Anger is a Gift Audiobook

 

My Thoughts:

Similar to urban contemporary books like The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, I Rise by Marie Arnold, This is My America Kim Johnson, and Dear Martin by Nic Stone. What makes this different, though is that Mark Oshiro is not black, nor a female like the authors I mentioned. Mark Oshiro (they/them) is a LatinX, Japanese, queer YA author.  Here is what stands out about this book as well as why I have it with these other diversify your bookshelf, social justice books. He is with these other authors because although the protagonist, Moss or Morris Jefferies Jr. is black and queer, it is not about being black in America, or even being queer in America. It is about continuing to survive through racism, social injustice, marginalization, trauma. Surviving is not enough though. Not wanting to jump off a building is not enough. This book, like the others is about YA characters fighting for a human experience and wanting to be seen as heard as individuals. 

The frustration was so sharp that I had to stop but Moss is a character that readers want to love and protect. It is a frustratingly brutal read. Read it (or listen to it) any way.

From the Publisher:

Six years ago, Moss Jefferies' father was murdered by an Oakland police officer. Along with losing a parent, the media's vilification of his father and lack of accountability has left Moss with near crippling panic attacks. Now, in his sophomore year of high school, Moss and his fellow classmates find themselves increasingly treated like criminals in their own school. New rules. Random locker searches. Constant intimidation and the Oakland Police Department stationed in their halls. Despite their youth, the students decide to organize and push back against the administration. 

When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.

Publication Information:

Author/Narrator: Mark Oshiro 

Publisher: MacMillan Audio (May 22, 2018)