"Pride," by Ibi Zoboi

Pride by Ibi Zoboi is about a girl named Zuri who’s proud to be from her Brooklyn

neighborhood, Bushwick, and deeply connected to her culture. When a wealthy family moves across the street, Zuri quickly forms negative thoughts about them, especially one of the boys. She puts up strong walls and believes people who come from wealth do not understand the struggles of everyday life. The book was written by Ibi Zoboi, who writes for young adults and teens. She was born in Haiti and raised in Brooklyn, which inspired her writing themes. She’s a Haitian American author who often writes about Haitian American Culture, Black identity, and social justice because she connects deeply to it through her own experiences. 

Zuri is proud of her Brooklyn neighborhood, she's deeply connected to her culture and community. When a wealthy family moves across the street, she immediately dislikes them for their wealth, believing they do not belong in her neighborhood. As time goes on, Zuri realizes her first impressions were not correct and starts to see them differently.​​ The conflict begins when the wealthy Darcy family moves across the street and Zuri judges them because of their wealth. She believes that they do not understand the struggle of her community, which creates tension between one of the Darcy brothers. Over time, Zuri questions her first impressions of the Darcy family and realizes there’s more to them than just wealth. At the beginning of the book, Zuri was very proud and protective over her community and family. As the story goes on, she begins to question her impressions of the Darcys. By the end, Zuri becomes open-minded and learns to see past people’s backgrounds and wealth.

 What I liked about this book is that it felt relatable and showed how proud Zuri was to be from her culture and neighborhood. I also liked how she learned to become open-minded and realized that people grow up in different situations. Throughout the story, she begins to understand people better instead of judging them. I also liked her slow-developing relationship with one of the Darcy brothers, which made it feel more realistic. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance and life lessons. It is also for readers who like character growth. Overall Pride teaches an important lesson “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Zuri learns that first impressions of people are not always correct and that she should at least give them a chance before judging them.