One of the Good Ones

By: Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Jordan Cobb, Carolyn Smith

"One of the Good Ones is magic.” —Damon Young, author of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker

A shockingly powerful exploration of the lasting impact of prejudice and the indomitable spirit of sisterhood that will have readers questioning what it truly means to be an ally, from sister-writer duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, authors of Dear Haiti, Love Alaine.

ISN’T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH?

When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.

One of the good ones.

Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.

"Astonishing!" —Laura Ruby, two-time National Book Award finalist and author of Bone Gap
"Brilliant" —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Thrilling" —SLJ, starred review

Excellent, timely read! 📖

Nice twist! Such powerful young voices for today.
Relevant and powerful. I couldn't put it down!!

One of the Good Ones For Sure!

This book is definitely "one of the good ones". Outstanding narration, great characters, and a story that eventually comes together in the most surprising way.

The inner dialogue of the characters in the book comes across a little pretentious at times. These are teenagers and their word choices and frequent use of alliteration, though favorite tools of ME as a writer, don't always ring true to reality. This took me out of the story a few times and left me questioning a "simpler" way the same thought could and should have been written.

Over all, worth a read... the twist in part three... oooohhhhh weeeee!

Powerful

Bravo to the sisters ! The narrator was so in character and makes each person come alive . A very needed story for this time as many of us white people ask “what did the person do wrong? “ when we hear of another police killing or arrest . If the person is “good” it changes the narrative for sure . I really appreciated the details of the green book , a shameful reality of that time but an obvious life saver for many . The ancestor connection makes me think of the ancestor connections we all have and what that means for us today . Blessings

struggled to finish. story dragged on

storyline jumped a lot. picked up after chapter 30. i am glad I finished it though.

Good story and definitely worth a read for the culture

I enjoyed this story. It is a great depiction of systemic racism and the fight for justice people of color have had to endure for generations. It was deep and thought provoking and if it wasn’t told from the POV of a Teen/YA, I wouldn’t have known it was a YA book. I also enjoyed the lessons and history facts provided by the Negro Motorist Green Book and the descriptions of the stops taken on the road trip down the infamous and historic Route 66. The twist in the end was unexpected but fit the story nicely as well as the Authors Note. The prose was magnificent so I look forward to reading other works by the authors. Kudos!