An upset in the struggle for succession at a high school newspaper sends shock waves far beyond the newsroom.
Eliza Quan has spent her high school career in Southern California preparing to assume leadership of the Willoughby Bugle; she’s the most qualified, and she’s sure she’s the best for the job. Her plans are stymied, however, by Len DiMartile, a biracial (White/Japanese) ex–baseball player who apparently joined the Bugle’s staff on a whim following an injury and who easily wins the election for editor-in-chief. Eliza is angry—why should likability come before dedication and well-informed goals? Determined to contest the election results, Eliza starts a feminist movement in her high school, forming unlikely partnerships in a quest for justice. In the process Eliza learns that there are no simple answers when fighting for what’s right—and that even Len may not be as bad as she believed. Maybe even boyfriend material. The narrative tackles the complications of standing up for yourself without harming others while also exploring other dynamics, including life in a refugee family—Eliza’s parents are Chinese Vietnamese—and varying attitudes toward feminism as her mother’s pragmatism is contrasted with Eliza’s push for systemic change. Eliza’s best friend is Black, and, in a school setting that is predominately Asian, activism at the intersection of race and gender is also addressed. Quach skillfully balances all these elements, breathing life into this enemies-to-lovers story.
A fresh take on high school and activism. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-303836-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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PERSPECTIVES
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
32
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After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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In the three years following Eden’s brutal rape by her brother’s best friend, Kevin, she descends into anger, isolation, and promiscuity.
Eden’s silence about the assault is cemented by both Kevin’s confident assurance that if she tells anyone, “No one will ever believe you. You know that. No one. Not ever,” and a chillingly believable death threat. For the remainder of Eden’s freshman year, she withdraws from her family and becomes increasingly full of hatred for Kevin and the world she feels failed to protect her. But when a friend mentions that she’s “reinventing” herself, Eden embarks on a hopeful plan to do the same. She begins her sophomore year with new clothes and friendly smiles for her fellow students, which attract the romantic attentions of a kind senior athlete. But, bizarrely, Kevin’s younger sister goes on a smear campaign to label Eden a “totally slutty disgusting whore,” which sends Eden back toward self-destruction. Eden narrates in a tightly focused present tense how she withdraws again from nearly everyone and attempts to find comfort (or at least oblivion) through a series of nearly anonymous sexual encounters. This self-centeredness makes her relationships with other characters feel underdeveloped and even puzzling at times. Absent ethnic and cultural markers, Eden and her family and classmates are likely default white.
Eden’s emotionally raw narration is compelling despite its solipsism. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4935-9
Page Count: 384
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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