Riot Baby

Thank you to the publisher and author Tochi Onyebuchi for providing me an ARC in exchange for my open and honest review.

Onyebuchi creates a dystopia portrait of modern American in Riot Baby. Kev, one of the two protagonists in Riot Baby, is born to a single mom in 1992 Los Angeles during the height of the Rodney King riots, hence the name Riot Baby. Kev was born into a time that explodes with violence in his childhood violence follows him, and as an adult, Kev is incarcerated at Rikers for eight years. Again his life swirls with anger and violence. The ironic and well-done part of Kev's character is that even though he was born, lived, and survived through significant violence, Kev himself, does not come off as a violent person. He is a person who reacts to violence and protects himself.

The other major character and protagonist of the story is Ella, Kev's older sister as much as Kev is mired in violence and its effects, Ella is mired in her power. She sees much more than the surface of events. She can touch the very soil of the land after some event or act of violence and feel the pain and emotions of those affected. There is a reason why she has this power, isn't there? While Kev is in prison, Ella visits him both physically and psychically. They do not lose touch and are very close even though Kev is incarcerated.

One of the most impactful parts of this story is the dichotomy that Onyebuchi writes events with. On one side, both Kev and Ella are very gifted and powerful; they have supernatural abilities. This could have been the main focus of the story, but it isn't. On the other side, racism and violence run rampant and have shaped their worlds in dystopias. These abilities do not save them from the vagaries of life. While each of the sides of this story is important, their powers and society in general, they are instead written to help develop the other.

In lesser hands, this story would have been challenging to make it through. It is dark and introspective, full of moments of pain and is unflinching from detailing the misery humans can rain down on others. However, in Onyebuchi's hands, this story has a vein of hope and ends on a note of possibility for the future.

I think it will be a book that people will be talking about in the coming year and is worth a reader's time.

Riot Baby is speculative fiction at its finest.

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“When you have a purpose that doesn't involve hurting someone else, it changes the way you walk.”

It will never cease to amaze me when I read a book that is under 200 pages but manages to have such a powerful and impactful message behind it in just a small amount of pages.

I mentioned in my review for Open Water that as white people we will never understand how it feels to be in the shoes of Bipoc. I think Riot Baby gave another great light to shine on some of the issues that they face due to racism, systematic racism, police brutality and many more.

Riot Baby might be a quick read but there are so many things to enjoy and love about it.

Very much capturing the current zeitgeist, Riot Baby is the story of racial discrimination in a near future dystopia with superpowers. It makes for at times deeply uncomfortable reading, but I have no doubt that it accurately captures the real experiences of those who are discriminated against. This is powerfully written with a well crafted prose and I can see why it has garnered a fair amount of praise.

This was a jarring read for me as it takes me well away from my comfort zone. I can really respect the way it challenges people, and I certainly found it challenging. I am glad I read it, but it is not something I will be rushing back to read. It takes a powerful message in an interesting way, but it was just a bit too far outside my comfort zone for me to truly enjoy