Kai Jones is a Black male attorney living in New York City. He is in an interracial relationship, married to an Italian woman that he met in law school. They thought they were living the American dream, living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and raising two young daughters. But when they come under attack by racist neighbors in their building (the "Hagmans"), Kai must use his legal training to defend his family and their home against the Hagmans and the Co-Op Board they control. If he fails, he not only risks losing his home but his family as well

Kai Jones is a Black male attorney living in New York City. He is in an interracial relationship, married to an Italian woman that he met in law school. They thought they were living the American dream, living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and raising two young daughters. But when they come under attack by racist neighbors in their building (the "Hagmans"), Kai must use his legal training to defend his family and their home against the Hagmans and the Co-Op Board they control. If he fails, he not only risks losing his home but his family as well

At the heart of Darrell Nathaniel Bridgers’ first novel is a story about the ways that families come together and the ways that they come apart, but Ripple of Hope: From the Boiling Frog’s Perspective is a book that wears many hats. Sometimes it feels like a coming-of-age story, sometimes a legal thriller, and sometimes an examination of personal and national history and the ways that they intertwine. The central narrative about a black man using his legal training to defend his family from racist neighbors is heartbreaking and exciting, but the thing about this book that stands out is the way that Bridgers uses this narrative as a jumping off point to think about both his own various identities (as a husband, father, son, lawyer, and citizen of the world) and the identity of the various places he calls home.
The novel jumps around in time between the protagonist's youth, his time as a young adult in school where he first meets his wife, and his later legal battle with his racist neighbors. Readers are always asking both “what happens next?” and “how did we get here?” Neither the past or the present overstay their welcome, and the chapters are readable and well-paced, especially once the legal battle with the truly despicable neighbors (the Hagmans) gets underway.
However, as much as I came to hate the Hagmans as villains, the novel never let me truly lose focus on the emotional state of Kai Jones and his story of loss and self-discovery. It makes sense that Bridgers also has experience as a musician, because he invests Kai’s most emotional moments with an almost musical pathos. Kai Jones is also clever, observant, wise, and altogether really fun to spend 300-some pages with. His personal journey is also socially relevant; his battle with the legal system prompts reflections on the history of the fight for civil rights in America, and the toll that racism takes on individuals and communities. Bridgers stares these issues straight in the face, and sections of the book seem to speak directly to our own political moment.
Another more miscellaneous thing I really liked about this novel was its liberal use of quotations. The narrative is populated with excerpts from books, songs, movies, speeches, and conversations with friends and family members, which simultaneously ground the narrative in the personal, political, and cultural contexts that inspired Bridgers, but also make it feel like a unique blend of reference points from Beckett to BB King. A lot happens in the core story, so it’s also a nice opportunity to step away from the sometimes heavy subject matter into a cleverly placed endnote.
A common refrain in the novel is “God, Love, Family, Work” and Ripple of Hope manages to be about all of those things and more. This is an achievement for any book, but especially one that is also as frequently funny, gripping, and moving as Bridgers’ stellar debut. Must read!

Wow.. here I thought this would be just another run-of-the-mill memoir from a highly accomplished individual.. but the imagery, themes touched upon, and sharp narration really blew me away. Really excited to read any further novels that Darrell Bridgers decides to release.

This story is quite a journey described with vivid and powerful words and imagery.

The excitement of new love and the descent of disappointment and regret are palpable through the metaphor of the boiling frog. At the same time, the discomfort and pain of a pressure cooker emerges as another apt metaphor. The fight with a co-op board serves as the platform that strains and tests the relationship of the main characters. Yet, the fight is also the vehicle through which both strength and weakness get revealed. The author expertly swings the narrative through time as the main character struggles to reconnect with previous hopes and dreams even as the walls of his current world close in and confine him into a near desperate struggle to protect and save his family.

Anyone who has fought tirelessly for a dream or an ideal will easily identify with this story. Anyone who has felt the pangs of regret for missing early signs of future failure will wistfully identify with this story. For everyone else, this book will caution you to test the temperature before you jump in... and to keep testing.

This book was excruciating to read, not unlike the self effacing autobiographical books of Karl Ove Knausgård. Too close to home, plus; I felt like I was watching a horror film, where you're saying "don't do it! don't do it! don't do it!" and then the character goes and does it... and there's no question of what will happen next.

I couldn't have rated the book as highly as I did if not for the conclusions and epilogues which take strands of the tale; bits of wisdom and quotes... and tie it all together. Thanks Darrell for risking to tell us your story.