Jenny Murphy is in the last months of pregnancy when her husband, a police officer, is involved in the murder of an unarmed Black boy. This study guide refers to the hardcover version published by Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Published in 2021 in a time of racial protests, particularly after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, the novel uses its characters to help humanize the complicated and lasting implications of race. 'Listen, Rye, Kevin thought he was chasing a guy who had just shot. I plant my damp palms on the table, ready to launch into the speech I practiced a thousand times on the way over. it doesn't matter how I feel.' I sound like a martyr, but there are more important things I want to explain.

I didn't know what to expect she hasn't returned any of my calls this weekend, but her concern is such a mercy that I feel a flicker of hope. I'm sorry? But what am I sorry for exactly, and why am I apologizing to Riley?įinally, almost like she's taking pity on me, she says, 'How are you?'

She's waiting for me to say something, face as blank as an empty canvas. I can't do anything except slink into the booth across from Riley, who stares at me like I'm a stranger. Coming here was a mistake, I see that now, but I can't leave. It takes everything I have not to turn and bolt out the door. Shaun's words are a sucker punch to my gut. But at its heart, it's a story of enduring friendship-a love that defies the odds even as it faces its most difficult challenges. Like Tayari Jones's An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult's Small Great Things, We Are Not Like Them explores complex questions of race and how they pervade and shape our most intimate spaces in a deeply divided world. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband's freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.īut the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen's husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten.

Jo piazza we are not like them