Questions About The City We Became (Great Cities, #1)

by N.K. Jemisin (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (37)

Is this going to be based on The City Born Great short story? If so, I'm even more excited.

N.K. Jemisin Yep. It will start where that story leaves off. :)

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How is Aislyn pronounced? In chapter three the character regrets that her parents used an Americanized pronunciation over the softer Irish pronunciation. What is the difference? I had a friend growing up with the name and we pronounced it "AZZ-lin." I suspect that is not the correct pronunciation here.

Jen Johnson Audiobook aside, all of the five have names (or nicknames in the case of Queens) that sound like their borough. So Eyes-lyn for Staten Island.

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Can I can force my 15-year-old to read this with me w/o it being awkward for us both? I'm mostly asking about birds and bees stuff, how detailed that aspect is - everything else (violence, grim realities of social injustice, high falutin' concepts, etc.) are approachable topics for discussion...

Kate Why would you force anyone to read something? If you both like to read and discuss “high falutin’” concepts no coercion should be required. This autho…moreWhy would you force anyone to read something? If you both like to read and discuss “high falutin’” concepts no coercion should be required. This author is brilliant and her work sparks thoughts and discussion naturally.
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I'm almost through w the book (ARC). This is my 1st experience w Jemisin. Are her books all this heavy on the polemic?

Frederique Courard-Hauri I've just begun this book, and I'm about to abandon it, because there is no subtlety to this one.

Do try her other books, though! Her previous novels …moreI've just begun this book, and I'm about to abandon it, because there is no subtlety to this one.

Do try her other books, though! Her previous novels were beautifully subtle and complex, and the topics they covered were no less culturally difficult -- in fact, I'd say the Broken Earth trilogy had the reader face the violence of human nature much more directly, for all that it didn't force that down our throats. (less)

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I'm 200 pages into this book and I don't know if I can take any more. It's really irritating me. It's so repetitive, endlessly reiterating the most basic parts of its central concept, with so much laboured exposition in the dialogue and thoughts of the central characters, I feel like I'm just going round and round in circles. I'm 200 pages in and barely anything has actually happened. Should I bother finishing it?

Eli I actually enjoyed the first 200 pages and really hated it after. So to answer your question, you probably won't like it if you don't like reading "Om…moreI actually enjoyed the first 200 pages and really hated it after. So to answer your question, you probably won't like it if you don't like reading "Omg we're a city lol I'm Brooklyn We'Re NeW yOrk whooaa you're the Bronx and I'm Manhattan wow!" for hundreds of more pages while cartoonish villains make real issues like racism and gentrification into two-dimensional concepts. (less)

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