AJ Dunn Reads

  Blackouts By Justin Torres   5 stars!

  We the Animals by Justin Torres We the Animals follows the lives of three mixed-race brothers: Manny, Joel, and the unnamed narrator (in the movie he is named Jonah). The story centers on their experiences with their often-neglectful parents who fight and love fiercely, behaviors that are reflected in the boys' behaviors toward their parents and one another. The boys have a strong bond throughout the book, even when they are attacking one another. They are used to corporeal punishment. Their parents were very young teenagers when they had the boys and their inability to focus on their sons' needs is painfully evident as they have a tumultuous relationship of domestic violence and non-consensual sex. The parents' distrust of one another is evident, as Paps continually lets Ma down. They both contribute to the cycle of poverty by making poor decisions that keep them stuck in the life they both wish they could escape. Paps spends money they don't have and Ma keeps going...