Anger Is a Gift: A Novel

An intense novel that examines the joy and trauma of existence as a non-white, non-cisgender American teenager. Moss Jeffries, black and openly gay, lives with his former activist mother Wanda in West Oakland. At his high school, students rights are being eroded, as a locker search by a school resource officer leads to the officer attacking his trans friend Shawna; the violence leads to an escalation as metal detectors are preemptively installed at the school’s entrance; this leads to further violence by officers against Moss’ friend Reg, still recovering from a car accident. Moss just wants to get to know the cute boy he met on the train, Javier, and learn to subdue the anxiety that lingers with the memories of his father’s death by Oakland PD years before, but Moss and his friends feel empowered to stand up for their rights in a walkout, devising activism themselves and with members of their community. When further tragedy and violence occurs during the walkout, Moss, his community, friends, and family have to navigate the history of state sanctioned trauma, violence, and prejudice, the uphill struggle of achieving justice, and the strength and fracture that comes from reevaluating bonds of friendship and community. There are compelling examinations of connection in this novel: Moss and Wanda are a heartening compassionate son and mother, learning from each other on activism and the protective limits and openness of honesty. Moss and Javier are a joyous look at the inspiration of love building inner strength and confidence. Even as Moss clashes with his friend Esperanza on her sympathy but inability to understand the depth of systematic violence, and other community members on his unwanted ‘status’ as the child of a victim of police violence, an honest clarity emerges on the long ups and downs of dedicating ones life and passions for justice of yourself and your community.

This was a good book to read. Moss was a good character that kept me wanting to read more about the book. There were sad parts in the book but there were also parts that kept me wanting to find out what happens next. The characters were so close to one another like Moss and his mom. I would recommend this book.

Bought this for my daughter for her English K level class project in high school. Great read! She read the book in 1 day.