Well, Zuri more than Darius, which is the point of story, specifically as Zuri eventually recognizes how her own lack of knowledge of life outside Bushwick has made her predjudiced towards Darius and his way of life. They each have “pride” in themselves, their family, and their heritage, but are also prejudiced towards the other.
Pride is, at it’s core, a slow burning love story between Zuri and Darius who are clearly attracted to each other but have to get out of their own way in order to be together. Having Zuri and Darius represent the two sides of gentrification creates a wonderful tension between the two that also mirrors the tension in Bushwick. This depiction felt true as gentrification doesn’t come in like a big wave, but with little changes bit by bit (such as the “complexion” of a neighborhood changes as I’m experiencing in the neighborhood surrounding my school). On the other hand, Zoboi sprinkles in how the feel of a neighborhood changes through gentrification and how the people who live there are negatively impacted by the change. Zoboi explores economic privilege from the African-American perspective which is a point of view rarely seen in novels, so that was refreshing to see. In fact, I feel Zoboi’s retelling is a perfect reflection of our modern age just as the original was reflection of Austin’s time period. I was looking forward to Zoboi’s modern take on Austin’s classic story of love, class and family, especially as she used the timely issue of gentrification as the basis for the story. In full disclosure, I have never read Pride and Prejudice but I have seen the various movies & tv series, so I was familiar with the storyline. I loved Ibi Zoboi’s debut novel American Street, so I expected her second novel, and a retelling of a classic novel at that, to be a thing of beauty. Review: I have been wanting a Black Love YA novel for a long while now so I was anxiously waiting to read Pride.
Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.īut with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley.
But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots.
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