Author: Kristen R. Lee
Genre: realistic fiction
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Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sights were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?
Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face to face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then Clive Wilmington's statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale's most popular student and son of a local prominent family. Soon Savannah is unearthing secrets of Wooddale's racist history. But what's the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale's past cost Savannah her own future?
My opinion: Given the title, we are prepared for this to be a challenging read. We should expect it to push us out of our comfort zone and lead us to question the way we view the world. With that in mind, I'm not sure if this goes quite far enough. The racism that Savannah faces is so blatant. Lucas is a simple bigot, using his family's influence to get away with whatever he wants. That being said, the obvious nature of the racism might be the point. This young man gets away with something that is obviously wrong because he has power. And the Black students are expected to put up with it because they are a small part of the population. Now there are some side elements about what it means to be an ally that could have been developed more completely, making this a more complex and compelling read. Even so, it's a decent read that could lead to good discussion with teen readers.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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