A GOOD NEIGHBOR by Therese Anne Fowler

This is a book that really made me stop and think. It’s a story that I wish everyone would read and see it like it’s meant to be seen. It’s about a boy and about a girl. It’s about prejudice. It’s about someone not liking the word no or not getting what he wants. It’s about a man who thinks thoughts that no man should be thinking. It’s about a woman who loves her child, both mothers. It’s about a tree. It’s about the law, unjust in many ways. In terrible ways. It’s about hate and love. Life and death. Love and loss. It is one that will make you cry such hard tears. If you have a heart you will weep in a certain part of this story. Many parts for sure but one part in particular.

This book is written in such a way that you won’t want to stop reading for any reason. You will want to find out what is going to happen next. You will also wonder how some things are not seen. It’s about one mother who only wanted her daughter and herself to have a better life. It’s about a mother who has a son who happens to be biracial and will do anything for him. His dad died when he was just a toddler so his mother, who is black, raised him on her own. She sacrificed so much for him. It’s about neighbors. One family rich and one maybe middle class. It’s a story that brings so much. Like why is a biracial child consider black? Why not white? Or as should be both. Or just a child. Just a young man. Just a human being. It’s just not that way. Especially here in the south. There is way to much hatred in the south for a person who is not white. It’s quite sad and sickening too.

I had no idea exactly what this story was going to entail. I thought it was going to be about prejudice. But it’s much much more. The part about a tree is important. It’s like a focal point in this story for the events that will take place. It’s an old Oak tree that has been around many many years.

Quotes from this story: “It’s trite to say appearances can be deceiving, so we won’t say that. We’ll say no one can be known by only what’s visible. We’ll say, most of us hide what troubles and confuses us, displaying instead of the facets we hope others will approve of, the parts we hope others will like.”
“Why couldn’t we see one another as simply human and pull together, for goodness’ sake. The planet was dying while people fought over things like who was most American-or who was American at all.”
“This story isn’t a police procedural. It’s not a legal thriller. Is it a cautionary tale? We think it is-but we wish it weren’t.”
“Start here, please, in communion with one another despite our differences, recognizing that without start there is no end.”(this last one is my favorite)

This is a much needed to be read story.

Thank you #NetGalley #StMartin’sPress #TereseAnneFowler for the eARC of this book. This review comes straight from my heart.

A 5 star book and a very high recommendation.