Review of Jesse
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Review of Jesse
Jesse by Glen Alan Burke is a story of a miracle and godsent gift amid all the evil in the world. It follows a touching story set in 1960s Alabama, where racism and prejudice were rampant. The novel follows Jesse Savorié, a mixed-race child born to a black man and a white woman, who endures a life marred by abuse, neglect, and racism. The author skillfully portrays children's innocence and impressionability, highlighting how adults' beliefs can influence them.
I loved how the author wrote the narrative of race in this book. Racism is not prevalent in my country, so every time I read books about racism in the U.S., it truly tears my heart apart. The scene I cried the most was when Jesse asked Matt why he had to be black and how it must be a bad thing because that’s what everyone says. Additionally, this book shows that white kids became racist because they thought it was their right to bully black people. After all, it's what they see other grownups do. It's hard to imagine that black children are bullied and threatened just because white people do not value their lives.
Overall, it was an emotional read. However, as the story leaned more on Jesse's mysterious abilities, the book became more spiritual. It would've been good to make Jesse inspiring and teach other high school kids some moral lessons, but some topics are not discussed very well. Instead of shining light on a positive aspect to serve as a lesson, the characters just became judgmental. One example was when a heavy-set kid wanted to be thinner, but instead of making him love and accept his body, Jesse just showed him how ugly people were when they got older. There are so many ways to turn that plot into something uplifting and positive, but the author just wrote judgmental characters.
I loved and hated some parts of this book. Jesse delves into complex and sensitive topics such as racism, neglect, abandonment, unwanted pregnancy, and sexual abuse, evoking strong emotions from readers. However, the missed opportunities to infuse positivity into certain themes left me conflicted. Despite these reservations, the book addresses important issues and prompts valuable discussions. With that said, I'm rating this book 3 out of 5 stars. On a technical aspect, I found more than ten grammatical errors, so I would recommend it be edited again. While the mistakes are just missing spaces between words, it still distracts me while reading.
I would recommend this novel to religious readers, as this might resonate with them more. However, potential readers should be aware of the book's treatment of certain themes that might not align with their expectations.
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Jesse
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