A review by tinylibrarianreading
The Golden Hour by Niki Smith

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

This was a book that I just picked up from the new shelf at the public library and didn't really have any idea what it was about, other than a short line I saw on the cover flap saying "gun violence". I was blown away and this may be one of my favorite books for this year! I was also pleasantly surprised because the author is from Kansas, where I live, and the story itself has many common themes of the area and activities where I live. Overall though, this story dealt with a teen student that witnesses an act of gun violence and how he learns to handle his PTSD from it, how it forms his interests as a person and also his experiences with making new friends. Manuel realizes that taking photographs is a way for him to find an "anchor" when he is feeling anxiety and triggers about the incident he witnessed.  Through his photography he meets two new friends, learns about Ag-Club and finds true friendship with those that help him through his dark times.  I definitely recommend this as a must read for anyone mature enough to deal with the dark theme. 
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