★ 01/16/2023
Via a deliberately plotted, nonlinear timeline, this potent speculative thriller from Oshiro (Each of Us a Desert) builds a harrowing image of a queer adoptee navigating religious trauma while combatting white saviorism. Seventeen-year-old Latinx-cued Manny and his older sister Elena don’t remember a time when they weren’t in foster care, until they are unexpectedly adopted by the white hyper-religious Sullivan family. But for unknown reasons, Manny is immediately sent off to—then subsequently kicked out of—Reconciliation, a religious camp run by a televangelist, and has been hitchhiking through California looking for Elena ever since. He’s soon rescued by the Varelas, a nomadic Mexican family comprising kind former pastors Monica and Ricardo and their charming adoptive son Carlos, who reveal that religious trauma impels their own travels. After learning that a body that might be Elena’s has been found outside Reconciliation, Manny and the Varelas embark toward the compound. Oshiro persuasively cultivates suspense through Manny’s evasive flashbacks to his time back in Reconciliation, interspersed with scenes from the perspective of Eli, another camp participant. While retaining space for authentic representations of faith and spirituality, this breathtaking indictment of corrupted religion’s consequences presents a standout, deeply felt portrait of a teenager’s longing for connection. Ages 13–up. Agent: DongWon Song, Howard Morhaim Literary. (Mar.)
Oshiro persuasively cultivates suspense...this breathtaking indictment of corrupted religion’s consequences presents a standout, deeply felt portrait of a teenager’s longing for connection.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“An edge-of-your-seat mystery with speculative elements. . . An important and searing read on the value of family, agency, and belief.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for Each of Us a Desert:
Buzzfeed's Best YA Speculative Fiction of 2020
NPR Best Books of 2020
“This book is a prayer, and it also feels like a warning.”–NPR
“I have been trying to find words that envelop my feelings for this book into a cohesive sentence, but since that could take years — this book is a stunning, incredible journey showing the ways that storytelling is an integral part of life.” —Buzzfeed
“Part coming-of-age story, part fantasy, this book not only delivers an enchanting tale, but also has some of the most creative world-building happening in speculative fiction right now—all told through a Latinx lens.”—Den of Geek
Awards and Praise for Anger Is a Gift:
*2019 ALA Schneider Family Book Award Teen Winner
*31st Annual Lammy Finalist for LGBTQ Children’s/Young Adult category
*2019 ALA Rainbow Young Adult Book List Selection
*Buzzfeed’s 24 Best YA Books of 2018
*Vulture’s 38 Best LGBTQ YA Novels
*Book Riot’s Best Books 2018
“A passionate and promising debut.”—Entertainment Weekly
"Anger is a Gift is an explosion of fury and revolution. Mark Oshiro's beautiful and brutal debut proves that not only can anyone be a hero, but great change comes when the heroes work together."—Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End
"Raw, unflinching, and full of heart. Anger is a Gift is a masterpiece."—Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This is Where it Ends
“Anger Is a Gift should be required reading in high schools everywhere.”—Charlie Jane Anders, author of Victories Greater Than Death
★ 04/01/2023
Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Manny has been unhoused and traveling California for a year, ever since he was cast out of his deeply religious family. A Latinx-cued, queer adoptee, Manny has experienced multiple forms of trauma from previous foster families, but his last family, the Sullivans, are deeply devoted to televangelist Deacon Thompson. Thompson encourages white couples to adopt and "save" children of color. Manny and his biological sister Elena are quickly sent to Reconciliation, a religious camp that uses conversion style therapies to "re-educate" the adopted children. When Manny is unable to be "saved," he is cast out and separated from Elena. With the help of the Varela family, Manny begins to process his trauma and sets out to reunite with his sister. Oshiro uses an intentional nonlinear time line to build suspense and slowly reveal the mystery of the plot and an interesting twist. However, the strength of the story is the horrific realism and exploration of corrupted religious institutions, the broken foster care system, and the survivors that escape. There are depictions of neglect, religious abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, racialized violence, and homophobia. VERDICT A realistic, sometimes horrifying depiction of religious trauma. Recommended for readers who enjoy the works of Courtney Summers and Tiffany D. Jackson.—Kaetlyn Phillips
Alejandro Antonio Ruiz conveys the constraints and tenseness that govern the life of homeless 17-year-old Manny, who has escaped a cult and worries about what they have done with his sister. Ruiz repeats Manny's self-protective thoughts with chilling emotional vehemence. "Lie, lie, lie," he commands himself, and the way Ruiz reads these refrains is riveting. Added tension comes from Ruiz's contrasting portrayals of the kindly family who seek to help Manny and the threats of the deacon and white cult members who are bent on "saving" children of color. Switches back and forth in time build Manny's story as he remembers his past. At one point, sudden fantastical elements surprise listeners but don't halt the audio's gripping quality. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Alejandro Antonio Ruiz conveys the constraints and tenseness that govern the life of homeless 17-year-old Manny, who has escaped a cult and worries about what they have done with his sister. Ruiz repeats Manny's self-protective thoughts with chilling emotional vehemence. "Lie, lie, lie," he commands himself, and the way Ruiz reads these refrains is riveting. Added tension comes from Ruiz's contrasting portrayals of the kindly family who seek to help Manny and the threats of the deacon and white cult members who are bent on "saving" children of color. Switches back and forth in time build Manny's story as he remembers his past. At one point, sudden fantastical elements surprise listeners but don't halt the audio's gripping quality. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
★ 2022-12-14
An edge-of-your-seat mystery with speculative elements.
Seventeen-year-old Manny only cares about one thing: watching a show broadcast for local audiences in California with Deacon Thompson, a man from Christ’s Dominion church who claims he saves children. In the backgrounds of these videos, he hopes to catch glimpses of Elena, his sister. It’s how he keeps track of her and knows she’s well—until the day he learns from the news that a body has been found outside a religious camp, and he spirals. Manny is homeless and has been hitchhiking rides with strangers for the past year, but ever since meeting the Varela family near Fresno, he sees a new possibility for his future and maybe his sister’s; that is, if the body isn’t hers. In its gripping and raw exploration of White saviorism and the predatory ways White adults in positions of power are able to endanger children of color, this mystery’s proximity to reality is viscerally nauseating, a testament to the author’s skill. The initially confusing nonlinear timeline and points of view are eventually clearly shown to be deliberately disorienting; everything about the storytelling feels surgically intentional. As they grew up without knowing their family of origin, Manny and his sister aren’t sure of their background but believe they are Mexican like the Varelas. Manny, along with many other characters, is queer.
An important and searing read on the value of family, agency, and belief. (author’s note) (Mystery. 14-adult)
