Not an Easy Win

What do you do when someone keeps baiting you? Do you fight or do you find a way to step back without seeming a coward?

Lawrence always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. A bit like his Pop, who’s now gone away. When he gets into a fight, it’s always his fault–even when it is not. And the all-white school he goes to is done with him. Lawrence is expelled, and he needs to find a way to stay out of his grandma’s hair as he navigates a new world without school or structure. What is he to do?

Not an Easy Win is a lovely story about finding your feet when you have the right support system in place. Broken families tear children apart, and handling big emotions in an unfair world breeds frustration, anger and violence. Not an Easy Win shows us that even in this messiness, there is possibility.

As Lawrence grapples with the rules of chess so that he can spend more time with his crush Twyla, the game becomes more than just a game. His journey with chess mirrors his journey through adolescent emotions, as he learns to plan, strategise, and let reason dictate his actions.

While I did find the ending slightly rushed, overall, I liked the pace of this middle-grade book. It kept me reading, curious to know how things would play out. I enjoyed the metaphor of chess and the relationships amongst the characters. It was a wholesome, optimistic read, recognising the struggles of a Black child navigating an unfair world.