Zuri is a poet, inspired to attend Howard University by her reading of Coates' Between the World and Me. Haitian and Dominican food and culture play a huge part in the telling of this story, instantly setting it apart from other P&P retellings. This is not merely the same old story being told yet again. She uses it as a guideline, but never hesitates to move outside the box.
Zoboi has really taken the Austen tale and made it her own here. The arrival of the moody but gorgeous Darius, and his rich family, triggers an exploration of race and class, and especially how the latter can cause divisions within race.
She witnesses the gentrification of her much-loved neighbourhood, as more and more rich people move in and drive up property taxes. Haitian-Dominican Zuri Benitez lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I probably wouldn't have taken a chance on this if it wasn't by the author of American Street.Īs it turns out, though, Pride is a very clever retelling, rich in culture and snark. Pride and Prejudice is full of Austen's trademark wit and social criticism, but most "retellings" I encounter seem to reduce the story to "girl meets guy guy is a dick they get together anyway", which I guess is a very oversimplified way of looking at P&P. This was so much better than I was expecting, honestly. It's a truth universally acknowledged that when rich people move into the hood, where it's a little bit broken and a little bit forgotten, the first thing they want to do is clean it up. In a timely update of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, critically acclaimed author Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant reimagining of this beloved classic. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.īut with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius.
When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. Pride and Prejudice gets remixed in this smart, funny, gorgeous retelling of the classic, starring all characters of color, from Ibi Zoboi, National Book Award finalist and author of American Street.
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