Mimi Ivy's Reviews > Sky Full of Elephants

I was not expecting a book about the sudden extinction of American white folks to feel very YA but here we are. This book was written for a high school audience. It’s also very preachy and - dare I say - self righteous. The characters share “historical facts” that, while quite interesting, have unnatural placement within the text and are unrelated to the progress of the plot. I came here for suspense, thrill, and a new perspective on the structures of race in America and I gained absolutely none of that. Overall, the grit is lacking, and after the first few chapters, the story is too. I am so very disappointed that this book did not live up to its premise. It desperately needed more thoughtful world-building.

Sidney gives exactly what I expect from a sheltered biracial girl with a white mom - insufferable. It’s unfortunate that she’s a central character.

Now that I think about it, I’m not so sure that Black people are the target demographic for this book. There’s too much over explanation, which raises my suspicion about the author’s motives. It seems that Campbell wrote this knowing it would get a rise out of white people ( or at least pique their interest) and he expected them to read it. He wrote with them in mind. If I could humbly share of word of advice: decenter the white gaze. It dilutes the story.

Two stars instead of one for the interesting premise.