“Black lives do matter, but really all lives matter no matter what race, creed or religion you happen to be in the moment.  The Price We Pay is a novel written by Nikki T. Anthony about a young ‘Black’ girl named Zenetta Henchman living during the time of the early 1990s when the world was beginning to slowly understand what discrimination and diversity are really about.  Zenetta lives in an area that is downtrodden, but is very close to an upper scale neighborhood and the two shall meet and decisions will be made between what is right and what is wrong with society now a days.  

Nikki T. Anthony has written a novel that should bring understanding and maybe acceptance of all lives. In reading Nikki’s story throughout the book there are lines that make the reader think, as on page 17 “Just ’cause we share the same skin color don’t make them my people.” On page 20 there is a line that describes who has the influence and the power to affect change in these ideas and make a difference. On page 110 a scene describes a real-life scene that took place in Los Angeles about the same time that this story takes place in my opinion.

On page 171 the scene describes how one is seen by others comparing the tones of one’s skin color and how some may think they belong to another and wanting treatment to be fair for all.

Does the idea of ‘affirmative action’ really work for all involved?

Throughout the novel there seems to be a reporter that always wants to sensationalize what occurs to make one look better than the other whether it is true or false information given. Nikki wrote a novel that is quite visual for I could see what Harlin’s and the One Stop markets look like and even smell like and even what Harlin’s looked like destroyed. You may even see all the emotions in the church and the police station of each of the main characters.

The Price We Pay would make a good group discussion . . . to see how readers would answer the questions at the end of the book. It could, in my mind, also be a good supplemental book to read in a social work/counseling major that requires a course in diversity and social competence to learn to understand how all ethnic groups need to try and understand what makes us all special one way or another no matter what race, creed or religion we happen to be.” – Book Room Reviews