Author: Mark Oshiro
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
The August 5 by Jenna Helland
Rating:
 |
| a lot to consider |
Summary (provided by publisher): Moss Jeffries is many things—considerate student, devoted son, loyal friend and affectionate boyfriend, enthusiastic nerd.
But sometimes Moss still wishes he could be someone else—someone without panic attacks, someone whose father was still alive, someone who hadn’t become a rallying point for a community because of one horrible night.
And most of all, he wishes he didn’t feel so stuck.
Moss can’t even escape at school—he and his friends are subject to the lack of funds and crumbling infrastructure at West Oakland High, as well as constant intimidation by the resource officer stationed in their halls. That was even before the new regulations—it seems sometimes that the students are treated more like criminals.
Something will have to change—but who will listen to a group of teens?
When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes again, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.
My opinion: My first reaction to this book was that it was unrealistic. The range of events, and especially the quick escalation, didn't ring true to me. When reading this book it's really important to set aside your own experience, your privilege, and acknowledge that you can't really know another person's reality. This narrative shines a light on what life is like for teens of color, harassed by police and attending vastly underfunded schools. We see the growing realization that neighborhood affects your experience, that until you've lived a person's reality you can't speak to their protest. While the narrative is not without problems, not without that pervasive sense of unreality, the issues it raises make it worth reading and discussing.
More information: Anger is a Gift releases May 22.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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