The Brown Bookshelf is one of those blogs that I'd long hoped would send us a judge or two. It's a group blog with a strong point of view and is written with verve and conviction. It's main goal is to showcase the many quality books for children and teens by African American authors and illustrators.
This year, we're thrilled to have Paula Chase Hyman joining us, even if we did wallop her with 180 nominations in the Young Adult category. We'll probably have to send in rescue teams to all our YA judges if they don't emerge from under the piles of dead trees by January 1st.
Clean
by Amy Reed
Simon Pulse
Hyman reviewed Amy Reed's "Clean" recently, about teens recovering from drug addiction and gave the book high marks for its realistic depictions of family dysfunction.
There’s a constant debate when it comes to YA fiction about the absence of parents and how unrealistic it is when parents are in absentia. I think the reality is, parents are often somewhat absent during a child’s teen years, not physically but maybe psychologically. A parent can see their kid every day and still not necessarily know what he or she is going through because teens begin processing for themselves and sharing what they want as much as they hide what they want. This is represented well in Clean.
Read the rest here.