Such a Fun Age: Reese's Book Club Hardcover – December 31, 2019

Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid’s debut novel, is a contemporary fiction novel that discusses issues surrounding differences in race, age, culture, and socioeconomic class. For me, reading this book at this time is no coincidence. In the midst of the global Black Lives Matter protests, Such a Fun Age is a stepping stone to understanding the implicit differences between black and white that, frankly, one just wouldn’t understand unless they have experienced it firsthand. I am a white, twenty-six-year-old woman, and I know that I don’t, and will never, understand these complexities and injustices firsthand. But reading this book got me a little bit closer.The view into Emira’s life was as illuminating as it was infuriating. There were several points where Emira identified subtleties that just wouldn’t happen to a white person in the same scenario. One, in particular, hit me hard:“...when white people compliment her (‘She’s so professional. She’s always on time’), it doesn’t always feel good, because sometimes people are gonna be surprised by the fact that she showed up, rather than the fact that she had something to say when she did.”Beyond the incredibly important discussions about race and social class, Kiley Reid’s writing style is phenomenal. When reading books written in the third person, I sometimes feel a distinct lack of connection to the characters. Reid bypassed this completely and made each personality shine through the pages. I’ve always felt that it’s easy to write about superheroes and villains. Good or bad, one or the other, these types of characters require minimal deviation from the template. But there were times in Such a Fun Age where I both loved and hated each character. Humans are inherently messy creatures, forced to face the ugliness within themselves as well as others, and Reid portrayed this beautifully.Another consistent theme throughout this book was one near and dear to my heart: the connection between babysitters and the children they watch over. Emira’s relationship with Briar is so pure, it was easily one of my favorite parts of the book. I always love when child characters are given unique personalities, and Briar was an amazing example of this. She’s inquisitive, loquacious, and weird in a way that only a toddler can be. Emira’s love for Briar is perhaps the one thing that remains constant throughout this book. It emphasizes that humans are born innocent. It is what they learn from their parents and others around them that shape the people they become.There are several topical themes throughout this book - racism, white privilege, and status - that are part of why I feel it is incredibly important to read. There was nothing in this book I didn’t like, and, although there were many times I found myself cringing in embarrassment along with one of the characters, I couldn’t put it down.It deserves every bit of the 5-star rating and I highly encourage everyone to pick up a copy.

Such a Fun Age is a story filled with commentary on the white savior complex, how two different lives, one of mid to upper class privilege and one more working class, intersect, how politically correct wokeness can hamper interactions and how white people and African-Americans communicate, and the ultimate different ways racism can manifest itself even with seemingly good intentions that become hobbled and confused.Emira Tucker is a young African-American woman who works for Alix Chamberlain, a white, privileged social media influencer and feminist blogger, and her family as a babysitter. Emira is 25, just about to age out of being allowed on her parent’s health insurance, and still unsure where her true passions lie and who she wants to be, as she watches her friends around her seemingly seamlessly fit into their adult lives. I thought Emira’s troubles with figuring everything out was well-captured and made me feel less alone with my own experiences with learning how to adult and adjust in what can be an already complicated world fragmented by forces of divisive, isolating modernity and complicated technology.One night amongst Emira’s continuing journey of trying to find herself, she is called in by the Chamberlain household to babysit last minute so she comes in her clothes from a night out on the town and ready to take young Briar out to Market Depot, a local supermarket for upscale residents in Pennsylvania. In the supermarket after an impromptu dance party with her friend and Briar, Emira finds herself aggressively confronted by a security guard who racially profiles Emira and accuses her of kidnapping Briar, which is all recorded by a near passerby. The fiery tension of the situation is only able to be diffused once Emira calls Briar’s father to explain what has happened.From here, things only escalate as Emira receives pressure from the recorder of the video, Kelley, and later Alix to share the video to get justice for the wrongful way she has been treated. Alix, while going through some inner struggles herself and being forced to confront parts of own history, immerses herself in Emira’s life with full-fledged enthuse, even going so far as to secretly check her phone, and seeks to demonstrate how progressively informed and politically well-versed she is. But her efforts to prove her progressiveness, no matter if she is well-meaning in terms of the fact that she wants to be knowledgeable about people and their plights, also comes across as shamelessly self-aggrandizing, cloyingly forceful, and painfully heavy-handed.Additionally, her aims to achieve justice for Emira and her situation also seem to come from a place where she wants to make herself feel better and elevate her to a more savvily poised place than she is. Alix is indebted to the likes of her appearance and how her way of life seems to others and she also assumes she can come in with a magic wand and fix people and what they’re going through, even when it’s unsolicited, especially someone who she sees as having less or in a reverse kind of racism being African-American.This book covered a lot of important topics that are worth thinking about and having discussions on, but the ending fell incredibly short for me, apart from all the other ways the book succeeded at satirizing troubling parts of American culture and bringing them even more to light in all the ways they can be present and impact the daily lives of white people and African-Americans, who are living the pains and dangers of being accused of crimes they didn’t commit and being viewed through a harmfully particularistic lens in that people see and presume what they want to and then run with it in tragically unsettling ways. They let their views of someone fit into their generalized narratives and allow themselves to disappear into the depths of their own echo chambers and that has to continually be discussed if it is to be addressed.

While not necessarily agreeing with the answers given, I did find the questions raised by the book, in terms of culture clash and power dynamics, extremely well presented. An engaging and yet entertaining read, which I recommend.

Such a Fun Age is an absolute gem of a novel! Kiley Reid's storytelling is both witty and thought-provoking, providing a captivating exploration of race, privilege, and relationships. The characters are beautifully nuanced, making them relatable and deeply human. Reid skillfully navigates the complexities of social dynamics, offering a fresh perspective on contemporary issues. The narrative's blend of humor and poignant moments keeps you hooked from start to finish. "Such a Fun Age" is not just a book; it's a compelling journey that lingers in your thoughts, making it a must-read for those who appreciate rich storytelling and social commentary.

Very interesting book, funny in some moments, very sad in others, but quite attached to the reality of white privilege, lack of empathy and the total descompass between their lives and the other characters lives.

Es un libro que se lee fácil, me parece que es del 2015/2016 pero justamente los temas que toca son muy relevantes hoy en día, entretenido y educativo al mismo tiempo

Kiley Reid is one of the best new writers that everyone as to reid. Great book, touching, revolting, true.