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Loading... The Names of All the Flowers: A Memoirby Melissa Valentine
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"This debut memoir by Melissa Valentine recounts how the author lost her older brother Junior-first to a system that criminalizes black boys and men, and then to an act of gun violence in 1990s Oakland"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)362.88Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Social problems of & services to groups of people Problems of and services to other groups People affected by criminal actsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I read this book for a book group, one of our members is a Mills College Grad, and this book was on Mills's Everybody Reads list. I was interested because I grew up very close to Valentine, however 30 years earlier. Her description of Oakland neighborhoods is spot on.
Overall, an impressive book and well worth reading. There were parts of the book when Valentine got a bit preachy, especially at the beginning and end of the book. However, the bulk of the book is her family's story, which is well told. There are touches of humor, and she describes her family honestly, but with sympathy and grace. Reading it, one is frustrated with her parents, but also sympathetic, as they try valiantly, but ineffectively, to advocate for Junior and to help him to a better path. ( )