This Is My America

This Is My America

YA/adult truth-based fiction
Reading Kim Johnson's This Is My America right after Brittany K.
Barnett's A Knock At Midnight was basically lightning striking twice.
Just as I'd realized that Barnett's memoire was too cogent and current
to put at the back of my list, I quickly saw that not putting
Johnson's novel out there with at least the last few days of shopping
going on would be a serious error of omision.
Tracy, Johnson's protagonist, is in a race against time. Her
beloved father is on death row. As the story opens he is scheduled to
be executed in 275 days. ..
...Try to wrap your mind around that concept. When you were a
teen how would it have felt to know that society has set a date to put
your parent to death? Not to mention, isn't the whole idea of cold
bloodedly executing someone barbaric? Not to mention the major role
race has in determining who we deem no longer worthy of life. Not to
mention if this person is later discovered to be innocent not even
Apple has an app to remediate that...
...And James, Tracy's dad, is totally not guilty. His being on
death row has to do with the ugly intersection of racism and the
criminal justice system. Every week Tracy has been writing to Stephen
Jones who runs Innocence X, an organization dedicated to saving the
lives of unfairly convicted death row inmates. So far she hasn't
heard back. And the clock is relentlessly ticking.
If you're thinking things couldn't get worse, you're wrong.
When a well loved White girl whom he is in a relationship with is
found dead, Jamal, Tracy's track star college bound brother, is on the
run with the police deeming him their number one (and probably only)
suspect.
Now Tracy has two family members to protect from the police and
the whole criminal "justice" enterprise.
The narrative is gripping and the characters totally relatable.
Once you get a few pages in the book it is nearly impossible to put
down. (Ask Eugene. Last night he got hot dogs and beans because I
was at the part building up to a climax and not about to spend more
than a few minutes cooking.) But the book is so much more.
Information about racism is woven into the story skillfully enough to
enhance rather than distract.
"Racism in the justice system was imprinted on me at twelve
years old when Los Angeles police officers violently beat Rodney
King. I was shocked at the inhumanity of his treatment, and when the
video aired on national television, I thought justice would finally be
served. But it wasn't..."
Although This Is My America is a work of fiction, it is based on
Johnson's decades of activism, advocacy, and research. She wrote the
book to facilitate difficult conversations on police brutality and
bring hope to her children's generation.
This is Johnson's debut novel. If we're really lucky even as
you read this review she's working on a second.
If you have a special teen in your life This Is My America would
make an excellent gift. It would also make a great present for
friends well beyond this demographic and your local public or school
library. Heck, gift yourself. You deserve this most excellent
reading experience.
On a purrrsonal note, this weekend was mostly good. As you know, I
had awesome books that were super inspiring to review. I talked to my
three children on the phone. I finally figured out what I can give
Eugene for Christmas.
But when I watched Grease while I was finishing Adam's scarfzilla I
felt like a bird in a cage. I'd danced drag to some of the songs and
used every bit of the stage. Now I don't have the space I need. I'm
going to get some potential drag songs on my iPod by spring. Then
even if it isn't safe to do shows I am going to practice outside
everywhere I can. I'm not gonna lose my edge. (Jules)
If you can afford to adopt a companion animal there are so many cats
(oh, yeah, and dogs) whose Christmas wish is a home and family. Like
me last year. (Tobago)
A great big shout goes out to Barnett and Johnson for their very
important literary contributions.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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