The Voting Booth

By: Branding Colbert

4/5 Voting Booths

The Voting Booth follows Marva and Duke on the most important day of the year: Election Day. Marva has been waiting for November 3 for as long she can remember. She knows exactly what she wants in life, and she's not afraid to do whatever it takes to get it.

Duke isn't necessarily apathetic, but he doesn't see Election Day as the most important day in the world. Duke is mainly inspired to vote in honor of his late brother, Julian's, memory. Julian, like Marva, was passionate about policies, change, and protests. Duke misses his brother dearly and really believes voting is the best way to honor him... and his Ma would not accept any other action.

However, when Duke tries to vote, he is turned away due to some error in the registration. When Marva sees this injustice, she promises to help Duke find the right poll to vote at. During this mission, the two realize that while they may be from different lives, they're not so different. Marva, who is black, and Duke, who is biracial, discover that they face the same injustices. Marva realizes that it's nice to have someone to talk to who understands, unlike her white boyfriend Alec. The pair go through many ups and downs as they struggle to balance the voting booths and everyday situations. Will everything work out in the end?

This book... was almost too real. I hate discussing politics, and this election is actually a source of stress, so I almost had to put the book down because it wasn't necessarily the escape I needed. However, I actually bought this book specifically to make an Election Day post, so I figured I should stick with it, and I'm so glad I did!

I'll admit, at the beginning I was annoyed at Marva's attitude towards Alec. I think she had a right to be mad, but it's hard for me to believe that someone would throw a two year relationship away over not voting. As the book went on, I realized that they was more the straw that broke the camels back than the whole reason, which made it easier to look past that "immature" mindset. To be fair, I think I always get a little...iffy when relationships aren't perfect in books because it's a feeling I hate reading about. I'm definitely a sappy, happy ending type of reader (unless the book is supposed to be a murder/thriller mystery).

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. I actually really enjoyed Colbert's writing style. It was fast paced and right to the point. The book was an easy read, and despite it's "real" topics, it was easy to lose myself in that world. I hardly ever lose myself in "real world" books, but this one was... different. The emotions were a little hard to deal with at times, but I think that's what makes it such an important read. I'll be honest, I knew a little about voter suppression before reading this, but not to the extent in which Colbert described it. Duke's troubles are probably (unfortunately) not unique. Otherwise, a book couldn't have been written. It brought to light certain issues that I hadn't even considered, and it helped me understand the outrage better.

"How can we vote in the people who want to make it easier for us to vote if we can't get in to vote in the first place?"