I have very mixed feelings when it comes to The Voting Booth. However, one thing that I think all reviewers can agree on is that it’s very much relevant today. Voter suppression is real and apparent, especially in communities of color. The Voting Booth is messy at times but it sparks a lot of conversations when it comes to being Black during election season, interracial relationships, activism (both the pros and cons of it), and much more.
The story spans to one day and our two main characters, Marva and Duke, meet when Duke is having difficulties voting. Marva takes great pride in helping other people vote and so she spends the whole book with him, trying to help him be able to exercise his right. However, we see the difficulties that voting can bring. A lot of people believe that voter suppression doesn’t exist. When people think of voter suppression, they think about being turned away because of the person’s skin color. However, the book displays what modern-day voter suppression looks like, from complicated same-day registration policies to long lines to inadequate voting places to ID laws. We see this at every election cycle especially in the south and in Black and Brown communities. I think this book is great in showcasing these acts of oppression and that something needs to change.
The book also unravels the idea of activism. People think that activism is merely attending a protest and BOOM, you are given woke points. It’s much more complicated than that. It’s being constantly present at the moment. It’s being willing to sacrifice your time to help the cause. It’s calling people out on the BS people say and do. It isn’t trendy or whatever. A lot of non-Black/ White people are already tired of posting about the BLM and Black Liberation movement and simply already moved on with their life. We see this in the book with Marva’s White boyfriend Alec, who gets angry because he’s exhausted from constantly having to talk about or fight for the lives of the communities he’s not a part of. At the end of the day, Black people and other people in marginalized groups do not have the opportunity to stop talking about it because we are LIVING it. Black people are still Black, still living with the fear and act of violence from police, still have to endure the systemic racism that many people in this country ignores, still have to fight for our lives. People are exhausted of the two weeks of activism, Black people have been doing this their entire lives.
These discussions in the book were my favorite part because it showcases the true reality of activism. I also liked how the book makes you contemplate how to deal with friends, family, partners, etc who do not want to be part of activism. Can you be with someone who doesn’t care about fighting for the lives of others? I think a lot of Black people have these questions in their heads and it was nice to see it presented in book form. There’s also a lot to be discussed about activism anxiety. What if all this fighting is for nothing? Are we doing enough? What if we are stepping backward?
This book was messy, corny at times and the writing could be better. There was a missing cat plot I didn’t care too much about and I actually wasn’t a fan of the relationship between Marva and Duke. I personally feel like the two were better off as friends. However, I still believe this book has a lot of merits. The book discusses a lot about voter suppression and activism but also digs into other topics such as being biracial, death of family members because of gun violence, dealing with grief, the importance of Juneteenth, classism, privilege, misconceptions of gangs, etc. I do wish some of these topics were explore more, especially gangs, but I still appreciated being present in the book and I think a lot of readers can relate or even teach them something.
Being published amidst of the Black Liberation movement and election season makes this book eerily pertinent. It’s worth the read.
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