Ratings2
Average rating2.5
**MOSS JEFFRIES** is many things--considerate student, devoted son, loyal friend and affectionate boyfriend, enthusiastic nerd.
But sometimes Moss still wishes he could be someone else--someone without panic attacks, someone whose father was still alive, someone who hadn't become a rallying point for a community because of one horrible night.
And most of all, he wishes he didn't feel so stuck.
Moss can't even escape at school--he and his friends are subject to the lack of funds and crumbling infrastructure at West Oakland High, as well as constant intimidation by the resource officer stationed in their halls. It feels sometimes that the students are treated more like criminals.
Something needs to change--but who will listen to a group of teens?
When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes again, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.
This description comes from the publisher.
Reviews with the most likes.
1.5 Started audio, but though read by the author himself it wasn't particularly great, so after 3/4 just skimmed the book to end. Why was this so long? Not sure if brutal editing would have redeemed this though. It's a checklist of diversity with no actual development given to any of the diverse characters, the main character is pretty (I believe unintentionally) awful and takes emotionally from all other characters, particularly the female identifying characters, and the trauma is continuous with no build, break, or resolution. Also, it feels implausible that everything happened so quickly but continuously. Had high hopes for this, but was disappointed.