One of Our Kind

In many ways, Kingston and Jasmyne Williams are living their dream life. Their little boy, Kamau, is thriving. They have another baby on the way. And Kingston, or King, is making oodles of money in finance. But King is eager for a next step: moving them to Liberty, a controversial suburban Los Angeles community of very, very rich Black people that comes with all the trappings. A sumptuous spa—sorry, wellness center. Lavish homes with three living rooms each (one for everyday, one for company, and a den, of course). And an excellent school for Kamau where every teacher is Black and they won’t have to worry about him fitting in. From the moment she reluctantly agrees to this transformation of their lives, Jasmyn is nervous about abandoning her community and her belief in giving other Black people a hand up. And she’s right: Liberty turns out to be one sinister place, in ways readers will never guess and that will keep them on edge right up to the last gasp of surprise. Yoon’s first adult novel has some of the hallmarks of her YA background: a character who feels like it’s her against the world, a shifting sense of who can be trusted, and a feeling of not fitting in. This will be a great crossunder read for young adults as well as a hit with fans of Zakiya Dalila Harris’s The Other Black Girl.