A review by lattelibrarian
A Certain October by Angela Johnson

4.0

When a train accident occurs involving Scotty, her younger autistic brother, and a new friend, she's the only one left unscathed.  There's funerals to attend, hospital rooms to visit, and the knowledge that it was ultimately her decision to ride the train that day was all hers.  For Scotty, a high schooler, all of this is almost too much to bear.  She mourns, she hopes, she hurts, and it seems like nothing will ever be the same again. And she's right in that it won't be.  

Angela Johnson does a fantastic job of cycling Scotty through shock and grief and worry and hope.  There's no good cycle, no rhythm, no steps to follow with her emotions, and they pop up at inopportune times.  How can something that wasn't her fault also be her fault at the same time?  It's hard to hold these two truths in her mind, especially as she's blaming herself for this accident.  With beautiful writing and a hint of hope and humor (she never gets around to writing her Anna Karenina essay), Johnson takes a horrid experience and turns it into something that everyone can feel for.  

Also, I have to say that this is probably one of the first books I've read that doesn't center solely around race as the main focal point.  It focuses on the accident and her emotions, of her family struggling to strive in this time.  It was so refreshing, and definitely something we need to see more represented in our reading choices and selections.

Review cross-listed here!