July 6, 2021

Long Division


"I thought you said we were never supposed to say 'just a book' about a book." ~ 6%

Long Division is Kiese Laymon's debut novel first published in 2013. It has been on my TBR list forever and a day, so I jumped on the opportunity to read and review the re-release of this classic satire novel. It features two interwoven stories in post-Katrina Mississippi.

It's 2013 and 14-year-old City Coldson becomes an overnight YouTube celebrity after a meltdown on national television. He is sent to live with his grandmother in a small community where a young girl named Baize Shephard has recently disappeared. 

Before City leaves, he is gifted an author-less book titled...drumroll please...Long Division. The main character is also named City Coldson! In the book, he travels to the future and steals a laptop and cell phone from an orphaned teen girl named...yup, you guessed it...Baize Shephard. He takes the items all the way back to 1964 to help another time-traveler protect family from the Ku Klux Klan.

Are you still with me, bookhearts? It is a lot to follow. Reading this book-inside-of-a-book had me all the way confused. I found myself reading the chapters a couple times before finally just pushing through and glad I stuck with it. I was ---><--- this close to DNF'ing but on the strength of many bookhearts' high ratings and praise reviews, I kept reading and eventually finished this well-written coming-of-age novel featuring a smart black boy. The hilarious narration was a bonus.

My recommendation is to read Long Division at the right time. Be focused because it needs your attention to follow the time-travel dual storyline. Avoid spoilers and appreciate good writing!

Happy Belated Pub Day, Kiese Laymon! Long Division is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Long Division
Author: Kiese Laymon
Published: June 2021
Pages: 304
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

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