Rebecca, Not Becky: A Novel
Christine Platt
In the vein of Such a Fun Age, a whip-smart, compulsively readable novel about two upper-class stay-at-home mothers—one white, one Black—living in a "perfect" suburb that explores motherhood, friendship, and the true meaning of sisterhood amidst the backdrop of America’s all-too-familiar racial reckoning. De’Andrea Whitman, her husband Malik, and their five-year-old daughter, Nina, are new to the upper-crust white suburb of Rolling Hills, Virginia—a move motivated by circumstance rather than choice. De’Andrea is heartbroken to leave her comfortable life in the Black oasis of Atlanta, and between her mother-in-law’s Alzheimer's diagnosis, her daughter starting kindergarten, and the overwhelming whiteness of Rolling Hills, she finds herself struggling to adjust to her new community. more
432 pages, Paperback
First published Amistad
3.5
Rating
856
Ratings
160
Reviews
Christine Platt
42 books 135 followers
Christine Platt is a literacy advocate and passionate activist for social justice and policy reform. She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from the University of South Florida, M.A. in African and African American Studies from The Ohio State University, and J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. A believer in the power of storytelling as a tool for social change, Christine’s literature centers on teaching race, equity, diversity and inclusion to people of all ages. She formerly served as the Managing Director of the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University under the leadership of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.When she’s not writing, Christine spends her time curating The Afrominimalist—a creative platform chronicling her journey to minimalism.
Also writes books as CP Patrick
Community reviews
I almost gave up on this book in the first chapter with De’Andrea because it read more like IG captions than an actual book. I kept going, and the writing did get better and became more of a story and less superficial, although especially for De’Andrea’s part, there were a lot of times I felt like “ we don’t really talk like that or use those terms. ” At that time, it felt more like it was trying to explain things than tell a story. Which then made me feel like I wasn’t the audience for this story. This was an interesting story. more
As a Rebecca who has never gone by Becky, I had to pick this book up. With alternating points of view, De'Andrea and Rebecca give slice-of-life narratives. Both are affluent, suburban stay-at-home moms whose children attend a prestigious school and whose mothers-in-law reside in a state-of-the-art dementia care facility. Both are in their 40s. Neither have a perfect marriage. more
The jacket cover describes this book as . . . "debut that explores motherhood, friendship, and the true meaning of sisterhood amid America's racial reckoning. " One of the authors describes it as "a book about how we show up for one another. more
I had to force myself to finish this. Lots of telling rather than showing, constant brand-name dropping, loads of slang that may or may not date well. The characters are all conceited, passive-aggressive, and unpleasant. They're also not real characters, but two-dimensional stereotypes that think and talk in ways and phrases that are so tired they should be dead. Give this one a miss. more
Not going to lie, I wanted to read this book just for the title (as a Rebecca that does not go by Becky lol) & had no idea what it was about. In short, this was a decent read. I think the clear audience is older white woman who are starting their antiracist journey. My biggest complaint is that the story felt flat. The characters lacked substance and the plot was very heavy on telling, not showing. more
De'Andrea and her family move from Atlanta to Rolling Hills by circumstance and not choice. It's quite an adjustment leaving a comfortable life in the Black oasis of Atlanta to the overwhelming whiteness of Rolling Hills, Virginia. De'Andrea's therapist challenges her to befriend a white woman to help ease the transition. Rebecca is thrilled there's a new Black family in the neighborhood. She can put everything she's learned about antiracism into practice while running the Parent Diversity Committee. more
Def feel like this was written for rich middle aged white women who have never confronted privilege/done any anti-racist work. Honestly it’s like a book that was written with the intention of being a book club book to bring us conversations about race and wealth and other hard hitting topics and I can see it working well for certain groups. Not saying it was bad but a tad cliche . more
This was a quick read for me that was very relatable. There was a lot of slang and stereotyping, but I got the point the authors were trying to make. It’s not too heavy as the topics are relevant and happening everyday in real time, but there are some taboo subjects slightly discussed. It got me through my plane ride from Seattle to Houston and back. So it kept my attention. more
Truly horrible. I cannot describe how much I disliked this book. The writing and cultural references were almost unbearable the slang, casual wording and fads will not allow this book to withstand the test of time. If someone in 5 years picked up this book they would miss probably all the "digs" and popular branding. I picked up this book because it was part of a bookclub I am in and I thought the cover was so cute. more
“Even if you in a Benz, you still a nigga in a coupe” ~ Kanye West ******This quote is very relevant to a portion of this story, and real life. ******Well this book was certainly a tug of war of feelings. I disliked it, but liked it. I didn’t care about the characters, but started to care about them. This book had me all over the place. more
This book is not an ordinary book—it’s not your run-of-the-mill women’s fiction piece about friendship and adversity. No, no. This piece is deeper. It requires thought and encourages action. It is emotional, vulnerable, and complicated. more
So grateful for this book which reads like Chit Lit, yet addresses the causcasity of us liberal white women who read all of the books - or skimmed them in this case - but aren’t putting in the true work to be allies and dismantle white supremacy. Also grateful for the discussion of the Sandwich generation and the plots of aging parents with high care needs. Bring this book to your next book club and ask in what ways do you act like Rebecca. It will be a rich discussion. more
A well done treatment into a serious subject. At times, I think Rebecca’s character veered too far into caricature, because if she really were that clueless, she wouldn’t have kept trying. But it was still a great way to hear a lot of perspectives while the book mostly remained lighthearted. more
Final 4. 5Great read dealing with surburban politics, allyship, and racism. Felt timely, authentic, and developed. Found myself rooting for both of the FMC. more
De’Andrea, her husband, and their daughter are new to the suburbs in Virginia. De’Andrea is not happy to be leaving her comfortable life in Atlanta. This move has her overwhelmed and struggling to adjust to her new community. Rebecca, Not Becky wasn’t my favorite book of the year, unfortunately. I had trouble relating to the characters and honestly, they weren’t very likable. more
Almost there on several fronts, but. didn't quite make it. Unsatisfying conclusions and lack of persuasive stance on issues. Main two characters not accessible/relatable in my opinion and fairly static throughout. Side characters very underdeveloped but used as plot tools sporadically. more
really specific and tuned into cultural conversations circa 2020, recommend for fans of women's fiction and light, fun looks at serious topics. more
I occasionally felt like I didn’t relate to the characters well who are exactly my age. 😂 42. I noted a lack of awareness and maturity that I (wrongly) have assumed people my age naturally possess. I’m a white, college educated, stay at home mother, primarily, and I didn’t at all relate to Rebecca. My son is grown now, so I have literally raised a kind and capable adult who isn’t racist and I live in AL. more
The book started off a mess, thanks in large part to one of the narrators for me, but it really tapped into some huge racial tensions in a lighthearted, yet in your face way. I really enjoyed the sincerity, tenderness and openness that both characters shared. Both were also dealing with mother in laws with serious health conditions. Rebecca, Not Becky, follows the Whitman family, who is forced to relocate from their beloved Atlanta to Northern Virginia due to family commitments. Rolling Hills is very white, and Rebecca Myland, the head of the local private school’s Parent Diversity Committee, is very interested in making a black friend to prove that she is not racist. more
Audiobook. I really enjoyed listening to this one, and it probably worked better that way than reading it with the slang and dual voices. But the end of the book felt like a huge letdown - like the author threw in an Event and a Ending when it probably would’ve done better without such a forced/wrapped up conclusion. more
I kept wondering when something was going to happen. If you like every cliche in the book and are into whatever is trending at the moment. this might be for you. more
DeAndrea, little Nina and Malik, the father and husband, are on the way to a new life. They have been living in Atlanta, Georgia. Now, they are moving to Rolling Hills, Virginia where the population is mostly White. In Atlanta the majority of the communities are Black. De Andrea has many friends in Atlanta. more
“Rebecca, Not Becky'' is told from the perspective of two upper middle class women living in Northern Virginia. Rebecca Myland is a stay-at-home mom living in a multimillion dollar home with her husband and two daughters. She is a white woman leading the diversity committee at her daughter's very non-diverse private school. De'Andrea Whitman and her husband and daughter move from Atlanta into the same gated community as the Myland's, and their daughter attends the same school, but is one of the only Black children there. I found most of this book to be an uncomfortable read, and not because the topic of race, racism, and diversity are uncomfortable, but because so many of the characteristics of both families, and the host of supporting players, felt so stereotypically based on their races. more
I truly almost gave up in the beginning but man am I glad I stuck it out. I love any book about parenting, race and class but then add in marital division of labor dynamics and I was hooked. Great book for me to start the year off with. I only knocked off a star because in the beginning I felt like De’Andrea’s character lacked depth (this gets so much better throughout). . more
Pick this book for your next book club. There are so many themes to make for a fruitful discussion. easy, chic lit read that focuses on all that is required of women today - parenting, caretaker to so many, career, friend and explores racial themes. And the characters ebb and flow so sometimes you don’t like them and sometimes you can so relate. Defn recommend. more
This is a good book. It only has a 3. 57 rating, but l wonder if some people were uncomfortable with the subject. It was written by two authors, and you get two different perspectives about racism. more
One of the best books I've read so far in 2024. Outstanding character development, outstanding storylines, would have given it 10 stars if it were possible. Two women at different paths in their lives, initially they don't seem to have much in common, but life has a way of showing us that we all have more in common than we don't. This book touches on so many important topics in today's world - Alzheimer's, Dementia, elderly care and the astronomical cost; family and how it can bring happiness and pain; friendships and how they're needed to create a more well-rounded life for each of us; prejudice, racism, and ignorance; how we show up in our lives when outside influences test us; children's innocence. The authors have done a great job rolling all of these societal woes into one book and making it make sense. more
Almost a DNF but I pushed through. This could have been so good but the characters were so one-dimensional and unlikeable. . more