From the Bookshelf of La Crescent Public Library…

[close] Our library hosted a YA for Grownups Book Club over the summer where patrons got to vote on the books we would read. Our final selection was Kim Johnson's This Is My America.

We had a great discussion on this book about racial implicit bias, the weight many minority teens carry, survival tactics, and privilege. Our group consisted of a nice mix of teachers, retirees, council members, and mothers.

Everyone thought the pacing of the story was done well, particularly the climactic scene at the end. It was written so you want to keep reading. The content was heavy in nature, so there were readers who struggled with that, but it was a good realization of what many teens are forced to deal with simply because of their skin color, economic status, etc. Something that really helped was sharing the letter that author Kim Johnson wrote and posted on her website about looking for books with people who looked like her, and not finding one until college. She explains why she writes the books she does, and how her goal is help teens of color see themselves in more books, and to hopefully inspire all readers to think critically about the different perspectives in the book.

A great addition to our summer book club! We recommend it!

Copies are available at the front desk for checkout; just ask!