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May 19, 2017akzfineart rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
SO GOOD. THAT ENDING THOUGH. I AM SO SAD. Real review: This was so good and I'm having trouble putting that into words. Zoboi is a gifted storyteller. The characters of AMERICAN STREET captivate you from the very first page. I would say the character development is the strongest aspect of this book and the story is quite unlike anything I've ever read. I also loved how Fabiola would compare her experiences as a Haitian immigrant in America with Vodou culture. I'm paraphrasing here but Fabiola described her situation as, "American by birth, Haitian by blood". I didn't expect the magical realism and it was a really beautiful surprise. A superb debut YA novel! I'm avidly awaiting Zoboi's next work. I was not 100% convinced that the detective Fabiola was giving information to could get Fabiola's mother out of the detention centre that easily, unless she had strong connections with ICE (which isn't confirmed). Obviously the case the detective was working on was a big one, but it didn't seem like a case that crossed state lines or would get national headlines. It just seemed too good to be true. I still enjoyed the ending and concluded the author wanted to give the reader hope.