Growing pains and music in the shadow of the Vietnam War.
Ronnie and his older brother had a plan: graduate from high school and become DJs. But the Vietnam War got in the way, and now Ronnie’s brother is dead, and Ronnie is left alone with his brother’s records, his grieving mother, and his Marine father. Then Hana—who is half Japanese and (presumably) half white and anti-war—moves to town, and Ronnie, his best friend, and another member of their school’s wrestling team (all of whom are white) strike up a friendship with her, meeting every week to listen to music. It’s over music—with songs from the ’60s mentioned over and over again—that they discuss race, poverty, and draft dodging. Rufus (Die Young With Me, 2016) sets out to tackle the topics of racism and intolerance in small-town Florida as Ronnie observes the (on-the-page) slurs and violence that Hana experiences daily. While she is outspoken, Hana and her trauma ultimately fade into the background in favor of Ronnie’s narrative. Some language which could be dismissed as relics of the time would nevertheless have benefited from interrogation in the text. Nevertheless, the claustrophobia of a small school with only the draft waiting at the end of the tunnel is keenly felt. Occasionally heavy-handed, this is a novel about grand ideals and hard lessons.
Teenage righteousness with a heavy dose of nostalgia. (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63583-050-7
Page Count: 328
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
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This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
20
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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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Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
14
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Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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