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The Means That Make Us Strangers
Home is where your people are. But who are your people?
Adelaide has lived her whole life in rural Ethiopia, where she and her family are the only white people she knows. Then her family moves to South Carolina, in 1964.
Adelaide promises she'll return to Ethiopia and become part of the village for good. But until she turns eighteen, Adelaide must adjust to this strange, white place everyone tells her is home. Then Adelaide becomes friends with the five African-American students who sued for admission into the white high school. As life in Greenville becomes more interesting, home becomes a much more complex equation.
Adelaide must finally choose where she belongs: the Ethiopian village where she grew up, to which she promised to return? Or this new place where she's become part of something bigger?
Adelaide has lived her whole life in rural Ethiopia, where she and her family are the only white people she knows. Then her family moves to South Carolina, in 1964.
Adelaide promises she'll return to Ethiopia and become part of the village for good. But until she turns eighteen, Adelaide must adjust to this strange, white place everyone tells her is home. Then Adelaide becomes friends with the five African-American students who sued for admission into the white high school. As life in Greenville becomes more interesting, home becomes a much more complex equation.
Adelaide must finally choose where she belongs: the Ethiopian village where she grew up, to which she promised to return? Or this new place where she's become part of something bigger?
271 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2019
39 people are currently reading
2984 people want to read
About the author
Christine Kindberg
1 book56 followersChristine grew up in Peru, Chile, Panama, Kentucky, and North Carolina. She studied English at Wheaton College and has an MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte. Now she lives in the Chicago area, where she works as a Spanish-language editor at Tyndale House Publishers.
When not writing, she's usually reading in a hammock, running, cooking for friends, watching a show that features British accents, or planning a travel adventure.
When not writing, she's usually reading in a hammock, running, cooking for friends, watching a show that features British accents, or planning a travel adventure.
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March 14, 2020
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July 18, 2019
The Means That Make Us Strangers is a glittering coming-of-age story centered on 16-year-old Adelaide, a keen, observant narrator who grew up in Ethiopia and has recently relocated with her family to South Carolina. With lyrical language and a warm, accessible voice, Kindberg’s storytelling is a pleasure to read. Her rich details firmly root the reader in time and place. She subtly and masterfully builds conflict and tension in her characters’ lives, which are set against the backdrop of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. It’s easy to care about these characters, especially our narrator, because they are real and fully formed. Ever present throughout the novel are a sense of longing and a desire to belong, both of which are beautifully rendered. Through Adelaide, we get to go on a heroine’s journey of a lifetime as she tries to discover the meaning of home.
November 28, 2020
Unique coming of age story.
After spending all of the childhood she can remember in Ethiopia, Adelaide and her family return to Greenville, South Carolina in 1964. Adelaide is not at all happy to be leaving the place she calls home and immediately begins plotting her return.
Life in the United States is a huge culture shock for Adelaide. She doesn't understand why white students in her newly integrated high school don't want to socialize with the black students. Clothing, homes, food and much more are also changes for Adelaide to adjust to.
Engaging novel and I look forward to what this author will write next.
After spending all of the childhood she can remember in Ethiopia, Adelaide and her family return to Greenville, South Carolina in 1964. Adelaide is not at all happy to be leaving the place she calls home and immediately begins plotting her return.
Life in the United States is a huge culture shock for Adelaide. She doesn't understand why white students in her newly integrated high school don't want to socialize with the black students. Clothing, homes, food and much more are also changes for Adelaide to adjust to.
Engaging novel and I look forward to what this author will write next.
July 15, 2019
Five stars! Brilliant, insightful, and masterfully written! Christine Kindberg has penned a riveting story of ethnic and cultural conflict in the 1960’s. Adelaide, a white girl raised in Ethiopia, struggles with her choices as she returns to South Carolina to attend a newly integrated high school. Kindberg squarely faces the ugliness of early integration in the United States, the fear, ridicule and danger. Metaphors and figures of speech leap from the page, highlighting moments like a camera flash in the middle of a breaking news story. An excellent read! Highly recommended for all who think deeper than the color of skin.
July 20, 2019
As a child growing up in Ethiopia in the 1960s, Adelaide has never questioned her place in the village, even though her white skin makes her different from her peers. But when her family moves back to South Carolina, she finds her ideas of belonging completely turned upside down. This book gave me a window into the struggles of black Americans in the south in this tumultuous period when school desegregation was relatively new and still widely resisted. And anyone who's ever gone through the process of trying to integrate into a new culture that has little grace for those who are different will ache with Adelaide and her friends through the events of this book. A beautiful debut novel!
January 11, 2021
Of course I was completely head-over-heels in love with this story. The theme is one that isn't explored often enough in literature, and as someone who knows how it feels like to struggle with "cultural identity," I really appreciated it being the focal point of a novel! The setting of the book also took us back to a time and place where racial prejudice ran unchecked. It was beautifully handled.
It's a pretty quick read for a YA novel, too, and the plot kept me turning pages. While I didn't connect to Adelaide as a character, the experiences she went through did it for me xD Which may not be the same case for everyone, but she was a very likable protagonist and I found myself rooting for her all the way.
The only thing I really didn't like was the ending... It made me so sad, and it felt like one final thread of the story--coincidentally the longest thread--was left unresolved. I mean, it was resolved in a way, but at the same time it kind of wasn't; but that's just me and my inability to handle endings like that. *marches off crying*
Even so, I DEFINITELY recommend this book, 10/10. Perhaps you'd handle that ending better than I can.
It's a pretty quick read for a YA novel, too, and the plot kept me turning pages. While I didn't connect to Adelaide as a character, the experiences she went through did it for me xD Which may not be the same case for everyone, but she was a very likable protagonist and I found myself rooting for her all the way.
The only thing I really didn't like was the ending... It made me so sad, and it felt like one final thread of the story--coincidentally the longest thread--was left unresolved. I mean, it was resolved in a way, but at the same time it kind of wasn't; but that's just me and my inability to handle endings like that. *marches off crying*
Even so, I DEFINITELY recommend this book, 10/10. Perhaps you'd handle that ending better than I can.
January 17, 2022
I had about 100 pages left when I went to bed and couldn't put it down until I was finished. This book was recommended by a teen for the Goodreads Clean YA Book Club and after reading it, I wish it would have been chosen for our BOTM read. Even though it wasn't, I knew I had to read it anyways. I am so glad I did.
It goes through 2 years of life (16-18) of Adelaide in the 1960's. A white young lady raised in a small village in Ethiopia since she was a baby, who suddenly finds herself in South Carolina at 16 in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. She befriends the only black kids at her new high school because "they are her people". As one could expect during this time in our American history, Adelie and her friends are the outcast and must make choices to keep their safety but also stand up for what they believe in.
Such a profound piece of writing. The writing makes you feel like you are right there experiencing theirs trials as if you were written in the story too. Ms. Kindberg brings you in and keeps you there tugging at your emotions the whole book through. She takes a young naive girl to the forefront as a person to make changes for the future. This book should absolutely be in all high schools across our nation and in every classroom discussion. I think it very appropriate for our time today and we as a nation still have so much to do.
It goes through 2 years of life (16-18) of Adelaide in the 1960's. A white young lady raised in a small village in Ethiopia since she was a baby, who suddenly finds herself in South Carolina at 16 in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. She befriends the only black kids at her new high school because "they are her people". As one could expect during this time in our American history, Adelie and her friends are the outcast and must make choices to keep their safety but also stand up for what they believe in.
Such a profound piece of writing. The writing makes you feel like you are right there experiencing theirs trials as if you were written in the story too. Ms. Kindberg brings you in and keeps you there tugging at your emotions the whole book through. She takes a young naive girl to the forefront as a person to make changes for the future. This book should absolutely be in all high schools across our nation and in every classroom discussion. I think it very appropriate for our time today and we as a nation still have so much to do.
June 28, 2022
Stunning. This was the first book (besides the Bible) that I actually decided to underline/highlight because I kept being bowled over by how strongly certain sentences impacted me. I just soaked in this book, focusing on specific moments and emotions. It was incredibly cathartic, as an MK who had to leave the country I grew up in at age 15. I went through so many of the same experiences, felt the same anger, confusion, fear, determination, helplessness, and joy. Besides being a fantastic novel on the MK experience, it's also a genuinely well-written, great book with a solid plot that takes a serious look at American race relations through the eyes of a young outsider during the Civil Rights Movement. Can't recommend enough.
June 16, 2021
The Means that Make Us Strangers was such a complex and interesting book. I loved how unique and original it was. I also loved how it spoke to true issues and problems in societies. I loved reading it from an outsiders perspective but at the same time seeing Adelaide grow into herself. And don’t even get me started on the ending! Such an amazing book!
April 21, 2021
Wow this book is so good! I loved every bit of the descriptions and all of the emotions wrapped up in the story. I can’t wait for the next book by this author :)
November 1, 2019
"You can't belong to two places," he said, punctuating his words with the side of his fist against the tree. "You can't be in two places at the same time."
I've become more cynical as I've aged, so it takes a lot for a book to move me. I'm one of those readers who rarely award five-star ratings to books. This book was precisely the story I needed in this moment. It moved me and stirred my soul. It took me on a coming-of-age journey with a teenage girl during her junior and senior years of high school.
Adelaide is the eldest daughter of an anthropologist. When she was still a preschooler, her father was sent to Ethiopia to study the culture. The Ethiopian village she grew up in became her home. Its residents became her friends and extended family. Just before her junior year of high school, Adelaide's father announces their family will return to the USA. This book chronicles the experiences a young White female (who's grown up in a Black African community) faces when she's suddenly thrust into a southern American town during the 1960s. Prejudice against Black people is foreign to Adelaide. She must decide if she will adhere to the status quo and live an easier life or follow her principles and shun the racist views of her family and church.
Adelaide must also decide if she will return to Ethiopia after graduation and resume her relationship with Maicaah, her childhood sweetheart, or attend college. Her choices are tough ones for a new adult, but she listens to her heart and exercises tremendous strength and wisdom for one so young. At the end of this book, I was proud of Adelaide and hopeful for the bright future I imagined she would have.
This book ought to be made into a movie. Well done, Ms. Kindberg!
I've become more cynical as I've aged, so it takes a lot for a book to move me. I'm one of those readers who rarely award five-star ratings to books. This book was precisely the story I needed in this moment. It moved me and stirred my soul. It took me on a coming-of-age journey with a teenage girl during her junior and senior years of high school.
Adelaide is the eldest daughter of an anthropologist. When she was still a preschooler, her father was sent to Ethiopia to study the culture. The Ethiopian village she grew up in became her home. Its residents became her friends and extended family. Just before her junior year of high school, Adelaide's father announces their family will return to the USA. This book chronicles the experiences a young White female (who's grown up in a Black African community) faces when she's suddenly thrust into a southern American town during the 1960s. Prejudice against Black people is foreign to Adelaide. She must decide if she will adhere to the status quo and live an easier life or follow her principles and shun the racist views of her family and church.
Adelaide must also decide if she will return to Ethiopia after graduation and resume her relationship with Maicaah, her childhood sweetheart, or attend college. Her choices are tough ones for a new adult, but she listens to her heart and exercises tremendous strength and wisdom for one so young. At the end of this book, I was proud of Adelaide and hopeful for the bright future I imagined she would have.
This book ought to be made into a movie. Well done, Ms. Kindberg!
February 18, 2022
Man, this is one of my favorite books.
It is about a White girl who grows up in Ethiopia. When she is 16, her family moves back to the States. This happens durring the Civil Rights Movement. She makes friends with the only Black kids at her school, and is determined to move back to Ethiopia when she turns 18. This book is all about family, culture, and racism.
It was a super fast read and would definatly reccomend!
It is about a White girl who grows up in Ethiopia. When she is 16, her family moves back to the States. This happens durring the Civil Rights Movement. She makes friends with the only Black kids at her school, and is determined to move back to Ethiopia when she turns 18. This book is all about family, culture, and racism.
It was a super fast read and would definatly reccomend!
January 13, 2021
I won an e-book in a Goodreads giveaway; this did not influence my review.
The Means That Make Us Strangers is marketed as a young adult book, and while the protagonist, Adelie, is a teenager for most of the novel, I think this book could have much wider appeal. I think many adults will read the synopsis and expect a teen love triangle, but the story goes much deeper than that. Kindberg explores the intersection of race and culture in a really fascinating way by placing a white family in an Ethiopian tribe in the mid-20th century (the family patriarch is an anthropologist). The oldest daughter grows up and learns to identify more with black peoples and cultures, so upon her return to South Carolina (mysteriously the family often simply calls it Carolina) she seeks out the black students at her newly integrated high school. Naturally, complications follow and Adelie finds herself struggling to determine where she belongs. Kindberg has a gift for evoking vivid settings and wholly-formed characters, to the point where I sometimes found myself forgetting this was fiction. While portions of the end of the book are a bit choppy, this is such a fabulous debut novel, and one that I hope will find readers outside of readers of YA romance.
The Means That Make Us Strangers is marketed as a young adult book, and while the protagonist, Adelie, is a teenager for most of the novel, I think this book could have much wider appeal. I think many adults will read the synopsis and expect a teen love triangle, but the story goes much deeper than that. Kindberg explores the intersection of race and culture in a really fascinating way by placing a white family in an Ethiopian tribe in the mid-20th century (the family patriarch is an anthropologist). The oldest daughter grows up and learns to identify more with black peoples and cultures, so upon her return to South Carolina (mysteriously the family often simply calls it Carolina) she seeks out the black students at her newly integrated high school. Naturally, complications follow and Adelie finds herself struggling to determine where she belongs. Kindberg has a gift for evoking vivid settings and wholly-formed characters, to the point where I sometimes found myself forgetting this was fiction. While portions of the end of the book are a bit choppy, this is such a fabulous debut novel, and one that I hope will find readers outside of readers of YA romance.
September 30, 2022
I was only a chapter in when I understood why this book won the Christy Award for YA. It's not just for the premise, which is original. It's the execution. The writing is solid, the motifs gentle and clear, and the characters are well-defined. It's readable! Never preachy, the beauty of the protagonist's viewpoint lets us into the Civil Rights era in a way inaccessible to most of us WASPs. That's what good fiction does.
As a former homeschooling mom, I would recommend this book to other parents and educators. My favorite classics of literature involving the African American experience are Uncle Tom's Cabin (19th century) and To Kill a Mockingbird (early 20th century). This book joins them in my mental shelf of recommends. The protagonist of this story is sixteen years old, and the writing style is not as formidable vocabulary-wise as the others I have mentioned, so it could be given to a younger teen. There is a PG teen kiss, and some violence (fighting), but otherwise it is clean.
But it's not just for teens and young adults. It's a moving story all around. I heartily recommend it.
As a former homeschooling mom, I would recommend this book to other parents and educators. My favorite classics of literature involving the African American experience are Uncle Tom's Cabin (19th century) and To Kill a Mockingbird (early 20th century). This book joins them in my mental shelf of recommends. The protagonist of this story is sixteen years old, and the writing style is not as formidable vocabulary-wise as the others I have mentioned, so it could be given to a younger teen. There is a PG teen kiss, and some violence (fighting), but otherwise it is clean.
But it's not just for teens and young adults. It's a moving story all around. I heartily recommend it.
August 8, 2019
This book is outstanding!!! I absolutely loved it. Christine Kindberg has nailed the emotions of Adelaide. The descriptions of all Adelaide encounters both in Ethiopia and America, in both small everyday events and major situations are engrossing. I still smile thinking about her description of riding a bicycle downhill for the first time. I wanted to speed ahead to see how this story would resolve but also wanted to read slowly and savor the superb writing and telling of the story.
I am looking forward to Christine's next novel and will buy a copy immediately when it becomes available.
I am looking forward to Christine's next novel and will buy a copy immediately when it becomes available.
April 11, 2021
Soooooo good! I binge read this book 😂 it was an amazing story about a girl who had lived in Ethiopia her whole life, only to return to America, her parents’ home, at 16. She had so many new experiences, both good and terrible, and we get to watch her learn and grow about life in the South and in America in the 1960s. This book has such strong themes, like what home actually is, and the evils of racism. Such a great read!! Strongly recommend. (Also, the cover is beautiful!!)
August 23, 2025
4.75
my only gripe was the ending. it felt too rushed and the set up for the whole boom seemed to happen too fast and could've done with being a tad slower.
the whole book was captivating and as a tck it was awesome to see a character adjust and feel the same things I've been through
my only gripe was the ending. it felt too rushed and the set up for the whole boom seemed to happen too fast and could've done with being a tad slower.
the whole book was captivating and as a tck it was awesome to see a character adjust and feel the same things I've been through
December 2, 2020
Loved how engrossing these characters were and how well Christine captured the diverse places of Ethiopia and Greenville. Bravo on her debut novel - I’m so glad I finally got around to reading this!
July 21, 2019
Kindberg’s novel The Means That Make Us Strangers tells the story of Adelaide, a young woman who makes the transition from growing up with her white family in an Ethiopian village to the world of 1960s South Carolina where she attends a newly integrated high school. As the story progresses, so also does Adelaide’s character as the reader is able to experience through her first person perspective the shock and confusion of observing acts and attitudes of racism for the first time. The tension between Adelaide’s desire for justice and the longing to return home is felt on every page of the novel, working as a compelling tug of war not only in the heart and mind of the main character, but in that of the reader as well.
July 20, 2019
I hardly ever step out of my comfort zone when it comes to choosing a book to curl up on the couch with, but I am so glad I did with this one!
Never read anything in this genre before? Don’t normally hold an interest in the US around the 1960s or history at all for that matter? Don’t let that stop you! This book could be the one to change your mind.
Christine Kindberg has found a way to wonderfully intertwine the world and personality of a young girl, Adelaide into the harsh times of the 1960s in the US south. The characters are well developed and mesmerizing as they face their own unique problems in the plot. The wonderful language and story constantly kept me flipping the page. I promise it’ll be one of those books you can’t put down!
Never read anything in this genre before? Don’t normally hold an interest in the US around the 1960s or history at all for that matter? Don’t let that stop you! This book could be the one to change your mind.
Christine Kindberg has found a way to wonderfully intertwine the world and personality of a young girl, Adelaide into the harsh times of the 1960s in the US south. The characters are well developed and mesmerizing as they face their own unique problems in the plot. The wonderful language and story constantly kept me flipping the page. I promise it’ll be one of those books you can’t put down!
July 23, 2019
Adelaide has lived her entire live in a remote village in Ethiopia. When her family returns to their own land—Greensville, South Carolina, Adelaide finds the early 60s South as foreign to her as her Ethiopian home is to her new friends and extended family. Adelaide’s coming of age story is beautifully wrought, perfectly paced, and immensely satisfying from beginning to end. An amazing debut novel from a truly promising author!!
April 15, 2020
A beautifully written, lyrical novel that doesn’t get lost in its own beauty. The story’s stakes are high the entire time, and we feel for Adelaide and her unique and difficult circumstances.
From the opening pages, Kindberg makes us feel the rhythms of village life in Ethiopia in vivid detail, as well as the bafflement Adelaide experiences being uprooted and moved to the newly integrated American South.
Kindberg deftly deals with racial tensions and prejudice in 1964. While she clearly comes down on the side of justice, she portrays people on all sides of the issues carefully, without caricature. This helps us understand the subtle justifications and modes of thinking that enabled the racist system to stay in place for as long as it did (and can still be seen today).
I also appreciate the nuances portrayed in Adelaide’s family. The story touches on complex issues such as postpartum depression with a gentle hand.
As a resident of Greenville, SC, I was impressed with how accurate the setting felt (especially since Kindberg is not from the area herself). She obviously did careful research, and her attention to detail shows.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a thoughtful read.
From the opening pages, Kindberg makes us feel the rhythms of village life in Ethiopia in vivid detail, as well as the bafflement Adelaide experiences being uprooted and moved to the newly integrated American South.
Kindberg deftly deals with racial tensions and prejudice in 1964. While she clearly comes down on the side of justice, she portrays people on all sides of the issues carefully, without caricature. This helps us understand the subtle justifications and modes of thinking that enabled the racist system to stay in place for as long as it did (and can still be seen today).
I also appreciate the nuances portrayed in Adelaide’s family. The story touches on complex issues such as postpartum depression with a gentle hand.
As a resident of Greenville, SC, I was impressed with how accurate the setting felt (especially since Kindberg is not from the area herself). She obviously did careful research, and her attention to detail shows.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a thoughtful read.
December 2, 2020
Quality of Writing: Average.
Plot and Story: I felt like I was missing a lot of important details. I wanted more details as the main character experienced culture shock in the US. I wanted more details grounding me in the 60's. I didn't understand her parents and their motivations. I liked the ending, but didn't fully understand how the main character made her decision. But I read this quickly because I wanted so much to know what life and what guy the main character chose, so the author had my attention despite the fact that I was missing so much.
Originality: Kindberg seems to have the mission to provide Christian teen girls an alternative to a lot of the junk that is out there and I am so relieved! This novel is different from every other YA Christian book I have read. [SPOILER AHEAD] I especially appreciate that in the end the main character doesn't end up with either love interest, an ending that we should see more often in fiction.
Overall though, I would highly recommend this book, particularly to teen Christian girls. Sadly there is not a lot of variety in fiction written for them. I have found Christian Fiction to be boring and simply promote good deeds, easy lives, and a watered down sense of the gospel and what it means to live for the Lord. This book however is the first modern example of Christian Fiction that I think our teens would benefit reading. So I am super pumped and look forward to more from this author!
Plot and Story: I felt like I was missing a lot of important details. I wanted more details as the main character experienced culture shock in the US. I wanted more details grounding me in the 60's. I didn't understand her parents and their motivations. I liked the ending, but didn't fully understand how the main character made her decision. But I read this quickly because I wanted so much to know what life and what guy the main character chose, so the author had my attention despite the fact that I was missing so much.
Originality: Kindberg seems to have the mission to provide Christian teen girls an alternative to a lot of the junk that is out there and I am so relieved! This novel is different from every other YA Christian book I have read. [SPOILER AHEAD] I especially appreciate that in the end the main character doesn't end up with either love interest, an ending that we should see more often in fiction.
Overall though, I would highly recommend this book, particularly to teen Christian girls. Sadly there is not a lot of variety in fiction written for them. I have found Christian Fiction to be boring and simply promote good deeds, easy lives, and a watered down sense of the gospel and what it means to live for the Lord. This book however is the first modern example of Christian Fiction that I think our teens would benefit reading. So I am super pumped and look forward to more from this author!
October 28, 2019
I love so many things about this book but I think the aspect I appreciate above all is how the writing draws you into the emotions of the main character especially. I could feel her determination to return to Ethiopia no matter how difficult. I could feel her bewilderment as she navigated a foreign culture after she moved to the United States. The way the book ended with Adelaide returning to her community in Ethiopia but ultimately deciding not to stay was unsatisfying but in a really good way. I think it reflected her internal restlessness and the feeling that many TCKs experience. It felt so much more authentic and true than a « happily ever after » ending would have. All that to say, I couldn’t put this book down and I recommend it highly!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2021
What a dynamic story of finding where your heart fits... that your childhood and your coming of age shape so much of us. Everyone has to find a balance within ourselves and to see through, to the next step in our story. This was a such poignant book, every angsty-teen should give this a read. That beyond our small scope, true struggle lies in class, race, and social dynamics. Behind smiles and manners, we might all have rhythms to figure out. And we are never quite sure.
November 17, 2019
I really enjoyed this read. The book explores the complexity of desegregation through the lens of a character who is simultaneously trying to decide where her real home lies. Though this book is historical fiction, I felt like I was engaging realistic conversations and settings. Well done!
January 14, 2020
Takes place first in Ethiopia. Then the white family moves back after 16 years to South Carolina. The sixteen year old daughter has only been with Africans her whole life. Adelie always said she wanted to go back to live in Ethiopia when she turned 18.
July 22, 2025
4.5 ⭐s personally
It was a very good and clean book. I enjoyed reading about Adelaide, civil rights movements, and life in Ethiopia. I thought it odd the way the author choose to word some sentences
It was a very good and clean book. I enjoyed reading about Adelaide, civil rights movements, and life in Ethiopia. I thought it odd the way the author choose to word some sentences
July 20, 2019
Timely, relevant, important, excellent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews