With remarkable skill, Jackson offers an unflinching portrayal of the raw social outcomes when youth are entrapped in a vicious cycle of nonparenting and are sent spiraling down the prison-for-profit pipeline. This dark, suspenseful exploration of justice and perception raises important questions teens will want to discuss.
School Library Journal (starred review) [H]er novel effectively joins Ava ... Read moreDuVernay's documentary 13th and Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow (2010) to become another indictment of the penal system's decimating power beyond its bars and, more subtly and refreshingly, a pro-reproductive-justice novel. Searing and true.
Kirkus Reviews (starred review) [T]he characters are complex, the situation unsettling, and the line between right and wrong hopelessly blurred. It's also intensely relevant, addressing race, age, and mental illness within the criminal justice system. Well conceived and executed, this is an absorbing and exceptional first novel.
Publishers Weekly (starred review) Suspenseful without being emotionally manipulative, compelling without resorting to shock value, this is a tightly spun debut that wrestles with many intense ideas and ends with a knife twist that will send readers racing back to the beginning again.
Booklist (starred review) Seen through Jackson's dark portrait of the legal system and the failures of parents and social workers, Mary's environments are as grim as the stories that play out in them; readers fascinated by procedural dramas will be thoroughly hooked.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books I have to admit, it's been a while since I've been this rattled by a story. Tiffany D. Jackson chips at the world, then cracks it, then shatters it into shards of discomfort and complexity for the reader to grapple with it. Allegedly, undoubtedly, will linger long after it's over.
Jason Reynolds, award-winning author of All American Boys and The Boy in the Black Suit A well-executed, powerful journey into the claustrophobic life of a young girl trying to navigate what little is left after the world has judged her, and what she will do to escape it.
Mindy McGinnis, Edgar Award-winning author of A Madness So Discreet A riveting, gut-wrenching thriller and a stunning debut.
Daniel Jose Older, New York Times bestselling author of Shadowshaper Tiffany Jackson's timely and chilling debut will haunt you for a long time. An extraordinary new voice.
Justine Larbalestier, author of Liar and My Sister Rosa Show Less