By Any Means Necessary

August 5, 2019
Torrey, a gay, black college freshman, is not sure where he belongs. He thinks he’s escaping his Los Angeles neighborhood and his “sad excuse for a family” by going to San Francisco State University. As soon as he arrives there, though, troubling news from home pulls him back. The bee farm he inherited from his uncle is about to be seized due to unpaid taxes, and having the apiary fall into the wrong hands could add to the gentrification problems already threatening local residents’ livelihoods. Torrey knows he should return to L.A. to work to save his property and neighborhood, but he wants to stay in school, especially after he reunites with a former love interest via Instagram. Through Torrey’s struggles and vibrant, first-person voice, Montgomery (Home and Away) sheds light on larger social issues. At times directly addressing the reader, Torrey’s narration clearly delineates concerns within nonwhite communities. Rather than providing pat answers to complicated problems, this contemporary coming-of-age novel raises essential questions to ponder. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich and Bourret.

August 15, 2019
A college freshman reunites with an old crush and battles family obligations. Torrence McKenzie is poor, black, and gay, and he has not had it easy; his father abandoned him as a baby, his mom is in a medically induced coma, the uncle who raised him was shot by police, and with no other family available, he has been living with his homophobic grandad. Torrey hopes San Francisco State University will be a fresh start--a true escape miles away from Baldwin Hills. But Torrey is barely moved into his dorm when his aunt calls to tell him that the beloved apiary his uncle left him is being seized by the city due to a failure to pay taxes. With developers pressuring him to abandon the bee farm and the deadline to drop classes looming, Torrey has to decide--this new beginning for himself or his uncle's dream. The author breaks the fourth wall with quippy asides and shade as Torrey struggles to figure out what to do; sometimes it works and other times it's distracting and feels more suited to formats such as social media or TV. At times the sequence of past events is confusing, but a diverse cast of supporting characters, including a biracial (black and Brazilian) love interest, is a strength of the book. A fresh take on gentrification and the impact it has on both individuals and community. (Fiction. 16-adult)

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September 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Black, gay 18-year-old Torrence "Torrey" Aloysius McKenzie becomes a freshman at San Francisco State University when his Uncle Miles passes away unexpectedly. The bank is foreclosing on the apiary Uncle Miles leaves him. He is unable to focus on his classes and renewed relationship with restless junior-high school crush Gabriel London Silva. He deals with some thorns in his fight to save the apiary-his homophobic grandfather Theo wants nothing to do with it, nor with him, and unscrupulous real-estate businessman Richard Mathew stalks and pressures Torrey to sell the apiary for gentrification purposes. Torrey has to make a decision to leave his traumatic past behind or move on with his life. His actions threaten his mental health and his relationship with Gabe. Readers will be unable to put this fast-paced and witty novel down. Montgomery covers topics such as homophobia in the Black community, family dynamics, opioid addiction, gentrification, and community organizing. Readers will find refreshing Torrey's relationships with Black women, especially Aunt Lisa and CAKE (Clarke, Auburn, Kennedy, and Emery), and his knowledge of beekeeping and honey harvesting. The images of CAKE as Black STEM women and community activists present diverse images of Black women, and the usage of social media and technology will resonate with young people. VERDICT Readers will fall in love with this honest novel, which will instruct them to employ self-care and live their best lives. -Donald Peebles, Brooklyn Public Library

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