Let me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson with lyrics by Malik "Malik-16" Sharif

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Let me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson with lyrics by Malik "Malik-16" Sharif



                They had no idea if this plan would really work. Steph was dead but that didn’t mean his memory had to be. All the tapes he had under his bed, the cd they found, the notebooks filled with lyrics all seemed like possibilities to Steph’s two best friends Jarrell and Quadir and his little sister Jasmine. It gave Jarrell and Quadir a chance to put their best friend on the map. And Jasmine only agreed to help if they promised to help find out who killed her big brother. They had a chance to make Steph a legend, a star. But there were so many things they didn’t know about Steph and there was no way they could have known how dangerous his lyrics could be.

                Everyone handles grief in different ways and I find it very interesting the way these three characters handle their grief by continuing to love and honor their friend through his novel. This is as much a novel about three teenagers dealing with grief as it is a coming age of story. Throughout this journey Jasmine, Quadir and Jarrell all grow in so many ways, confronting themselves, confronting each other, conquering insecurities and learning to trust themselves and each other. The way Jackson chose to tell the story with alternating point of view chapters really allowed each character to fully develop. It also really helped with pacing and the plot of the story. Readers are never stuck in any situation since each character brought a new view to the situation, propelling the plot forward.

                I had a lot of fun reading this novel. My only regret is that so many of the teens who read this book will be lost in some of these nineties references! The nineties though represent a significant chunk of my life and I absolutely loved all of the references to music and hip hop culture. I love that the conversations our main characters were having came directly from that time and that culture and that space that so many people can relate to and draw memories from. Not to mention the fact that Jackson dropped so much knowledge when it comes to Black history. Gems that I’m hoping people will research and learn from. Overall, I enjoyed this book. Jackson’s writing style can easily hook readers because it’s so easy to relate to. I’ve never thought about doing what these kids did, but I’ve had similar conversations about losing a loved one, about gang violence, about the culture and I love that I see all of that in this book.

Thank you Edelweiss for this book in exchange for an honest review.

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