"I Rise" by Marie Arnold is a poignant exploration of a young girl's journey in the face of adversity. At the heart of the story is fourteen-year-old Ayo, who finds herself thrust into a challenging position when her mother becomes a victim of police violence. The novel deftly tackles the weighty theme of social activism and the choices Ayo must make in the wake of her mother's tragedy. Arnold skillfully weaves together the threads of Ayo's personal growth, the wisdom of her ancestors, and the vibrant community of Harlem, creating a rich tapestry that resonates with authenticity.

The book's strength lies in its ability to balance the gravity of the subject matter with moments of humor and warmth. Ayo's journey is not only a quest for justice but also a search for identity and purpose. The wisdom she gains from her ancestors and the support she finds in her Harlem community add layers of depth to the narrative.

"I Rise" is a compelling read that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of community, and the importance of hope in the face of adversity. Marie Arnold has crafted a story that is not only relevant but also a testament to the strength found within oneself and the bonds that connect us to our roots.

Personally, I truly enjoyed this book.

14-year-old Ayo is the daughter of the infamous Rosalie Bosia, the founder of See Us, a civil rights activist group based in Harlem, New York that focuses on police brutality and racial profiling. Ayo’s mother has been prepping her to take over as leader of See Us since she was a little girl, exposing her to the greats in African-American history and culture, but Ayo wants out. She has been exhausted by the constant attacks on black people and is haunted by the posters she is forced to hang. She also longs to have a ‘normal’ life where she can have a boyfriend and chill out with her friends instead of leading the youth section of the movement. When her mother is shot in the head and put into a coma when a riot breaks out between protesters and police, Ayo must find if she has the strength to take her mother's place and continue the fight.

This book was incredible but a tough one to read and review. I’m not sure I get to have an opinion on many of the topics in this book because of my own white privilege. My experience growing up in the United States is much different than Ayo’s. I love reading books like this and learning about issues that I am ignorant of, such as dealers of opiates or cigarettes that have targeted Black communities or that schools in many states are trying to ban conversations and books about race and racism. I’m guessing this book will face its fair share of book challenges and bannings.

Even though there are many differences in my America to the one that Ayo lives in, I love that there are still almost universal connections. We find strength in our community, friends, and family. Most important for me was the idea that the thing that made Rosale strong was her daughter. As a mother, I will always want what is best for my daughter and simply having her has made me more of a fighter.

There were many things that I loved about this book, but one of the things this book did so well was that it showed many different points of view on the issues of racism. There wasn’t just a white view and a black view; instead, there were many different perspectives, and she portrayed many of these opinions through character discussions. I also thought that so many types of racism were looked at and discussed well. While most of the book deals with the police brutality that her mother faced, there were also significant discussions of microaggressions, intersectionality, and the systemic racism that can be found in many systems of the United States including education, health care, and prison.

The actual writing of the book was beautiful. Many times I had to put the book down to write down a quote or just appreciate the way something was said. One of my favorites was Ayo’s description of her mother. “My Mother is a Maya Angelou poem. She’s all pride and all grace; sometimes, I swear she doesn’t actually walk, she glides. And God help you if you come into the room after her. No one remembers you were ever there.”

The only part of the book that didn’t work for me was the epilogue. I really wanted Ayo to find that balance between her activism work and still being a teenager. The fact that she felt she had to choose between See You and Devonte just didn’t line up with the character we had heard from in the rest of the book. However, here again, I feel like I can’t complain too much because this isn’t something that I have ever had to deal with in my life.

This is such an incredible story!! It was full of depth and it was such a great journey of a book!! And it's a book I think every reader needs to pick up!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I loved the premise of this book but unfortunately was not able to sustain my attention for too long. I cannot pinpoint my exact issue but I think it may have had to do with time and place.

This book has something to say! As an educator in NYC -- this book is instantly that much more relevant to our students. The protagonist is dealing with very real issues that our children (and adults) grapple with each day while offering a perspective to help readers think through appropriate responses. This is a great addition particularly for schools who are SEL forward.

The characters are powerful, layered, and make you catch your breath. This is an important story that should be read by all young teenagers.

Ayo feels the weight of her mother's work and mission every day. She feels like she has no choices, that everyone assumes she will, and has to continue her mother's work. When her mother's life is in danger, Ayo must confront her fears and learn to use her voice.

Riveting. Powerful. A complex and worthy read. This would be an excellent book for teachers to replace old classics like To Kill a Mockingbird in the classroom. Recommended for all collections

CW: Police brutality, hospitalization, attempted SA

What an impactful story. When I explain it to people, I compare it to a more middle grade version of The Hate U Give in a different city with younger characters.

Ayo has grown up an activist- her mom founded an organization and movement called “See Us” dedicated to ending police brutality of Black New Yorkers. She has also grown up in a community that supports her and her mom in so many ways, with amazing friends and neighbors. After fourteen years of participating in activism, Ayo feels burnt out and like she hasn’t gotten to be a normal teenager, pushing her to put some distance between herself and “See Us”-- but then the upcoming march doesn’t go as planned and Ayo has to decide what her place in the world will be. I don’t want to put too much in the way of plot because I do feel like it would change your reading experience- but if you have content questions, feel free to let me know.

Ayo’s perspective felt so relatable and real- the burnout of a lifetime of activism, the guilt she feels, the duty to her community while simultaneously feeling selfish and wanting to be normal and to not have to worry about racism and police brutality even as she sees and has seen it impact her community and the people she loves. This should be a recommended read to teenage allies and activists in addition to people who work with teenagers in activism.

An absolute 5 star read.

Ayo and her mom are two characters I will not soon forget. They exude confidence and determination in the wake of horrific racism and police brutality. Ayo's wavering about taking on her mom's cause was so realistic, as so many teens today do not see eye to eye with their parents, but Rosalie takes this to heart, and so the mother-daughter struggle begins.

Although certainly one of the main driving forces of the book, Arnold takes the time to delve into why this struggle is so real for Ayo, and for her mother. There is nothing superficial or cheesy about their relationship with each other or their cause.

As moving as The Hate U Give and as important as Maya Angelou's Still I Rise, this book should be given to all ya readers.

These days we get a fair amount of books that present us with teen characters thrown into protest and social justice movements by tragic happenstance. In this novel, Arnold shows us instead a character who's whole life has been driven by the movement. Ayo is hoping to define herself outside of that world for the first time. Of course, circumstance forces her back into it but the set-up allows us to consider the question from a different angle - when we see something wrong, what is our obligation? When are we obligated to step-up and is there a fight too big? That's the other interesting element. We meet characters who can't handle the fight and that's okay. They recognize their limits and there's no shame in that. While the book has some elements that don't always ring true or that go too far, overall the discussion it introduces makes it well worth the read.

Thanks to Clarion Books, Versify, NetGalley, and LibroFM for advanced digital and audio copies of this book & audiobook.

I Rise is the story of a 14-year-old New Yorker named Ayo (short for Ayomide which is my new favorite name). Ayo's mother is a Black activist who has raised her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Ayo wants to separate herself from the movement, but when her mother is shot by the police, Ayo must decide if she should continue the work her mother started. This is a powerful social justice story with strong mother-daughter vibes. It was especially brilliant on audio.

Absolutely phenomenal piece of writing that I cannot wait to share with colleagues and students. Highly recommended and well worth a read

A must-read for every young social activist! Ayo just wants to be a typical teen. Growing up in a house with her mother, the leader of See Us, Ayo doesn't think she wants to follow her mother's path until her mother is shot. This is a beautifully told story about a mother-daughter relationship. It tackles racism and police shootings and so much more. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did, I could not put this down.

This novel is primarily focused on Ayo's right to choose her own path and forge her own future for herself. Her mother is the founder of See Us, a BLM-esque racial justice organization, and Ayo has been raised amidst social justice work; now at 14, she longs to step away from the protests and the organizing in order to have a normal teen life. She advocates to have freedom to make her own choices and struggles with the fear of letting down her mother, but ultimately finds the courage to tell her mom that she wants to take a step back from See Us. When Ayo's mother is shot, Ayo is once again forced to make a difficult choice for herself as the other members of See Us and their Harlem community looks to her for guidance in her mother's absence.

I really enjoyed this book! Ayo felt like a real teen and I could appreciate how much she cared about the cause while also longing to define herself on her own terms. I loved that she was only 14, since there are so few books about younger teens.

I do think the book started to get a bit lost towards the end--there was a lot going on and I think it could have been simplified. But overall I really enjoyed this one and will definitely recommend it to fans of The Hate U Give, Dear Martin, and Tyler Johnson Was Here.

4.5 This book was raw and angry, and for good reason. It was very empathy-building. I believe there were amazing conversations throughout. After Angie Thomas, this is another very important book, IMO. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that some of the conversations between friends were a bit over the top, again, in my opinion. I believe many people, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids, no matter what cultural background are rallying for social justice in America. I also didn't like a conversation about the main character breaking up relationships between Black boys and White girls. It was the most stereotypical and preposterous thing I have ever heard. There was so much bitterness in some of these conversations. And the ongoing accusations of racism at her White friends just because they are White didn't sit well. Overall, many generalizations were made, and I don't believe that is the best approach for unification in this country. It contributes more to the "Us against them" mentality. People should not be blamed for the sins of their fathers when they are trying to be way better than them. I also was not impressed with the romantic relationship, and how that all went down. I honestly liked the mom better than the main character.

Thank you so much to @netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

OKAY. THIS BOOK WAS So GOOD. I CAN"T! I enjoyed every second of I Rise. All of the pages, the learning, the mother daughter love. UGH I'M GONNA READ THIS AGAIN RN!

Elevated by a poetic voice and a cast of nuanced characters, I RISE examines the experience of being a Black teenager in New York City and the unique burdens that Black Americans have to grapple with. Arnold never shies away from the emotional traumas of racism and microaggressions (including police brutality), keeping her story hopeful by focusing in on a protagonist with a powerful voice, a powerful platform, and the drive to fight. I highly recommend this novel for YA collections and readers who enjoy heavy YA contemporary fiction.

Unlike Black Girls Left Standing, another ARC I read recently, I really got into this story and empathized with the characters. Ayo is a fully fleshed out character who wants to breakout from under her mother's activist legacy and current work while at the same time still believing in it and make it her own. The tone shifts about halfway through the work with a dramatic event which serves as a catalyst for Ayo's growth. I gasped out loud when I read that. I really like how Marie Arnold told this story and developed the plot. Also, Sly News? I see what you did there. (And I love it.)

I Rise is a powerful novel about racism and social justice. It’s the story of Ayomide, Better known as Ayo. She is a fourteen-year-old girl with a big decision. Her mother, Rosalie, is a prominent, outspoken activist who began a widespread campaign in New York City. It’s called ‘See Us’ and it tackles police brutality and racial profiling in Harlem. Ayo has spent her entire life being an activist and now, she’s tired of her total identity being that of Rosalie’s daughter. She is ready to be a normal teen, get her first real kiss, have a boyfriend.
Her plan to break away is complicated when her mother is shot and seriously injured by the police. Now Ayo must decide her role in her mother's activism. ‘See Us’ is looking to Ayo to step in as her mother hopefully recovers. .
The doctors decide to put her mom into a coma. During this period, a riot breaks out between protesters and police, and protestors want Ayo to become the face of See Us and fight for justice for her mother who can no longer fight for herself. Wow, what a a hard place to be put in for anyone, let alone a young teen. All this burden as she deals with her own grief and anger, Ayo must also discover if she has the strength to take over where her mother left off. As she tries to find answers, Ayo looks to the wisdom of her ancestors and her Harlem community for guidance.
I Rise is an impactful, timely and unforgettable novel.