He's flawed and is very much a teenage boy, but that's one of the reasons why I couldn't get into it. He was basically obsessed with this girl and would NOT leave her alone. I kind of was irritated with him in the beginning, but it grew to hatred. After 50% in, I hated Del, the main character. It breaks down topics like toxic masculinity for them in a way that isn't an info dump and seems pretty accessible. I think it's a book that's really important for young men to read. I think this should be on reading lists and in school libraries. I found myself frustrated that races weren't mentioned before I just decided to assume everyone was Black they talked like it and the culture was there, so it definitely worked. I love Jameer! Also the friend group is very diverse and sweet. I definitely chuckled to myself on certain lines. It's almost four in the morning and I stayed up to finish because I just had to know what was going to happen next. Toxic masculinity is not talked about enough, and Lamar Giles shines in speaking to this and other issues in this book.Argh! I have such conflicting feelings about this! He’s a nice guy who is complicated and flawed, and I loved every minute of his story. And though Del is all about Kiera, his actions never once consider her feelings, or what she might want.ĭel’s not all troublemaker, nor all squeaky clean. Del might be acting with the best intentions, but his friends are giving him the side eye, and even his dad is worried about what this pledge means for his manhood. Like the tv show Sex Education, this book is an excellent portrayal of a male protagonist dealing with the complications of sex.
Even if that means taking a Purity Pledge.
Which means he’s ready to do anything (however unconventional) to get the girl he wants. But he’s never had a shot until now-it’s their junior year and she just broke up with her boyfriend.
The novel follows Del, who has had a childhood crush on Kiera Westing since literally forever. But in Not So Pure and Simple we see just that: a complex portrait of a lovably imperfect boy struggling with his identity in many forms. There can never be a Black teenage boy that falls somewhere in the middle. So much of what is fed to the masses is that Black boys are troublemakers, or that there are only two types of kids: one that is a problem child and another that is squeaky clean. One of the things I’m loving about YA right now is that we’re seeing more and more stories being told by Black male writers about Black boys.
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