By Brian Buckmire
Blink, 2023. 199 pages. Young Adult
On the subway ride home, Reed just wants to watch videos of his soccer idol, but then police officers question him about a suspect who matches his description. With tact and poise, Reed defends himself while his sister, Olive, films the interaction. Ultimately, they know there is no easy way out of this conflict. In another instance, this time at a café, a woman accuses Olive of stealing her phone and demands to see it. Startled and indignant, Olive watches as the crowd forms and does nothing to help, even as the woman attempts to weaponize the police against her.
Come Home Safe is the tale of two biracial siblings who know their rights and do all the right things, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re still targeted and face racial biases for simply having dark skin. The teens’ dad is a black public defender (much like the author) who has instructed them on what to do in difficult situations with the police, making this both an instructive and enlightening read. I really appreciated the author’s ability to make me feel so frustrated for these teens, and give me a lot to think about in relatively few pages. I can easily recommend this to anyone looking for some good realistic fiction, especially is you enjoy works that focus on social justice issues.
If you liked Come Home Safe, you might also like:
By Nic Stone
Crown, 2017. 210 pages. Young Adult
Writing letters to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 17-year-old college-bound Justyce McAllister struggles to face the reality of race relations today and how they are shaping him.
By Kim Johnson
Random House, 2023. 404 pages. Young Adult
After spending two months in a juvenile detention center for a crime he did not commit, 17-year-old Andre Jackson returns home and tries to adapt to a Covid-19 world and find his missing best friend.
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