“People like him don’t end up with people like us.” -pg 252
“[S]he likes you as the girl who waits on her, not as the girl who is dating her grandson.” -pg. 253
(Now before I start, let’s be reminded that this is fiction and that Kasie West wrote this for a fictional purpose. Do NOT attack her thinking that she supports this way of thinking. Read the book and then say what you have to say!!!)
I was livid with Caymen’s mother when she uttered those words, but they got me to thinking about the world we live in now. The world where everyone tries to tell everyone who they should love. And then I got even angrier.
How can anyone tell someone who to love?! Just because its not for you doesn’t mean that it isn’t right. As I said in my review, “you can’t help who you love. It shouldn’t matter about gender, race, society class, or any of that stuff. All that matters is that you’re happy.”
There’s so much hate in the world and I can’t understand it. From same sex relationships/marriages, to interracial relationships/marriages, to different social class relationships/marriages, they are all based and founded in love. How can people harbor so much hate against that? I just really don’t understand how everyone can be so focused on finding what they think is right for EVERYONE else that they have time to find someone that’s right for themselves. *steps off soapbox*
My reasoning for this Beyond the Book post is I can relate to Caymen a little because I was once in an interracial relationship for 3 years and living in Texas was so hard. We got jumped in Wal-Mart by a group of 5 guys and we couldn’t walk down the street without having people yell out the window of their car “Look at that Jungle Fever walking down the street!” Mind you, at this time I was 16 and he was 17. It makes my head hurt. I may not know EXACTLY how Caymen felt since the “discrimination” was on something totally different, but I do get the picture. I felt like little to nothing when incidents like that happened and I can only imagine if it was coming from your parents.
Now years later, I’m in a relationship with a man of my race where we come from the same background and people STILL have things to say! WHEN DOES IT EVER END?! People will judge you over anything.
When I was with the boy of a different race, I felt so degraded every time someone did those things to us and at the age of 16 we weren’t able to handle it so we broke it off. Don’t ever let someone make you feel like less than anything because they don’t agree with your lifestyle or they feel the need to make stupid jokes about your lifestyle. Just live your life the way YOU want to and LOVE whoever the hell makes you happy! Love is an amazing feeling and anyone is blessed to have it from where ever they choose to get it from!
Have you ever had such a connection with a book that you had to go beyond just reading it?
Join me on Mondays with Beyond the Book!
I agree, it always upsets me when people judge others based on whatever it is they feel they are apt to judge on. Race, hair-color, gender, race, socio-economic class, country of origin, you name it.
I think I'll add this to my TBR, because I love reading books that make me feel.
Great feature Nikki!
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!