Amazon.in:Customer reviews: LOOK BOTH WAYS

There are 0 reviews and 6 ratings from Indiawith Verified purchases

MV

Great book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 13 January 2023

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Perfect gift for a 12 year old avid reader.

ricardo is reading

Ways of Seeing

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 8 February 2020

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I only got into Jason Reynolds' work this year, when I picked up Miles Morales: Spider-Man, a superhero story that has less to do with flashy superpowers and more with the everyday heroism of a brown kid living in Modern America.⠀
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I liked it enough to learn more about the guy, looking up speeches and talks. What started out as a bookish crush (Reynolds is an effortless, stylish speaker) quickly turned into a deep admiration as I learned more about the message he is trying to convey with his books, the service he wants to provide with his writing. ⠀

His stories are all about being seen.⠀
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And I think I've seen enough of Jason Reynolds to say that he is one of the most empathic writers working today.⠀
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It's a trait that's on full display in Look Both Ways, his latest release. A collection of ten stories about different groups of kids on their walk home from school, and everything that happens to them during the way. ⠀
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That walk, Reynolds believes, is one of the few experiences kids have where they can feel some sense of autonomy over themselves. Where they can tell and shape stories in their own way, on their own terms. ⠀
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One of the things I admire about Reynolds is his ability to effortlessly slip into different — often conflicting — points of view. The characters are as compelling as they are numerous, their stories distinct, each carrying their own flavor and texture. They still interconnect, however, as the lives of these kids weave in and out of each other's in their own chaotic, impactful fashion.⠀
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The amount of topics covered in these ten short stories is truly staggering, and could be overwhelming were it not for the fact that Reynolds has one of the most casual, welcoming narrative voices in literature right now. A voice that can talk about boogers and bullying in the same breath and sincerity. But the one theme all the stories ultimately go back to is about being seen.

Every character we meet fits more or less into an archetype: the shy girl, the loner kid, the jock, the nerd, the knuckleheads and the bullies. And Reynolds will tell you their stories. He will tell you why that girl is so shy. He will tell you what that bully's home life is like. He will tell you how that jock got that black eye. ⠀
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He will not tell you everything, though. He won't fully explain or excuse their actions. But he will tell you just enough for you to be able to look past the label and start seeing them as people.

Because seeing is important. But it's only ever the first step towards understanding someone else's story. To do so you must, of course, look both ways, and then cross the threshold.

35 people found this helpful

Flo Williams

Delightful

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 16 September 2022

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This is a delightful book. Each chapter, of which there are 10, is the story of a group of friends from a large inner-city middle school who, by just seeing their interactions with each other and those around them, open up a glimpse inside their souls. Living in a predominantly white midwestern city, I found it fascinating and illuminating. I convinced my local book club to read it in an effort to open our sense of understanding and empathy to people very different from ourselves. I'd recommend you do the same.

2 people found this helpful

cece

Great book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 28 February 2020

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I bought it for my 9 year old son, who has really enjoyed it! Jason Reynolds has a great gift of reaching out to the youth.

chapman ross

kinda boring

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 16 August 2022

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It didn’t have any real meaning and it wasn’t very interesting in general. I only gave it three stars instead of two or even one because it at least had a few interesting stories

Suad

Jason Reynolds will educate you

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 10 June 2020

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To me, I find it very hard to find any faults in Jason Reynolds books. He is an amazing writer, but more than that, he is an artist. He weaves a story using the most simplistic terms, but intertwines the most powerful messages throughout.

This book was no different. Look Both Ways is an anthology of 10 stories told in ten blocks starring different kids, who all know each other in some way, or go to the same school. Their stories are sometimes intertwined, but other times not. They may all seem like such ordinary stories, that maybe, Reynolds should have talked about more serious struggles, but no, what I loved about this book is the fact that it takes ordinary kids with ordinary lives and yet it stills manages to highlight how different or challenging their lives are. That somehow, being a black kid walking home from school, is not the same journey and not the same experience that any other kid would have walking home from school. It's powerful in its own way. And I respect that 100%.

That being said, 3 stars, you ask? Well, that's the thing with anthologies. You win some, lose some. And for me, some stories were way more interesting than others, that I couldn't give it a higher rating.

9 people found this helpful

Ernesto Escobar

A Spectacular and Amazing Read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 17 May 2021

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I read this book for school and it really surprised me. When my teacher told me we were going to read this book I didn't think it would be anything special. After the first chapter I was already excited to read the book even more. The clever small similarities in each chapter really hooked me. The last chapter wa my favorite as all the stories intertwined to help tell the last main characters story. Jasob Reynolds dod an amazibg job and I can't wait to read it all again. Spectacular job Mr.Reynolds, spectacular .

One person found this helpful

Deb

Good class read aloud

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 2 May 2021

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I'm reading this book to my class and they are making some great connections to the stories happening in each block.

Jennifer

Wonderful read!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 21 November 2019

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Jason Reynolds has a way of weaving stories together with the reader finding connections from the heart with the characters. The characters each have their own challenges and although they do not see each other, you do notice connections in changes in setting. Look Both Ways is unique in that the stories take place at the end of the school day as the character’s walk home, but each block has a different set of characters and story.

I was granted an advance read copy and rate Jason Reynolds as one of my favorite YA and MG authors. Look Both Ways is a middle grade option, which reminds me more of the Track series.

19 people found this helpful

Nic

Traumatic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 22 May 2022

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Please think carefully before buying this book for your children. It is a difficult read even for a resilient adult! Each chapter faces new traumas. While it is a reality for sadly a lot of children, this book is also aimed at children, who are already likely struggling to articulate what they are going through. Books like this don’t always help articulate, they may in fact be re-traumatising.

5 star		80%
4 star		13%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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