Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on September 15, 2020
ISBN: 0062840355
Pages: 384
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

The cover of the book begs you to pick it up; it is stunning and it pulls you in. Once you crack the book, the opening does not disappoint. You are instantly dropped into a scene out of a horror film – a room covered in blood, our protagonist stumbling and confused not remembering what happened. The book alternates between “Now” and “Then”, backing up to tell you the story of how 17-year-old Chanty got in that blood-stained room. Her story is compelling. It is also tough to read as she is preyed upon by a man, a famous singer who promises to make her dream come true. This book is hard to put down once started. It is an important book as it illustrates how girls/women can be manipulated and controlled and conveys that there is still so much awareness to raise. The end of the book fell apart a little, losing its tight control over the narrative and veering off in too many directions. The issue of the existence of the best friend, the recovery and aftermath of the abuse, and the solution to that blood-stained room were too much to hold onto the clarity of message that was established in the beginning of the book. I would still recommend this book because it is an important entry in the #ownvoices canon and may open the reader to an examination of how abuse can silently creep into a woman’s life and where black girls fit into the world of abuse victims. Due to sexual content and mature situations, recommend for readers in Grades 10 and up.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth