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We Ride Upon Sticks

Quan Barry

Start date: September 22, 2024

Finish date: October 24, 2024

Why we're reading this: We Ride Upon Sticks is South Side Evening Book Discussion's October selection! This book club will be hel…more
[close] We Ride Upon Sticks is South Side Evening Book Discussion's October selection! This book club will be held in person at South Side Library on Thursday, 10/24 at 6:30 PM. Visit our website or call 515-283-4152 for more details.

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Mar 24, 2022 Celia Buell (semi hiatus) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, goodreads-giveaways, fantasy, young-adult, poc-characters, america, poc-author, woc-author, magical-realism, fiction

I started this book having no idea what to expect, and I had no idea what to expect right up until the last page. I don't mean in any way, however, that I had trouble knowing what was going on. It's not that the plot had a lot of twists per se, more like it was just crafted to be unpredictable in a finished sort of way. Even from central parts in the book, you can tell that most of the book is some sort of memory of the past, so it seems final in a way that keeps you guessing, if that makes any I started this book having no idea what to expect, and I had no idea what to expect right up until the last page. I don't mean in any way, however, that I had trouble knowing what was going on. It's not that the plot had a lot of twists per se, more like it was just crafted to be unpredictable in a finished sort of way. Even from central parts in the book, you can tell that most of the book is some sort of memory of the past, so it seems final in a way that keeps you guessing, if that makes any sense.

I've only ever read one other novel in first person plural (we) narration and I didn't think I liked that style before We Ride Upon Sticks. However, Quan Barry changes this interpretation for me a lot. The way this is used is that "we" is the narrator, but each chapter zooms in on a specific team member, making the POV both limited and omniscient at the same time. In this way, readers are not removed from the story or from the characters, despite the initial awkwardness of this format. There is no specific POV from a character voice, meaning that there is neither too many voices to conflate, nor is there an annoying/useless POV. Instead, you get a really authentic portrait of each character, their lives, their strengths and struggles, and what makes them tick. Each character chapter is also paced well so that secrets are kept from the reader based on when we meet each person as a member of the team and as an individual.

This distinction between team and individual plays a key role in We Ride Upon Sticks. As a field hockey team who has been together most of their lives, and in a small town especially, they've created a bit of a hive mind. However, they are all also learning what it means to be a teenager in the 80s, and dealing with questions surrounding race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion. Each character is given an opportunity to come into their own through the power of team (and a little bit of witchcraft). For instance, African American AJ's vendetta against Huckleberry Finn was very relatable and only over the top because most of the actions of all characters in the novel were over the top. These were all handled appropriately in terms of characters' justified feelings, which were explained, and then acted upon solely because of their belief in the magic power that held them together.

One thing that I did notice that was a little off-putting in a completely coincidental way (as opposed to the rest of the book, which was off-putting in an intentional way) was the publication date in relation to the content and the unintentional (areas that could be taken as) pandemic references. For one, the repeated mention of masks (as protective gear, etc) was prominent. The final chapter / epilogue also features the class of 2020 preparing for the year. This wouldn't be so creepy except for the publication date -- March 3rd, 2020, or just a few days before the world acknowledged a global pandemic. So my question is, what did Emilio and the ouija board tell Barry that the rest of us didn't know? (Disclaimer: For legal purposes that's a joke! Please don't sue me!)

As an aside, I know Quan Barry claims that she attempted to make this as historically accurate as possible. I do wonder about what Salem, Massachusetts and the surrounding area was like in the 80s, and whether it was (and/or is) as touristy / gimmicky relating to the historic witch trials.

I'm definitely glad I finally read this one, it is so relevant today. I can think of at least three people I'd like to recommend this to, not to mention the general young and new adult population. I will definitely keep this around to share and reread.

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Mar 29, 2020 MaryAnn rated it really liked it

Loved this! Thanks to the Strangelings Book Club (Jenny Lawson) or I probably never read this. I loved every 80’s reference and the storyline of a girls field hockey team parallel with the Salem witch tales made for a celebration of girl power.
My favorite character was The Claw. Read it to find who or what this cool character is!!

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Mar 26, 2021 Joe rated it really liked it

I’m guessing Roxane Gay’s review will forever remain the top review and I agree with everything she said, first of all.

Second, the final chapter made me so nostalgic for my high school teams. We got in slightly less trouble than these characters.

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