The Silence That Binds Us

YA fiction 

     Right after reviewing All My Rage I started reading another amazing narrative of the YA lit being most of the best being published sub genre.  Joanna Ho's The Silence That Binds Us combines the tragedy of teen suicide with the outrage of racism seeking to rewrite the story of a grieving family.

     Danny seems to have so much going for him.  He's the one who lights up the halls of his high school, the one all his peers seek out.  At home he's the one who knows just what to say to resolve little sister May's fights with their parents, especially their mother.  He's a talented athlete, a varsity basketball player, and an academic achiever.  He's just been accepted to Princeton.

     Only the night of his acceptance announcement he never returns from a party.  The police arrive at his home with tragic news.  He's been hit by a train.  The verdict is suicide.

     Danny's family is, of course, devastated.  May and her father go through the motions of their daily routines.  Barely hanging on.  As for her mother,

     "She always said becoming a mom changed the way she walked in the world.  Danny was her firstborn; he changed her life.  He was the one who made her a mom and gave her life new meaning.  Without him, she cracked into a million lost and scattered pieces.

     She was too broken to even be a ghost."

     Then there's the night of the Junior Jam, an annual school event geared toward preparing students (and parents) for the stresses of applying to colleges.  The school administrators are especially on edge this year.  Pressures have been ramping up.  Danny's is the fifth high school suicide in less than two years.

     Suddenly a wealthy white father grabs the mic and the audience's attention.  He blames the rising stress on all students on the influx of Asian families with their tiger mom mentalities.  And then he takes his rant to a personal level.  

     "...we all know that last year, some Asian kid got into Princeton and then killed himself on the tracks.  I mean, come on.  What did his parents say to him?  If Princeton isn't good enough for these parents, then what is?"

     May's parents want to just forget the cruel incident and hope that everyone else will do the same.  Her father tells her not to do anything.  Only she can't stay silent.  Her brother's narrative has been stolen and rewritten.  Her parents have been blamed for his death.  She sends a poem, He's Not Some Boy, describing the harm done by the words, and sends it to the Sequoia Park Weekly.  

     When it's published the man who made the cruel remarks sends in a retaliatory piece to which May responds.  Vitriol flows through the weekly's comments section.  May and her friends make plans for a student action at their school.  

     Only life is never clear cut black and white.  May's mother is the major earner in the family.  The man who spoke out at the Junior Jam is close friends with her boss.  Suddenly after years of positive performance reviews she's in danger of being fired.

     I highly recommend this poignant, powerful, and thought provoking coming of age narrative to its target demographic and way beyond.  But you don't have to take my word for it's excellence Nic Stone, one of today's premiere writers of YA and juvenile fiction describes it as "an ornately carved window into the core of shared humanity"

On a purrrsonal note, this story with its emphasis on the importance of telling diverse stories hit me like a bolt of lightning.  I have to get serious with my memoir.  Otherwise the story of an older, disabled, gender fluid graduate student working magic with high school and undergraduate students will disappear without a trace when I pass. (Jules)

The heat wave has finally broken.  It is so cool now even without the noisy machines being on.  ( Tobago)

A great shout out goes out to Ho.  Hope she's crafting more engaging and relevant YA novels!

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

     

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