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A review by jwinchell
See No Color by Shannon Gibney
4.0
I'm a sucker for first person coming-of-age narratives that elucidate previously untold stories. I'm also a sucker for fiction with narrators who are readers--Alex and her sister Kit always have a book going, even if it's a small part of the setting/story. Alex's journey and questions and struggles are real--acknowledging her skin color, thinking about the social complexities of race, acknowledging and confronting racial micro aggressions (even by her own dad), exploring her adoption, learning to own and craft her own story, committing to and quitting a sport, finding intimacy with another person, and figuring out what she really wants and who she really is.
This book is one I'm glad I purchased for our library collection; it speaks to many of our students' experiences and of those around them. They say self-censorship is one way controversial books never made it into the hands of readers, and I have to admit that there were 2 make-out scenes of this one that I worry are too graphic for middle grade readers, especially the younger ones. But these scenes are not gratuitous nor are they the crux of this characters' journey; in fact, they propel her to think about what she wants in new ways.
This book is one I'm glad I purchased for our library collection; it speaks to many of our students' experiences and of those around them. They say self-censorship is one way controversial books never made it into the hands of readers, and I have to admit that there were 2 make-out scenes of this one that I worry are too graphic for middle grade readers, especially the younger ones. But these scenes are not gratuitous nor are they the crux of this characters' journey; in fact, they propel her to think about what she wants in new ways.