by Robin Talley
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Published: 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: LGBTQ, YA
Hardback: 384 pages
Rating: 5
In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever.
Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.
Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town's most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept "separate but equal."
Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.
Boldly realistic and emotionally compelling, Lies We Tell Ourselves is a brave and stunning novel about finding truth amid the lies, and finding your voice even when others are determined to silence it.
My two-bits:
This was a painful read as it dealt with the ugly side of a lot of ism's - racism, classism, sexism as well as sexual orientation. However, it was good to see how the characters handled their situations despite all the hardships and torment.
This also was a good book for introducing the topics and realities of things that happenend in the past for a middle grade and YA crowd who are not already aware.
The main topic was racism and the start of the integration process in school. Reading this made me appreciate how far we have come in promoting and embracing diversity in schools.
The LGBT part was handled well and with a subtle touch of two girls starting to accept and go forward with their new and different kind of relationship.
* let me know in comments if you think this is a book you might want to read
* review copy courtesy of Media Masters Publicity
* added this to my Bookish Bingo challenge - square: LGBT QIA
