Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

My hypothesis has been proven – 6th graders DO in fact cry and tattle more than 8th graders. Confirmation of this occurred during the first two days of summer school. Luckily they are wildly enthusiastic about Reader’s Theater and are phenomanal at offering up unintentionally hilarious one-liners and anecdotes that leave me entertained (and sometimes mildly alarmed).

The best part of teaching these little ducklings? Almost every single one of them is in love with the library and excited to have the opportunity to read! Just picture me with an obscenely large smile on my face and beams of heart emojis shooting from my eyeballs:

I’m teaching the English unit for the 6th graders in summer school (thank sweet baby Buddha it’s not math), and our students have the opportunity to get books from the library every Tuesday.

Watching them get excited about stepping into a middle school library is probably the most adorable thing I’ve witnessed as of late. At the end of each class, my co-teacher and I try to block out 15 to 20 minutes of Silent Reading time, and because the kids are into it and require zero prompting/redirection, I was able to participate as well!

This week, I have been simultaneously reading Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid and Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

Just some information about King’s book if you’re interested in becoming a better writer of fiction; this memoir is a spectacular tool. He is honest, straight forward, and explicit about what it takes to become a writer who doesn’t just create stories, but makes genuinely awesome pieces of art. King shares his own journey of honing his craft, his struggles with poverty, addiction, and self-doubt, and his advise on how writers can avoid the pit-falls of sacrificing genuinely good work in favor of just getting sloppy, half-baked work out there just to say you’ve done it. I’d get it if I were you.

NOW onto this thought provoking and eye-opening work of contemporary fiction by Kiley Reid (which will be available for purchase on January 7th, 2020 and is available for pre-order now)! You are most definitely going to want to add this to your TBR list.

Such a Fun Age is an exploration of the evolution and continuing stigmas behind race, socio-economic background, educational background, and employment history, as it’s experienced in today’s world.

From two very different vantage points, the reader is able to witness what discrimination looks like for the person doing the discriminating act and the person experiencing it. It may be more passive and less “in your face” but it’s still there and is still creating division.

For the person doing the discriminatory act (Alix,) it may be wrapped in a guise of unsolicited admiration of the “exoticism” of a person of a different race. From that person’s lifestyle, to their cultural background, to their physical appearance – pointing out these differences and gushing about how amazing they are can be just as uncomfortable and offensive, even if it’s not intended to be.

For the person experiencing the discrimination (Emira,) discriminatory actions may appear to be harmless and ignorant commentary that are well-meaning but still infuriating. Though a person who is feeling discriminated against may not respond in an aggressive manner, there is still an underlying animosity for being treated like an anomaly instead of as a human being.

Through the lens of this book, the reader is likely to feel embarrassed and uncomfortable with these dynamics meeting, but it’s completely realistic and important to recognize in the real world. Reid did an excellent job of bringing these two characters to the forefront of this social problem.

The two protagonists of Such a Fun Age are women who embody each of these conflicting experiences. Alix Chamberlain is an up-and-coming entrepreneur, standing on a feminist platform and touting empowerment for women of all backgrounds as her ultimate driving force. Emira Tucker is a twenty-five year old working as Alix’s part-time babysitter, who feels she’s missing the inspiration for getting her life on a meaningful track. In these respects, both women could not be more different.

Alix is a driven social climber who puts much energy and thought into her business, status in NYC, and the various talents and accolades of the ladies who form her inner circle. Much of what motivates Alix is a desire to escape the skeletons of her past in order to become successful in her own right. She is disturbingly taken in by Emira and mystified by her lack of interest in becoming closer to Alix and her family. Alix wishes to gain Emira’s favor and attempts to do so by giving her free wine, asking about her friends, and inviting her to Thanksgiving dinner.

Emira is at the precipice of adulthood, watching her friends enter into successful careers and relationships, leaving her lost in a wake of despair. She feels stunted and unsure of her future and the longevity of the path she’s currently traveling down. Emira’s friends are supportive but try to push her to step out of the comforting hovel she’s found in her babysitting gig with Briar. However, her concern for the toddler and the lack of interest Alix displays for Briar in favor of her other baby, Catherine, leaves Emira uneasy about walking away.

Things become increasingly convoluted when Emira is called for an emergency babysitting gig for Briar in the middle of the night. When Alix requests that Briar be taken somewhere away from the house as Alix and her husband deal with a crisis, Emira (whisked away from a friend’s birthday party) decides that the best and most soothing place for the child will be to wait at a local grocery store. Emira is accosted by a security guard and bystander and is essentially accused of being an African-American woman who has kidnapped a white baby.

From this incident, Alix and Emira will have a link between them that neither is yet aware of. This event will have a butterfly effect that ripples across their lives, changing everything they think they know about each other and the world around them.

This book had me experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. From anger, to empathy, to confusion, to love, I was all over the place. The most beautiful part of this story is there is no cut-and-dry right or wrong answer to how both of these characters go about their lives and making the choices they do. It’s not a Cinderella story, the ending is not far-fetched or sugary sweet. And honestly, that’s what makes it a truly good novel – it exposes the heart of a number of issues and makes the best out of these crappy circumstances. I appreciate the realism and relish this kind of transparency with character’s experiences.

Side note: My favorite characters from Such a Fun Age is a toss up between Zara (Emira’s best friend) and Briar (Alix’s toddler daughter.)

Zara is street-wise, intelligent, and an extremely dedicated friend. She puts up with zero shit and has Emira’s back through all of the ups and downs in this story. Briar is a quirky, thoughtful, and inquisitive little girl whose intelligence isn’t recognized or appreciated by her mother, but is very much loved and cherished by Emira. Some of Briar’s lines and questions had me cracking up; I legitimately think they must have been inspired by actual toddler inquiries.

Make sure you’re on the lookout for this one in January!

Happy & healthy reading!

Lexi