Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Truth Is by NoNieqa Ramos

1 review

cheye13's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"The truth is, loving myself is not a given. It's hard work sometimes."

15yo Verdad is struggling with her best friend's death, navigating a complicated family life, and exploring who she is. This journey leads her to a group of queer teens, and through helping her new friends heal, she begins her own healing process.

The first thing that caught me was the realism; how genuinely young the narrator sounds, how tumultous and intense high school is, how nebulous questioning one's identity gets. I've never read a more authentic depiction of intersectionality in action.

The second thing that caught my attention, buried a little behind Verdad's abrasively honest youth, was the beauty of the writing. There is poetry on every page and a thread of magical realism throughout and the stream of consciousness style seamlessly immerses readers in Verdad's mind.

This book was a hidden gem that I would've been too scared to pick up had I known what heavy subject matter it addresses. For those afraid for the same reasons, I think it's important to know that the end

is a beautiful, happy one

. This is a wonderful, beautiful book and exactly what we're asking for when we request more diverse books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Blood

The story focuses mostly on healing in the aftermath of the characters' traumas, so a lot of these topics are discussed as past events rather than directly depicted.