I Rise

YA fiction 

     "There are no ghosts here.  There's nothing to remind me that my skin is a crime for which I could very well lose my life.  This space doesn't require me to defend who I am or why I should exist.  Here, I'm just one in a crowd of Black bodies that can still dance, sing, and give no Fs about the outside world."

     Ayo, protagonist of Marie Arnold's I Rise, sometimes just wants to be an ordinary teen.  This modest goal seems impossible to her.  She's Rosalie Bosia's only child, the daughter for whom she's founded and built up a huge New York civil rights organization, See Us.  Rosalie expects Ayo to have her single minded focus on combatting racism.  Ayo is not on the same page.

     " I'm not crazy.  I know I can't opt out of her being my mom.  But I want out of See Us and out of the activist life.  I've done more than my part.  Now I just want to be normal.  My reading list may be advanced, but my social life is so far behind that I'm not sure I even qualify as a teenager anymore."

     As the date for See Us' biggest protest draws near tensions grow between mother and daughter.  Things really get bad when Ayo does something her mother considers irresponsible.  But when she explains how hard her responsibilities are Rosalie really surprises her.

     " I sob into her arms.  She holds me tight against her, rocks me slowly, and whispers, 'It's okay, baby.  No more weight.  No more ghosts.  You're free...'"

     Happily ever after?  Not quite.  As Ayo watches the news with her friends the peaceful protest becomes a riot and Rosalie is shot by a police officer.

     Now people are pushing Ayo to carry on for Rosalie.  This would be a huge challenge under any circumstances...

     ...never mind for a teen whose most important person in the world is in a coma and may never wake up again.

     As for why you should read this amazing book, Kwame Alexander sums it up better than I could.  "From the first line to the last, this novel sings.  It's a poetic and powerful anthem of justice.  A love song to Harlem and hope.  I Rise is smart and funny and full of heart."

On a purrrsonal note, I am so tired of seeing gratuitous ageism in so many books.  In real life the last two acceptable isms seem to be ageism and fat shaming.  At least in juvenile and YA fiction I'm not seeing fat shaming.  (Adult lit is always a step behind.)  Last week I started instances I come across as I read.  A little exploratory assessment.  The cover of the notebook says "Challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."  (Jules)

Not a big fan of Monday because my people go to work and school.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to our readers with best wishes for a great week.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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