The ongoing reformation of Micah Johnson, by Sean Kennedy

[Ulysses]

The Ongoing Reformation of Micah Johnson (GetOut, book 1)
Sean Kennedy
Harmony Ink Press, 2016
Cover by Catt Ford
ISBN: 978-1-63476-547-3
Four stars

Sean Kennedy, who’s given us a series of quirky romances involving sports stars (in Australian football, which is somewhere between soccer and rugby, I think), seems to have started on a new series with a young adult story line. If the first offering in this series is any foretaste, it should be fun.

We’ve met Micah Johnson before: outed embarrassingly in high school, Micah has handled his new notoriety by pushing everybody away and making plenty of bad choices—the most extreme of which sent Declan and Simon on a road trip in “Tigers on the Run.” In “The Ongoing Reformation,” Micah is still struggling with anger and aggressive behavior in school, but is gradually becoming aware of how his actions not only hurt his chances at a football career, but hurt the people around him who love him most.

Micah’s best friend Emma—from Declan’s GetOut organization for LGBT teens—is one person who tells him the truth. Emma’s cousin Carl, a straight boy who is his only friend at his new school, also offers him wry candor and acceptance of who he is. Micah’s parents do their best, but anyone who knows how difficult teenagers can be under the best of circumstances (and I do), will not be surprised at their tendency to hover anxiously in the background, trying NOT to set Micah off.

I really enjoyed this, largely because Micah is deeply drawn, and he is every bit as mercurial and confusing as a real teenager. From page to page he changes from hostile and angry to repentant and earnest—and back again. He pushes those who love him to their limits, terrified that they’ll turn their backs on him and leave him alone. Ultimately the power in this fairly simple story is found in Micah’s agency in taking responsibility for his actions in order to save the promise of a career.

I didn’t realize until the rather abrupt ending that this was the start of a new series. I was relieved, because the final scene was emotionally rocky, and left me slightly desperate for something more.