by Jenn Baker. Nancy Paulsen Books an imprint of Penguin Group,, Penguin Young Readers; August 15, 2023
ARC compliments of NetGalley
Jennifer Baker has served in a variety of roles in the publishing world since 2014. Jennifer’s experiences as a social media manager, production, editor, and instructor at a Massachusets University in the Masters of Fine Arts program, finds her championing the cause of greater diversity in the publishing world with as much rigor, responsiveness and recognition she has invested in her roles in the publishing world. Jennifer is also the founder and host of the popular podcast, Minorities in Publishing .
Blue. Red. White. Not. 4th of July Fireworks, but the blinking effervescence of my future. Condensed to colors and numbers, 42, 2, 22, dualities or polarity, either way… it is still a piece of me, looking for restitution. Forgive Me Not, tells the story of Violetta a 15-year-old teen incarcerated for one bad decision, on just one day. That decision cost her family more than the life of her sibling, but also the deterioration of their crumbling family structure decreasing her position in the family from one of three to only two, duality. Written in the voices of siblings Violetta and Vince, the story unfolds revealing the roles of perception and empathy. As a juvenile offender, Violetta must seek restitution by participating in The Trials with hopes one day, the lights in her life will be hues of blue as she is forgiven and welcomed back into her family fold. Now it’s just her and the white noise that exists between the thoughts in her head and the paper she puts pen to whenever she is close to feeling the big bang crashing.
What works: Character voice and perspective plays a key role in the delivery of this intensely emotional, yet captivating work shining the light on the juvenile justice system. Written in sections titled part one, two, and three, each section delves deeper into the lives of the two main characters as they swap chapters speaking from their perspective. Each chapter opens with the number days significant to the speaker, for example, “Chapter 14, Violetta, Days in Detention 26” (page 152).
What doesn’t work: One thing I found myself questioning was the decision to start each chapter’s first few words in a different font. Usually, the fonts were italicized and sometimes just a phrase written in a larger font.
Pass It OR Grab It? I recommend this book as a “Grab It”, as it is a perfect read for middle school, high school, public or home libraries. Creating a space for text that represents the lives of individuals in society often written off or overlooked ensures there are sliding glass doors (R. Bishop, 1980) for the readers of the world. Every reader deserves an opportunity to walk into a story and become part of a world created by an author.
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