BY: AUTUMN BELLUARDO
We all have a different definition of racism. Google’s definition is, “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” This, is very wordy. Your definition will and can be very different from mine or others. Throughout the decades race has been a part of our lives whether from an unequal or equal perspective. But what happens when you mix race and love with two very different people?
If you had to choose love, or family, what would your choice be? This is a question Naomi Vargas, a 17-year-old young woman had to make. In this week’s book I will be discussing Out Of Darkness.
Naomi Vargas moved from San Antonio to New London, Texas, with her two, half siblings where their father lived. After her mother’s death during childbirth, she lived in San Antonio her whole life. She soon finds out that even though not legally considered a person of color, people have their own opinions.
While in New London she meets Wash, an African American boy about the same age. The twins are quick to warm up to him and so does she in time. A bond forms between Wash and Naomi that seems unbreakable. Tension rises in her family as her father starts to disapprove of Wash. A dark past is brought back to Naomi as the layers start to peel back in her twisted life.
This book was definitely a harder read. The chapters, while short, were very descriptive and long-winded. This book took me three weeks to read, and I do not regret how long it took. Reading all of the well-constructed details made the story pull together. Some trigger warnings I would put in place would be excessive racism, sexual assault, questionable vocabulary, and violence.
