An intense, insightful take on the art of surviving the war on your existence.
A senior transfer student quickly learns that his prestigious, predominately white private school is a war zone for Black kids like him.
To cope with all that’s going on, proud Brooklynite, second-generation Jamaican American, and bookish robotics nerd Gil Powell is advised to read Sun Tzu after the long, difficult trip to Augustin Prep on the Upper West Side takes an even more daunting turn. When a racist classmate and his goons bait Gil into deploying his martial arts training to defend himself, he’s suspended and placed on probation. The interpersonal bigotry reveals systemic patterns affecting students of color at Augustin, but even as this takes its toll, Gil relies on The Art of War to guide him through an abundance of stressors: School commitments take him away from family and community, his father’s in Jamaica struggling with his immigration documents, and his grandmother’s dementia is worsening. Even as romance enters his life, Gil is at war on so many politically justified but all-encompassing fronts that he struggles to find time for himself and hurts those he cares about. At times, the presentation of the conflict is a bit on the nose, and ultimately, as Gil takes it upon himself to rage against the machines of inequity, the rage, stress, and anxiety pose threats that Gil, his community, and empathetic readers may all need help navigating.
An intense, insightful take on the art of surviving the war on your existence. (Fiction. 12-17)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9780593462102
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
A meditation on a timely subject that never forgets to put its characters and their stories first
An Afghani-Australian teen named Mina earns a scholarship to a prestigious private school and meets Michael, whose family opposes allowing Muslim refugees and immigrants into the country.
Dual points of view are presented in this moving and intelligent contemporary novel set in Australia. Eleventh-grader Mina is smart and self-possessed—her mother and stepfather (her biological father was murdered in Afghanistan) have moved their business and home across Sydney in order for her to attend Victoria College. She’s determined to excel there, even though being surrounded by such privilege is a culture shock for her. When she meets white Michael, the two are drawn to each other even though his close-knit, activist family espouses a political viewpoint that, though they insist it is merely pragmatic, is unquestionably Islamophobic. Tackling hard topics head-on, Abdel-Fattah explores them fully and with nuance. True-to-life dialogue and realistic teen social dynamics both deepen the tension and provide levity. While Mina and Michael’s attraction seems at first unlikely, the pair’s warmth wins out, and readers will be swept up in their love story and will come away with a clearer understanding of how bias permeates the lives of those targeted by it.
A meditation on a timely subject that never forgets to put its characters and their stories first . (Fiction. 12-17)Pub Date: May 9, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-11866-7
Page Count: 402
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PROFILES
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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