Thank you to BookishFirst for the ARC and chance for an early review!
Members Only has several different storylines- Raj referring to an African American man as a slur, Neel’s ADHD and difficulty in school, and accusations of Raj being a reverse racist- along with the overarching theme of microaggressions that people of color face on a daily basis. At times, the focus on the first two seem somewhat unrelated or unnecessary to the main plot, but the final few chapters tie everything together, albeit a bit clumsily.
I enjoyed the complexity of the precarious situation at the university and found myself connecting to Raj in a way that I previously had been unable to. On one hand, apologizing would end the protests and harassment, but on the other hand, Raj has had his words taken out of context and spliced together to further fuel the flames against him. His humanity is tested, as is his patience and understanding, and I very much enjoyed seeing his triumphant return to the classroom and his willingness to keep learning alongside his students.
Members Only has several different storylines- Raj referring to an African American man as a slur, Neel’s ADHD and difficulty in school, and accusations of Raj being a reverse racist- along with the overarching theme of microaggressions that people of color face on a daily basis. At times, the focus on the first two seem somewhat unrelated or unnecessary to the main plot, but the final few chapters tie everything together, albeit a bit clumsily.
I enjoyed the complexity of the precarious situation at the university and found myself connecting to Raj in a way that I previously had been unable to. On one hand, apologizing would end the protests and harassment, but on the other hand, Raj has had his words taken out of context and spliced together to further fuel the flames against him. His humanity is tested, as is his patience and understanding, and I very much enjoyed seeing his triumphant return to the classroom and his willingness to keep learning alongside his students.