is zadie smith’s white teeth overhyped? exploring excessive storytelling 

This book is very important to me because, as a Black Brit, reading it at 17 - my age when it was published - was the first time I had ever read something that reflected my experience. All the Black books I had read previously were American and set during slavery or segregation and while they were amazing reads, they had very little in common with my life. Reading about Irie Jones having crushes and getting her hair relaxed was legit mind-blowing to me back then because I had internalised the idea that the everyday experiences of Black girls were not worth writing about. I don’t know how this book would hold up now, after another 20+ years of Black British Lit and I have never revisited it for this reason. I’d rather keep the meaning it has for me.

This book, White Teeth, changed my reading habits. I laugh about it ‘till this day. I hated this book and the characters so much that I DNF’d it. I was an always finish a book that you start person even if you don’t like it. No more! Thank you Zadie Smith for freeing me!🦅❤️

I was skeptical at first, but your points seem very fair. Thanks for sharing 👍

Loved this video!! I thought white teeth was Brilliant but i didnt particularly enjoy reading it so this was really clarifying for me as to why I felt that way. Thanks for sharing!

Your thoughts are exactly why I'm hesitant to dive into Zadie Smith--maybe one day I'll be in a meandering mood!

Have you read her other works? I hope you don't get completely put off because of the excessive storytelling on this one. It's been a while, but I think my fave Zadie Smith is On Beauty. I remember it complicating/problematizing views I had when I was younger. I don't remember it having the meandering writing of White Teeth. NW, meanwhile, has this section where I felt like I forgot to breathe while reading it-it was just so engrossing in a visceral way. (It's how I imagine reading (and getting) James Joyce would be, which I've never done.) I remember NW being written very differently from White Teeth, and all her other works I've read. I'm an avid reader of her. I just think she's one of the bests. I love her short stories and essays too. I'm guessing you don't like Donna Tart's The Goldfinch as well? It's the only other novel, besides White Teeth, that I've heard being called Dickensian. If you've read it, what did you think of it?

I can't read this book. It's set near where I live and people romanticising that pisses me off. The first paragraph was a bit 'urgh' to me. I also found it very prejudiced.

I love your videos. May I ask you what your favorite book of all time is?

I like what u had to say about post - colonies and modern ethnically problems. But I don’t agree with what u had to say about the characters. I thought the characters where very dynamic. Like Milliat(I probably butchered his name) was a bad boy, but was also a over zealous fundamentalist.

Overhyped, my sentiment entirely. I read the first few pages of this book that "everyone must read" and gave up pretty quickly. I still don't get what the fuss was all about. It looked at the time as though she was being pushed in the limelight as a mixed race girl for some obscure"racial equality" purposes. Very tiring book, indeed, and even trying to find a five minute interview of Smith is bloody hard work. Promotion, promotion ... zzzz ...