Author: Adrienne Kisner
LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character and two supporting characters identify as lesbians. F/F relationship
What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Brynn's life is not going the greatest lately. Her older brother died of a drug overdose, mom and stepfather are abusive, girlfriend broke up with her, and grades are so bad, she is not eligible to write for the newspaper (the only part about high school that she enjoys). As a class assignment, she begins to keep a journal in which she asks for advice via emails to her idol: Rachel Maddow.
What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I love Rachel Maddow so this title caught my eye. I thought the story was going to be light-hearted, but instead it was delightfully, timely, and frustratingly political--and I enjoyed it immensely.
The majority of the book is written in emails that Brynn writes (and saves in her drafts folder) to Maddow. Brynn is very practical and realistic; she stays with friends of her brother's and works at a retail store. She has a plan to get away from her parents, the WORST YA PARENTS I've read. I need to reevaluate my entire bad parents' list based on Fart Weasel ALONE.
Brynn starts a new relationship with Michaela, comes to terms with her ex, Sarah (kind of), and runs against Adam for class president.
ADAM. 😡 Wow, what a realistically AWFUL villain. When it turns out that he was the one who [spoiler deleted], Adam's dad (a teacher's nightmare) fixings *everything* for his rotten son, giving Adam no real consequences for his absolute terribleness.
Adam, you'll probably be on the Supreme Court someday. Or president.
Something that makes this story stand out is that it has competent adults who solve one of the major conflicts in the story. Often in YA books, the adults are absent, clueless, or just plain missing, and the teenagers have to do everything without ever involving adults, requiring readers to suspend their disbelief. I usually don't mind this, but I have to admit I enjoyed seeing teachers and administrators helping to save the day!
This book is on the 2019 Rainbow Book List.
My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer): Dear Rachel Maddow is an excellent choice for class discussions. Brynn's standing up to the status quo is inspiring and written realistically (instead of with the whole school standing up to applaud her, for example). Also appearing as discussable issues are wealth and privilege, voter suppression, drug overdose, politics, and responsible adults.
Read it and hope with me that the Adams of the world experience their fair share of KARMA.
Memorable quotes/passages from the book:
- "So help me, Rachel Maddow, is this why people go into politics? Some weird mix of altruism and lust? It is hard to tell which one is more compelling at this point" (hardback edition, pg. 74).
- "Word in the hall was that everyone knew that Adam was an awful tool demon taint. But he was a handsome, popular, wealthy tool demon taint" (pg. 133).
- "People call me 'brave 'all the time and it annoys me. As if my mere existence is some sort of war. It's not. I don't think I'm braver than any other person just trying to live life. I just can't do stairs" (pg. 139).
- "Wish you could be there to see this, Rachel, liberty and justice for all. Well. Shmiberty and Shmustice anyway. I could go on your show and we could do a point-by-point analysis. On day, maybe" (pg. 174).
Other reviews: Confessions of a YA Reader and Eliza Zied Writer.
Also, "An Interview witih Adrienne Kiser."
This book is available from the Greensboro Public Library.
No comments:
Post a Comment