May be triggering to some but of use for discussing the cycle of abuse.
Pedophiles outnumber protagonists in this sad, scary title.
The tale opens with longtime tormenter Allen’s explicit, if aborted, attempt to rape 16-year-old Dave with a fishing rod and then goes on to a round of get-back as Dave enlists Ben in a scheme to humiliate the bully. Ben, newly arrived in Durango to help his divorced playwright dad rehearse a Native American theater troupe on the reservation nearby (no nation specified), proves particularly susceptible, as he is hiding a history of being molested (cue flashbacks, with more explicit details) by a child psychiatrist back in New York. A situation in which he barely restrains Dave from raping Allen with a stolen gun, coupled with his discovery about sexual abuse perpetrated by local priests, finally breaks down Ben’s reserve and pitches him into a round of confessions—first to Eagleclaw, an old playwright on the reservation (whose own son turns out to have been another victim of childhood sexual abuse). Except for Eagleclaw, whose formal speech patterns do not contain contractions and who serves in the role of wise Indian elder, the speaking cast is white. Native people are repeatedly portrayed as heavy drinkers. Gurian (Lessons of Lifelong Intimacy, 2015, etc.) incorporates autobiographical elements into a story built not around easy answers but anguished inner arguments and long heart-to-heart and bro-to-bro conversations. Ugly, disturbing, agenda driven…and nightmarishly informative.
May be triggering to some but of use for discussing the cycle of abuse. (introduction, afterword, Q-and-A with author, discussion questions) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-999-7075-7-9
Page Count: 210
Publisher: Latah Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
An ambitious novel that attempts to explore important subjects about race and identity in the modern world.
Two black London-based teen boys navigate the complexities of racism, class differences, and identity in this intricate coming-of-age tale.
Abu and Karl are twinlike in appearance, but their lives could not be more different. While Abu hails from a stable two-parent home, Karl’s family life is shrouded in mystery, so he spends most of his time as an adopted son within Abu’s family. Together, the boys survive bullies, being beaten up, discrimination, and discovering sexuality. Life for both teens changes irreparably when Karl finds a letter addressed to his mother from an uncle whom he never knew. After discovering that his father is alive and living in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Karl leaves London with his uncle to visit Africa and discover his family and heritage. Popoola’s (Breach, 2016, etc.) novel has all the requisite threads for a completely engrossing book, but so much is crammed into its pages that the story feels like a mess of tangles rather than a neatly stitched product. The reader barely gets to know Karl before he is off to Africa—a decision so rushed that it is sapped of dramatic heft—and so reader investment in his problems suffers. The stream-of-consciousness narration jars the reader out of the narrative and prevents the characters from becoming fully formed people as opposed to character studies.
An ambitious novel that attempts to explore important subjects about race and identity in the modern world. (Fiction 14-18)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-911115-45-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Cassava Republic Press
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
A read that honors the devastation of loss and self-discovery from a distinctively adolescent perspective.
In Steadman’s (The Waking Dream, 2016, etc.) third YA novel, a high school nobody encounters the harsh reality of what it means to become somebody.
Annie Julia Grey (who doesn’t like to be called “Annie,” preferring “Ann”) is a high school student who spends a lot of time in detention with her troublemaking best friend, Lisa. A year ago, Ann’s father died in an accident, her mother became an alcoholic, and her brother, William, left for college with no intention of ever coming back home. Ann often finds herself alone, saddled with responsibilities her mother used to shoulder: cooking, cleaning, and caring for her younger brother, Tommy. At school, she pines for Jacob Waters, who also happens to be “the hottest senior in school.” Meanwhile, her eccentric (and handsome) classmate Danny Feller, who readers later learn is the book’s narrator, has feelings for her. After a few passed notes, Ann and Danny discover their mutual interest in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden—a book that William once owned. Ann desperately combs through the book “in hopes of discovering why he never came home.” However, as soon as Ann starts to fall for Danny, Jacob breaks up with his own girlfriend and—much to Ann’s surprise—begins aggressively pursuing her. Almost overnight, she goes from feeling invisible to becoming a member of the “Totally Fabulous and Popular clique,” otherwise known as the “T.F.P.” The book is an immersive experience, and it reads very much like a novel-length note from a friend in one’s class—complete with hand-drawn comic strips interspersed throughout. Not unlike a note written by a teenager, the prose is prone to hyperbole, and there are places in which the teenage voice feels exaggerated: “At this particular moment, Ann Julia Grey was in denial about Danny Feller’s obvious magnificence. (Tragic sigh.)” Overall, however, Steadman captures the mania of teenage friendships and first loves as aptly as she captures the confusion of adolescent grief.
A read that honors the devastation of loss and self-discovery from a distinctively adolescent perspective.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9970565-6-3
Page Count: 294
Publisher: Mmhmm Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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