back and forth between the different stages of the characters' lives and kept me intrigued.

This fast-paced novella is well-written with fewer than ten errors. I gladly give this professionally edited book 4 out of 4 stars. There is no reason to give this book less than the maximum rating.

I recommend this novella for teenage and older readers who enjoy fiction about today's society. Sensitive readers need to be aware that there is some borderline profanity, political, and LGBTQ content.

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The Black Girl in the White House
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[Tarie07]

Great review! You left me in so much suspense I would love to find out how Sara's father reacted and I want to know if Sara and Lee continued being friends against all odds.

[Vidhi Adhikari]

This review is so well written I can't wait to read it myself. I enjoy stories that intersperse the reality of our society with some healthy amount of suspense.

[Chiwelite O]

I think you did an excellent work with your review. The fact that you actually did not leave any spoilers has made me more interested in this book.

[Precious DA]

Amazing review! I would like to discover the actions of the characters upon the discovering the white man's crime. I would also like to see the authors view on racism and privilege.

[ROSEY-ANN]

Great review. Sounds like a really interesting book. Some serious issues highlighted here.

[Toby Ronans]

Incredible review. Thanks.