Christine Pride

Riley and Jen were best friends from when Jen was first dropped off at the daycare run by Riley's grandmother and that friendship lasted all through high school. And now, in their thirties, although they drifted apart, now that Riley's back in Philadelphia, they are picking up where they left off, sharing the same inside jokes and long history. But things have also changed. Riley is coming off of a long relationship and a reporter with a local news team, and Jen is an expectant mother and show more married to a police officer. And when Jen's husband in involved in the shooting death of a Black boy and Riley is assigned to cover the story, that Jen is white and Riley is black becomes a thing that divides them in ways they'd never talked about before.

This is the kind of ripped-from-the-headlines novel I usually avoid, but this was for my book club and so I picked it up and found myself liking it quite a bit. It helps that this was written by two authors, Christine Pride and Jo Piazza, and together they managed to make both characters feel fully well-rounded and the novel dug into the story from different angles that embraced complexity and conflict, while also really celebrating female friendship. Piazza has written several books and Pride's background in journalism gave authenticity to Riley's experiences. Towards the end of the book, it felt like the authors were intent on just tying up all the loose threads and the ending felt a little to easy given the sheer intractability of the characters up to that point, but kudos to the authors for being willing to directly address the issue of race in America in a way that is approachable yet unwilling to let the reader get comfortable. show less

We Are Not Like Them is a novel with a unique presentation. The novel is told in alternating chapters, in the voices of two characters. Riley and Jen have been best friends since childhood, meeting when they were color-blind and innocent. Riley is African American, from a family of strong women who gave her a good foundation. Jen is white, the child of a unwed teenaged mother who was flighty and neglectful. When Jen walked into Riley’s mother’s day care, she discovered friendship, a show more family that embraced her, another home. They girls grew up and did all the typical teenage things, sharing all their teenage angst.

Riley was awarded a scholarship to university. Jen’s tax-evading mother wouldn’t fill out the FASA. Jen worked up to an office job, while Riley went into broadcast journalism. It was the beginning of a distance between them, although the cracks had already been there. For Jen was color-blind and never considered what Riley faced in a racist world, and Riley kept the hard part of her life from Jen. The girls were unable to talk about race.

Part of our friendship, of any relationship really, is the tacit agreement to allow a generous latitude for flaws and grievances.[…]It’s a paradox, loving someone precisely because you know them so well, inside and out, and at the same time nursing a small fantasy that they can be different in the specific ways you want then to be.

from We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
The authors are friends, black and white, and conceived of the novel as a way to talk about “the ways race can divide us despite our very best intentions.” Riley gives voice to how people of color experience white people’s ignorance rooted in white privilege. Jen thinks about the advantages Riley had that were denied to her, like a full scholarship, and is aware that Riley has closed off parts of her life. Riley not only has shut out Jen, but she walked away from her white boyfriend instead of talking to him about her concerns. “You can’t trust white people,” Riley’s grandmother taught. Riley can’t tell Jen or her boyfriend about her brother’s arrest, or about the racism she has endured.

I felt the honesty of these characters as they struggle to maintain their friendship under the most horrendous situation imaginable. Jen is finally pregnant after Riley loaned her the money for one more try at a successful pregnancy. Jen’s cop husband shoots and kills an innocent, unarmed, black teenager who dies. Jen knows her husband is a good man, but can Riley forgive him for murdering an innocent boy of color? Jen’s husband is filled with guilt but believes he followed protocol, trusting his new partner. Riley is reporting on the incident, interviewing the victim’s mother, trying unsuccessfully to keep her personal and professional life separate.

The authors state they “probed their blind spots and beliefs” in this novel. And in doing so, they have created a moving novel about friendship and race. I dare anyone to read it and not have their view changed.

Readers will enjoy this novel for its emotional story line and the female friendship. For book clubs, the novel will generation great discussions about race and about the nature of friendship.

I personally enjoyed the Philadelphia setting.

Thank you to Book Club Favorites at Simon & Schuster for a free copy for review. show less

Chock full of issues - this book would be best discussed with thoughtful people. Jenny Murphy and Riley Wilson are best friends since childhood. Jenny is white, Riley is black. Now as adult women, Jenny is a dental office receptionist, married to Kevin Murphy, a Philadelphia police officer and pregnant with their first (potentially only) child. Riley is single, climbing the career ladder at a TV station, hoping for anchor. When Kevin accidentally shoots a 14-yr-old unarmed black boy, Justin show more Dwyer, their friendship is sorely tested, especially because Riley is covering the case.
Some of the subtopics are:
friendship that lasts into adulthood - even without such monumental obstacles, social class, the 'blue wall,' disproportionate arrest records of young black men,lynching, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, interracial dating, IVF, living in a prejudiced family, DA politics, the efficacy of protests, especially when they turn violent, equity vs. equality, the role of the church in racial justice, social media influence, and the difficulty of civil discourse even between best friends.
The authors do a great job putting all this out there - I found myself often switching my allegiance to characters' opposing viewpoints. There are no easy answers and ironically this is not a black and white topic. This is important work, and the authors share their own challenges in the writing process. I think it comes through subtly and I appreciated the way they laid the foundation for exploring topics, rather than debating them. Although there is that too. And as much as I was invested in justice for Justin, I was also invested in Jen and Riley's friendship. show less

Thank you to Book Club Favorites at Simon & Schuster for a free copy for review.

This is a book that, after reading it, you have to sit and digest it…slowly. It is so powerful. It opens with a tragic scene that stayed in the forefront of my mind throughout the entire book.

Told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of best friends Riley and Jen, this tragic story plays out while mirroring current events. Riley is a news reporter; Jen is married to a police officer. Best friends, one show more black, one white. Race has never been an issue for them. But now they must struggle with it as events threaten their friendship. Jen’s husband shoots an innocent black boy, and Jen is assigned to report on the incident. Two different viewpoints of the same incident. Can their friendship survive this?

I experienced a myriad of emotions as I read this book and am still mulling them over in my mind. My heart ached for both Jen and Riley. I had moments of anger and frustration. Throughout the book, I was sad that racism is so ingrained in our society, sometimes subtle and other times not subtle at all.

This is the perfect springboard to lead into a discussion of how race can divide us and why change is urgently needed and the nature of friendships. There are a lot of “take-aways” in this book. It is sure to linger in your mind. Perfect for book clubs. Hard to put down. A “must read.” show less