In the second book of Tillit’s The Way I See It YA series, the author introduces a new character facing her own challenges.
Zonta Jones, a biracial teenager with ADHD, navigates the turbulent waters of high school and finds herself caught in a relentless storm of unwanted attention from Carlos, a classmate bent on hooking up with her. Despite her attempts to brush off his incessant scrutiny and advances, he persists, and Zonta grapples with an overwhelming sense of exhaustion from maintaining a facade of perpetual pleasantness: “I was sick of being nice. Or at least trying to be nice and kind and saying the right things to people.” Struggling against societal and family expectations, and gender norms that demand her compliance, Zonta’s frustrations mount as she continues to endure the unwelcome spotlight. Compounding her distress is a recurrent feeling of inadequacy whenever she attempts to articulate her thoughts and emotions, which is partly explained by her having ADHD, which also affects her studies. Each effort to convey her perspective leaves her feeling small and unheard, giving her a profound sense of self-doubt, which ends up compromising the friendships she struggles to build. The author’s series aims to present a mosaic of teenage perspectives as students grapple with the gritty challenges of life at Hancock High, tackling weighty societal issues like poverty, prejudice, abuse, harassment, and racial tensions (the previous installment’s protagonist, Ozzie, makes an appearance here as Zonta’s friend). The prose is basic but effectively captures Zonta’s struggles, and her frustration at being misunderstood is palpable: “My parents were upset. Really upset. And they thought I didn’t know what I was talking about at all. They never did really understand how I saw things.” The open ending feels abrupt and lacks resolution, leaving the narrative somewhat incomplete.
A flawed but affecting portrayal of challenging adolescent realities