Zoboi portrays all aspects of the immigrant experience from different perspectives, whilst also offering challenges to slut-shaming, a lesbian romance, and a Muslim love interest. The author gives them the spotlight for a short time, allowing them to become human beings, more than secondary characters, more than good guys, bad guys, or in Donna's case a 'ho'. Most of the book is told from Fabiola's POV, but we also get the occasional short chapter from each of the other characters too. Donna's abusive and drug-dealing boyfriend, Dray, becomes a problem for them all, and even more so when Fabiola begins a relationship with his friend Kasim. Not only does she have to try and find a way to be reunited with her Manman, but Fabiola also finds herself caught up in her cousins' crazy worlds. Nobody, I mean nobody, fucks with us.īut, obviously, nothing here is going to be simple.

The biggest, baddest bitches from the west side. I don’t remember who came up with it first, but Chantal is the brains, Donna is the beauty, and me, I’m the brawn. Known as the 'Three Bs' for Chantal's brains, Donna's beauty and Pri's brawn, they make a formidable trio. Fabiola's cousins have a reputation as girls no one messes with, yet as the reader, it was hard not to love them.

Fabiola's wide-eyed uncertainty as she tries to adjust to this new country, her fear for her mother, and her realization that America may not be the paradise she's dreamed of, all serve to make her story an instantly sympathetic one. From the very first chapter, the emotions and stakes are high. When the two attempt to come to Detroit to join Fabiola's Aunt Jo and cousins - Chantal, Princess (Pri) and Primadonna (Donna) - Fabiola is allowed through security but her mother is detained at JFK by U.S. It's really quite fantastic.įabiola Toussaint was born in America but she has spent almost all her life in Haiti with her Haitian mother.

Zoboi has crafted a unique blend of Haitian Vodou beliefs with a contemporary American setting. There's the obvious reasons - it's an ownvoices work about Haitian immigrants in Detroit there's the general reasons like the extremely sympathetic narrator and the wonderful cast of diverse secondary characters, plus the grittiness and emotion throughout but then there's the fact that this is a really clever, really different story. The more I think about it, the more I realize just how much I loved American Street. I’m a “resident alien.” The borders don’t care if we’re all human and my heart pumps blood the same as everyone else’s.Ĥ 1/2 stars. According to my papers, I’m not even supposed to be here.

American Street by Ibi Zoboi