I Rise

July 15, 2022
Fourteen-year-old Ayomide struggles to balance life as an activist with her desire to simply be a regular teenager. The year Ayo was born, her mother, Rosalie, founded See Us, an influential grassroots civil rights group. Similar to Black Lives Matter, See Us focuses on issues impacting Black people--police brutality, racial profiling, and an unjust prison system--but with a local focus on Harlem. Despite being raised in the movement, Ayo is ready to move on and experience life like any kid her age. After an emotional conversation, her mom lets her step away from See Us. Then Rosalie is shot by police at a protest and ends up in a coma, and Ayo must decide if she can take on a leadership role and resume the fight for justice. The main characters are Black, and Arnold seamlessly weaves into the story historical information as well as facts about current issues related to the presumption of Black people's criminality. The campaign Rosalie organizes after an unarmed Black man is killed by police is especially poignant, shining light on the disproportionate number of Black victims in fatal traffic stops. The way Arnold poses the question of how much one must "pay for the crime of living while Black" will prompt both Black and non-Black readers to ask difficult questions of themselves and society at large. This is simultaneously an intimate story with rich character development and a call to action. A powerful novel about systemic racism that challenges readers. (Fiction. 12-18)

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August 1, 2022
Grades 7-12 Ayo's mother is the heart of the Black civil rights movement in Harlem. Since Ayo was a small child, she was raised to take over her mother's nonprofit organization, See Us. Ayo is well versed in the subtle and not-so-subtle nuances of racism in her neighborhood, and her mother has armed her with enough information to fight racism and injustice as a youth leader for See Us. Ayo loves her mother, but she doesn't necessarily want to follow in her footsteps. Ayo's world gets turned upside down, however, when her mother gets shot, and Ayo must find a way to work through her rage and grief to become the daughter her mother always wanted her to be. Arnold's powerful story unfolds the complexities of the life of a Black child in America and how their Blackness is an aspect of their character permanently stitched into their skin. This book is rich with Black history and truth, and Arnold aptly proves the point that there are indeed two Americas. A powerful read for justice-minded teens.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from October 24, 2022
As the daughter of Harlem’s most influential activist, 14-year-old Ayomide Bosia has always had a keen awareness of the often lethal societal injustices that affect the everyday lives of Black community members. Ayo’s mother, Rosalie, is the founder of See Us, a civil rights activist group that challenges police brutality and institutional racism, and provides support to Harlem residents. While Ayo has an unfaltering belief in Rosalie’s mission, and sees herself as a budding activist, she struggles to balance her desire to be a “normal” teenager with her mother’s expectations that she eventually take over See Us. But when Rosalie is shot during a televised protest and subsequently falls into a coma, Ayo—who assumes leadership of See Us—is overwhelmed by her community’s needs. Arnold (The Year I Flew Away) depicts even the narrative’s most painful moments with compassionate prose, exploring Ayo’s struggles to navigate her newfound responsibilities, her frustration with an unjust system, and her mourning of her quickly vanishing childhood with nuance and heart. A lively, complex cast and their unignorable plea for safety, respect, and equality rounds out this potent novel. Ages 12–up.

November 1, 2022
Everyone in Harlem is asking: how much? How much longer do they have to wait for change? How much are their lives worth? As the daughter of a civil rights leader, Ayomide Bosia has spent her whole life fighting racial injustice. With her fifteenth birthday approaching, Ayo just longs to be a normal teenager and wonders how much more of herself she has to give. Then her mother is shot by police at a rally. While Mom lies in a coma, Ayo must figure out what's important to her and what role she wants to play. Arnold (The Year I Flew Away, rev. 7/21) provides a window into the experience of a (fictional) contemporary civil rights activist's family member, showing the sacrifices that both parents and children make. Teen readers will relate to the challenges of trying to live up to adults' expectations while being true to their own interests. This novel should appeal to readers who enjoyed Thomas's The Hate U Give (rev. 3/17), Stone's Dear Martin (rev. 11/17), and Watson's Love Is a Revolution (rev. 3/21). References to famous Harlem figures such as James Baldwin, Countee Cullen, Arthur Mitchell, and Zora Neale Hurston allow for deeper discussions of the history of Harlem as a place for Black intellectual thought and art. Nicholl Denice Montgomery

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from December 16, 2022

Gr 6 Up-Being the daughter of a powerful, celebrity Black civil rights activist has not been easy, and 14-year-old Ayomide would like to leave the See Us organization that her mother, Rosalie, formed when she was born and that she is destined to lead, in order to have a normal teen social life. Tragically, her plans to use her traditional birthday scavenger hunt to break with her mother's movement are dashed when Rosalie is shot by police during a demonstration. Now Ayo must decide if she can pick up the torch and fight for justice for her mother as she deals with her anger and her devastating loss. While her mother lies unconscious and fighting for her life, Ayo uses the birthday scavenger hunt to get to know Rosalie better, and to try to find the strength to follow her destiny. Calling upon her ancestors, her friends, and the Harlem community for help, Ayo arrives at the realization that she is a Black girl in America, and while her fate may have been written in history, she has the power to change the future and to make a difference in her community. Arnold threads Black history, culture, and current events into her narrative, giving the reader a firsthand view of what it means to be young and Black in New York City today through Ayo's experiences. VERDICT A powerful and very engaging story of a strong, determined young lady and a call for social justice and understanding.-MaryAnn Karre

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2022
Everyone in Harlem is asking: how much? How much longer do they have to wait for change? How much are their lives worth? As the daughter of a civil rights leader, Ayomide Bosia has spent her whole life fighting racial injustice. With her fifteenth birthday approaching, Ayo just longs to be a normal teenager and wonders how much more of herself she has to give. Then her mother is shot by police at a rally. While Mom lies in a coma, Ayo must figure out what's important to her and what role she wants to play. Arnold (The Year I Flew Away, rev. 7/21) provides a window into the experience of a (fictional) contemporary civil rights activist's family member, showing the sacrifices that both parents and children make. Teen readers will relate to the challenges of trying to live up to adults' expectations while being true to their own interests. This novel should appeal to readers who enjoyed Thomas's The Hate U Give (rev. 3/17), Stone's Dear Martin (rev. 11/17), and Watson's Love Is a Revolution (rev. 3/21). References to famous Harlem figures such as James Baldwin, Countee Cullen, Arthur Mitchell, and Zora Neale Hurston allow for deeper discussions of the history of Harlem as a place for Black intellectual thought and art.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)