Library book: Invisible Son by Kim Johnson
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Published: 6/27/2023
Pages: 416
Genre: Teen/YA/Realistic Fiction/Mystery
Review: library book
Life can change in an instant.
When you’re wrongfully accused of a crime.
When a virus shuts everything down.
When the girl you love moves on.
Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn’t feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. And Andre’s suspicions about his arrest for a crime he didn’t commit even taint his friendships. It’s as if his whole life has been erased.
The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids—especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra’s brother Eric is missing, and the facts don’t add up as their adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture-perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game.
When you’re wrongfully accused of a crime.
When a virus shuts everything down.
When the girl you love moves on.
Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn’t feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. And Andre’s suspicions about his arrest for a crime he didn’t commit even taint his friendships. It’s as if his whole life has been erased.
The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids—especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra’s brother Eric is missing, and the facts don’t add up as their adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture-perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game.
Honestly, I am unsure how I came across this book, but I am so glad I did. Andre is what you would consider a normal boy, that is, until he finds himself out on probation for a crime he didn't commit. He isn't a snitch; most kids won't snitch on their friends. From the beginning, the author captured Andre's voice and his struggles, and it was powerful.
Now, I prefer to avoid reading books that contain talk about COVID-19 as I am so over it all. The author did a great job weaving that into the storyline and actually capturing how everyone can be affected by this virus.
While Andre is trying to get his life back in order, the Whitaker family next door, which he has gotten too close to and who has helped him with his case, has more going on than meets the eye. When Eric, who may have a hand in helping clear his name, is gone, There is no trace of him, and no one in the family is looking for him. Andre is willing to break a few rules to help find Eric, though what he uncovers is more than he or others are ever thinking about what happened. When I say this book is one of my top ten, I mean it. It captured everything from the anguish, sadness, death, and mystery to the flow of the story and how the characters were thinking and feeling. It's one of my top ten reads for the year!
My two favorite quotes:
Listening to a new song is like swimming to the bottom of the ocean, never knowing what each trip will bring.
The beauty standard for Black girls was adjacent to whiteness. Everybody wants to be Black, but nobody wants to be Black.
KIM JOHNSON held leadership positions in social justice organizations as a teen and in college. She’s now a college administrator who maintains civic engagement throughout the community. This Is My America was her debut novel and explores racial injustice against innocent black men who are criminally sentenced and the families left behind to pick up the pieces. She holds degrees from the University of Oregon and the University of Maryland, College Park.
You can find her @kcjohnsonwrites on Twitter,TikTok, and Instagram and her website www.kcjohnsonwrites.com
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