One of the Good Ones
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
"One of the Good Ones is magic.” —Damon Young, author of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker
A shockingly powerful exploration of the lasting impact of prejudice and the indomitable spirit of sisterhood that will have readers questioning what it truly means to be an ally, from sister-writer duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, authors of Dear Haiti, Love Alaine.
ISN’T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH?
When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.
One of the good ones.
Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.
"Astonishing!" —Laura Ruby, two-time National Book Award finalist and author of Bone Gap
"Brilliant" —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Thrilling" —SLJ, starred review
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This dazzling novel from sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite—rising stars in the world of young-adult fiction—humanizes America’s brutal history of racism and the ongoing fight for justice. When their perfect-seeming activist sister, Kezi, is found dead after she’s arrested at a Black Lives Matter rally, disaffected siblings Happi and Genny Smith are plunged into the national spotlight as the family struggles to cope with Kezi’s shocking death and nearly instantaneous martyrdom. Hoping to reconnect with Kezi’s true legacy and with each other, Happi and Genny set off on a life-changing road trip with a well-loved copy of The Green Book, a cherished guide for Black travelers during much of the 20th century. Moving, timely, and suspenseful, One of the Good Ones is ultimately a celebration of family and friendship. The book challenges readers to look beyond the all-too-frequent headlines about murdered Black Americans and consider the full impact of the lives cut short far too soon.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When Kezi, Happi's outspoken older sister, dies in police custody following wrongful arrest at a social justice rally on her 18th birthday, she's immortalized publicly as "One of the Good Ones" a generous young Black woman who "Was Going to Make a Difference." Following the event, defiant Happi is pressed into a road trip with her oldest sister, Genny; Kezi's secret girlfriend; and Happi's former best friend to commemorate Kezi's life and online activism. Traveling along Route 66 to a series of historical "safe places" for Black motorists listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book, Happi learns more about the history of racism in the U.S. and the overprotective sister she always spurned. In nonchronological order and through multiple perspectives, the Moulite sisters (Dear Haiti, Love Alaine) present an emotionally hard-hitting account of police brutality, following martyred activist Kezi, her grieving younger sister, and the siblings' ancestors, nearly a century before, facing a similar racially motivated loss. Though a late-breaking plot twist jars, thrusting the story into a high-octane soap opera that never quite coheres, it's an otherwise riveting story about an all-too-familiar series of tragedies and the all-too-familiar attitudes that surround them. Ages 12 up. Authors'
