The Long Ride: a Short Review (somewhat, but not really)

    Written by Marina Budhos, The Long Ride is about 3 best friends named Jamila, Josie, and Francesca. The story takes place in 1971. As mixed-race girls, the three of them experience feeling like outsiders in their neighborhood in Queens, in New York City, but they keep each other company and stick to each other like glue. This all changes when they start seventh grade. Francesca gets sent off to a private school, which leaves Josie and Jamila to go to school together. Josie and Jamila find out that they have to go to a new school that is further from their home, because of an integration experiment that the city is trying to do, but Josie isn’t in the same classes as Jamila. They now have to navigate new environments all by themselves. Along the way come boys and a lot of drama. 

As I mentioned earlier, this book takes place in 1971, in New York City. During this time, many schools were still segregated and the Supreme Court ruled that busing would be used to desegregate them. Students like Josie and Jamila were taken to a school other than their own as a way of trying to diversify the public schools. However, many parents opted out of this and had their children go to private schools, like Francesca, or religious schools. 

 I thought that this book was a light read, considering that it was shorter than the others by quite a few pages. I personally liked it that way. It was interesting to read about how students went to school at a time where there was still a bit of racial injustice and people were pushing for equality. I thought that the kids were very brave to have to explore a new school, even when they had no choice to. It shows that we are put in tough situations to be tested and to grow, and I could tell that they really grew from this experience. I would rate this book 5/5 stars for a good plot and relatable characters.

-- Xenia

[Image found here]