We Are Not Like Them

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

Named a Best Book Pick of 2021 by Harper's Bazaar and Real Simple

Named a Most Anticipated Book of Fall by People, Essence, New York Post, PopSugar, New York Newsday, Entertainment Weekly, Town & Country, Bustle, Fortune, and Book Riot

Told from alternating perspectives, this "propulsive, deeply felt tale of race and friendship" (People) follows two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event.

Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.

But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen's husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband's freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend.

Like Tayari Jones's An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult's Small Great Things, We Are Not Like Them takes "us to uncomfortable places-in the best possible way-while capturing so much of what we are all thinking and feeling about race. A sharp, timely, and soul-satisfying novel" (Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author) that is both a powerful conversation starter and a celebration of the enduring power of friendship.

From the publisher

Simon & Schuster/Atria Books | August 2, 2022 | 336 pages | ISBN:9781982181048

1. What emotions did you experience while reading the prologue? Why do you think the authors chose to open with this scene?

2. How did you interpret Kevin's behaviors after the incident? Did you feel any sympathy for him, and do you think he deserved everything that happened after?Who do you blame for what happened?

3. Did you find yourself torn over how to feel about any of the characters' reactions or decisions in the novel? What moments were particularly controversial to you, and how did they challenge your perceptions?

4. Discuss how this novel exhibits instances of prejudice based on privilege, class, and race. What about instances of unconscious bias?

5. Riley says to Jen: "I didn't want to be the Black girl always talking about race. That's no fun. And I don't know what your reaction would be if I told you about all the shit I have to deal with because I'm a Black woman. What if you didn't have the right reaction?" (page 246). How might we be able to more openly discuss our feelings about these sensitive issues? Do you think there's ever a reason these things should be left undiscussed? Have you ever struggled to express a feeling or observation about race out of fear of being dismissed or misunderstood?

6. Did Jen and Riley's alternating voices highlight any important similarities or differences about their experiences during the novel? Did you relate to one character in particular?

7. Riley and Jen are pulled between their friendship and their commitments to their careers, families, and communities. Do you think they made the right choices? Have you ever felt caught between your obligations to others and yourself?

8. Jen struggles with supporting her husband and her complicated feelings about his actions and innocence. Do you think she's too afraid of his family to question him more? How does family influence your decisions?

9. How did you interpret the reactions from the media and social platforms throughout the novel? How are these mediums helpful or harmful to the people at the center of the story?

10. The tragedy that sparks the divide in Riley and Jen's relationship exposes some fault lines in their shared history. When is a friendship worth hanging on to, and when is it time to let go? How did their bond change by the end of the novel, for better or worse?

11. Were there parts of the novel that made you uncomfortable, and why?

12. What do you think of the book's title? What does it encapsulate about this story? Who are "We" and "Them" in the title?

Book Club Talking Points:
"We Are Not Like Them" is a great choice for book clubs. Authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza explore important themes like race and privilege through the friendship of two women-one Black and one white. The story highlights how our backgrounds influence our perspectives. It's not just a book to read and forget; it will inspire meaningful conversations that may feel a bit uncomfortable but are important. Your group will likely be discussing it long after finishing it.

"[A] propulsive, deeply felt tale of race and friendship." -People

"[An] emotional literary rollercoaster." -The Washington Post

"We Are Not Like Them is a tender and unexpected way into our national debate about policing, by centering an authentically drawn friendship between a black woman and a white woman who find themselves, through no fault of their own, on opposite sides of the emotional fallout of a police shooting. Through the story of this complicated female friendship, the sickness at the center of our current state of policing is laid bare. Beautifully heartfelt, Christine Pride and Jo Piazza's book finds hope in the friends' love for one another, that with understanding there may be a way forward." -ATTICA LOCKE, New York Times bestselling author of Heaven, My Home

"We are Not Like Them, Christine Pride and Jo Piazza's gripping novel, is a powerful story about friendship, race, love, forgiveness, and justice-and the stunning ways they intersect. You will find yourself reading late into the night, needing to know what happens to best friends Riley and Jen, and simultaneously not wanting their story to end. Empathetic, riveting, and authentic, We are Not Like Them will stay with you long after you turn the last page." -LAURA DAVE, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me

"Now these women, they can WRITE!" -TERRY MCMILLAN, New York Times bestselling author of It's Not All Downhill from Here

"We Are Not Like Them is the best kind of book, one that manages to educate readers as it entertains them. Riveting, timely and honest, this powerful page-turner explores the complexity of friendship and race - and will stay with you long after its stunning conclusion." -GREER HENDRICKS, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Wife Between Us

"Smart, heartfelt and compulsively readable, We Are Not Like Them is an exquisite portrait of female friendship and a provocative exploration about race. Pride and Piazza take us to uncomfortable places-in the best possible way-while capturing so much of what we are all thinking and feeling about race. A sharp, timely, and soul-satisfying novel that is sure to spark lively book club conversations worldwide." -EMILY GIFFIN, New York Times bestselling author of The Lies That Bind

"A timely, evocative read about what tests us as friends, as partners, and ultimately, as humans, and will have you rethinking your own perspectives and experiences. A perfect read for 2021." -ALLISON WINN SCOTCH, bestselling author of Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing

"A searing, timely exploration of race in America along the fault lines of a friendship. We Are Not Like Them holds a mirror up to all of us in this soul-stirring tale of honesty, love, and redemption." -NANCY JOHNSON, author of The Kindest Lie

"From its heartbreaking first page to its very last one, I was completely immersed in and changed by this important novel. Uniquely told by two writers, one black and one white, who themselves know the painful complexities of race and friendship, We Are Not Like Them is a moving page-turner that is not easily forgotten. I read this in one sitting and I'm still thinking about this book." -LAURA ZIGMAN, author of Separation Anxiety

"With We Are Not Like Them, Christine Pride and Jo Piazza have written a captivating, urgent, yet tender novel about how the world so often has its way with our family and friendships. Read this book with a friend." -DE'SHAWN CHARLES WINSLOW, author of In West Mills

"Coauthors Pride and Piazza explore how the sanctity of childhood friendship can be questioned and corrupted well into adulthood, and how violent racial injustice is ubiquitous in American life. We Are Not Like Them is spellbinding from cover to cover." -Booklist (starred)

"Blistering and incisive. . . This character-driven novel ought to spark much discussion." -Publishers Weekly

"With its timely premise, clear-cut messages, and appealing female characters, this novel is bound for book-club glory." -Kirkus Reviews

"We Are Not Like Them is ultimately about the inherently hopeful act of having grace when the people we love make mistakes-even terrible ones. This is an excellent book club selection or a starting point for interracial friend groups or families to talk candidly about race." -BookPage (starred)

"Book club winner" -Real Simple

"One of the fall's most anticipated titles, a buzzy novel that's been making waves in book circles..." -Entertainment Weekly

"We Are Not Like Them tackles tough issues like race, brutality, and class with unflinching honesty and empathy, and will be a big hit with book clubs." -Business Insider