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A review by newbatteri
TRUE by Karl Taro Greenfeld
5.0
From my editor's letter:
True is angry. She’s angry that her mother died giving birth to True’s autistic sister. She’s angry her grieving father spends his days gambling. She’s angry that even though she is in high school, she has to pay the bills, clean the house, and take care of her sister. And despite being the best girl vying for a spot on the US national soccer team and a chance to compete in the 1999 World Cup alongside Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain, True is angry that she is the only girl being singled out for her anger issues.
When I first read True by Karl Taro Greenfeld, I was taken aback by how brilliantly complicated and nuanced these characters are. True, the novel and the antihero, is biting, poetic, and painful. The whole time, I flipped each page, asking myself whether True will make the national team or if her anger will get the better of her. Will True find the freedom she craves, or will she be dragged down by her outsized responsibilities at home? Will she be able to protect her sister from a world desperate to take advantage—or will she destroy herself trying?
True is heart-stopping and unwavering in its depictions of a young warrior who pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a daughter, sister, and teammate. I am so excited to bring forth this breath of refreshing air to the coming-of-age canon, and I hope you will enjoy it too.
True is angry. She’s angry that her mother died giving birth to True’s autistic sister. She’s angry her grieving father spends his days gambling. She’s angry that even though she is in high school, she has to pay the bills, clean the house, and take care of her sister. And despite being the best girl vying for a spot on the US national soccer team and a chance to compete in the 1999 World Cup alongside Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain, True is angry that she is the only girl being singled out for her anger issues.
When I first read True by Karl Taro Greenfeld, I was taken aback by how brilliantly complicated and nuanced these characters are. True, the novel and the antihero, is biting, poetic, and painful. The whole time, I flipped each page, asking myself whether True will make the national team or if her anger will get the better of her. Will True find the freedom she craves, or will she be dragged down by her outsized responsibilities at home? Will she be able to protect her sister from a world desperate to take advantage—or will she destroy herself trying?
True is heart-stopping and unwavering in its depictions of a young warrior who pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a daughter, sister, and teammate. I am so excited to bring forth this breath of refreshing air to the coming-of-age canon, and I hope you will enjoy it too.