Life I'm In

Starred review from November 15, 2020
A troubled African American teen gets caught up in the world of trafficking as she tries to cope with negative feelings about herself. Despite her sister's best efforts, 16-year-old Charlese Jones is still making trouble and getting kicked out of school. Her sister and guardian, JuJu, has had enough and prepares to send her to their grandparents in Alabama. On the bus ride, Char continues to be angry, irreverent, and difficult. She argues with the driver and drinks alcohol she has smuggled in her bag. Still, she interacts with others on the bus, learning their stories and thinking about her own life. When new passenger April and her baby, Cricket, board, they become Char's focus--and then April disappears, leaving Cricket behind. When the man who left with April returns, he takes Char into the dark world of sexual trafficking, a place she begins to think she deserves. Flake follows her groundbreaking novel The Skin I'm In (1998) with a sequel for these times. Char, the antagonist from the first book, is presented here in all her vulnerability, eliciting empathy even as she makes mistakes. The ease with which some prey on vulnerable youth is starkly portrayed, balanced by the efforts of other caring adults to save them. The unflinching narrative is rich in dialogue and detail. A vivid and important depiction of the struggles of too many teens. (author's note, research and resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

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December 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* It's been a little more than 20 years since the award-winning The Skin I'm In took the world of young adult literature by storm, and now Flake has returned with a much-desired sister novel. Whereas the first installment follows the life of Maleeka Madison, a 13-year-old Black girl who is bullied into setting her teacher's classroom on fire, the second, picking up right where things left off, unfolds through the perspective of Char, her bully. After Char is expelled from McClenton Middle School, Char's sister, JuJu, has no choice but to send her away to live with their grandparents in Alabama. But what was supposed to be a foolproof transition to a better life and new opportunities for 16-year-old Char quickly spirals as she is pulled into a sex-trafficking circle that all but strips her of who she knows herself to be. Not for the faint of heart, Flake's novel treats Char's experiences with vivid transparency. Char's voice is harrowing as the complexities behind her life and relationships are peeled back, exposing the pain behind her actions and a steadfast resolve to do better. Despite everything she encounters, Char is not alone, as her relationships with both Maleeka and Ms. Saunders evolve in unanticipated and heart-wrenching ways, signaling to readers that it's never too late to try and turn things around. Included is the contact information for the National Human Trafficking Hotline along with a brief discussion of Flake's journey in writing this difficult yet necessary sequel.

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Starred review from January 25, 2021
In this candid, riveting companion to her 1998 novel The Skin I’m In, Coretta Scott King Medalist Flake explores the psyche of Maleeka’s former tormentor, 16-year-old Black orphan Charlese “Char” Jones, who, after consecutive expulsions from four schools, is kicked out by 27-year-old sister Juju. Headed to join her grandparents in Alabama, Char changes Greyhound routes, deciding instead to trail a teen mother and her baby whom she befriends. When the mother abandons her child with Char, fiercely independent Char does her best, acquiring lodging, food, and baby supplies. But when money runs out, she grows desperate—enough to fall prey to smooth-talking Anthony, a man willing to cover all expenses if she joins his prostitution ring. Now all Char wants is to return to Juju, but there’s no escape. Strong first-person narration shows the deterioration of Char’s attitude and self-esteem as she struggles to survive. Representing the plight of many, Char’s narrative presents a cruel underbelly of society; returning readers will relish Maleeka’s and Miss Saunders’s reappearances, but any reader can appreciate this novel’s indelible impact. Ages 14–up.

Starred review from April 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-Charlese Jones, best known as the bully to Maleeka Madison in Flake's The Skin I'm In, had a great life until her parents' death. After this trauma, her family has a hard time continuing to function and her older sister is named her legal guardian. Char, who is African American, is on a downward spiral and is sent to live with her grandparents. On the way there, she is lured into human trafficking. She must find a way to help herself and the others with her. The powerful idea that you can't understand why a person acts the way they do without fully understanding their story takes center stage in this novel. Teens will be able to connect to Char, and learn from her. The topics discussed are relevant and portrayed realistically, though the book may be triggering for some readers. If they have read the first book the character development will take on a deeper meaning, but this is truly its own story. VERDICT The long-awaited companion novel to The Skin I'm In does not disappoint. Recommend to readers who enjoyed Kim Johnson's This Is My America.-Elizabeth Pelayo, St. Charles East H.S., IL

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