Awards

• Commended for Sydney Taylor Book Award (Young Adult) 2023

Overview

Declan Taylor is furious at the world. After winning state as a freshman starting pitcher, he accidentally messes up his throwing arm. Despite painful surgery and brutal physical therapy, he might never pitch again. And instead of spending the summer with his friends, Declan is forced to get a job to help his family out. On top of that, it seems like his best friend, Jake Lehrer, is flirting with Declan’s crush and always ditching him to hang out with the team or his friends from synagogue. So Declan ends up playing a lot of Imperialist Empires online and making new friends. It’s there he realizes he’s been playing with Finn, a kid from his class. Finn is the first person who might be just as angry as Declan. As the two spend more time together, Finn also introduces Declan to others who understand what it’s like when the world is working against you, no matter how much you try. How white kids like them are being denied opportunities because others are manipulating the system. And the more time Declan spends with Finn, the more he sees what they’re saying as true. So when his new friends decide it’s time to fight back, Declan is right there with them. Even if it means going after Jake and his family. And each new battle for the cause makes Declan feel in control of his rage, channelling it into saving his future. But when things turn deadly, Declan is going to have to decide just how far he’ll go and what he’s willing to sacrifice. In a stunning story set against the rise of white nationalism comes an unflinching exploration of the destruction of hate, the power of fear, and the hope of redemption.

Full Product Details

9781338746815

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Reviews

Praise for Sarah Darer Littman Backlash Littman pens a raw, frighteningly realistic, and absorbing look at cyberbullying and the damaging effects of airing private trauma in a public forum. -- Publishers Weekly This is a powerful and credible story. -- Booklist Want to Go Private? A bold investigation of a potentially lethal, if common, mixture for teen girls: emotional immaturity, technology and emerging sexuality. -- Los Angeles Times This book is a compelling, if not disturbing, read. -- School Library Journal Anything But Okay With well-developed characters, Littman explores growth and personal relationships alongside pain, mental illness, and social issues -- showing how people can come together to heal. -- Kirkus Reviews This novel by Littman tackles the current sociopolitical climate with multifaceted, redeemable characters. -- Publishers Weekly In Case You Missed It Littman crafts an unnerving cautionary tale about misplaced digital trust and illusions of privacy. -- Publishers Weekly An unexpectedly layered story of slow awakening and redemption. -- Kirkus Reviews Life, After Convincing and absorbing. -- Publishers Weekly Littman catches the voice of teen readers with her spot-on dialogue and realistic situations. -- The Jewish Journal Purge An intimate and powerful novel. -- The Stamford Times

Author Information

Sarah Darer Littman is the Sydney Taylor Honor author of Some Kind of Hate; Deepfake, Backlash; Want to Go Private?; Anything But Okay; In Case You Missed It; Life, After; and Purge. Together with Cindy L. Otis, she has written Influenced. Sarah is also an award-winning news columnist and teaches writing at Western Connecticut State University and with the Yale Writers' Workshop. She lives in Connecticut with her family in a house that never seems to have enough bookshelves. You can visit her online at sarahdarerlittman.com.

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