The obvious parallel is James McBride’s masterpiece, The Color of Water, and in that regard, Matthews’ memoir doesn’t fare too poorly, though it’s far too coarse (and funny) for Oprah’s book club. He makes a number of fascinating points about current racial politics, such as “when you’re white, failure is a tragedy when you’re black, it’s a statistic - ,” but misses others - ”what was it about Jews and their people that superseded their general alliance with the whole of humanity?” The question of Matthews’ race ends anti-climatically in a late ‘ 80’s New York, but the story and Matthews’ telling of it captivates. Matthews’ writing style is the high-energy, drunk-on-words sort that either infuriates or delights, infusing even the most mundane details with humor and grace. The prose is sharp and precise, the story terrifying, and our two main characters are fighters we care about. Ace of Spades is his story of coming to terms with himself in an America that claims racism doesn’t exist. Ace of Spades is definitely for young adults. Review 2022 NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens Best Young Adult Book, 2021 A BuzzFeed Best YA Book Covers Of 2021 starred. Later, in a liberal college, he opts for black. Growing up in racist Baltimore he opts for white, even going so far as to burn a cross in a neighbor’s yard after getting beaten up by three black girls. Born across the racial divide, the son of a black father and a white Jewish mother who abandoned him as a toddler, David Matthews was born with skin pale enough to pass for white. Being both means you’re up against a lot of adversity.

Ace of spades novel reviews