Forever Is Now

Starred review from March 13, 2023
Black queer teen Sadie Dixon confronts police brutality while contending with her own mental health challenges in this lyrically written verse novel by Lockington (For Black Girls Like Me). When Sadie’s girlfriend dumps her, Sadie just barely manages to wrangle her emerging panic attack until, moments later, both teens witness an act of violent racial discrimination on the streets of their Oakland, Calif., hometown. The event triggers Sadie’s anxiety disorder, causing her panic attacks to worsen and leading to her developing agoraphobia, which keeps her inside all summer. Attempting to overcome her fear, Sadie goes live on an activism app called Ruckus, starting a series about mental health and racial justice. When new neighbor Jackson, a Black transracial adoptee, moves in next door and starts watching Sadie’s broadcasts, their burgeoning romance additionally empowers her to reconnect with the outside world while allowing her to cultivate new safe spaces. Lockington steadily builds momentum via Sadie’s sharply rendered and visceral voice, making for a devastating portrayal of—and compassionate look into—one teenager’s struggles to better her mental health situation and her community. Ages 12–up.

July 1, 2023
In this moving and memorable graphic novel, twelve-year-old Addie loves tortoises, outer space, and moon trees (planted from seeds that traveled with the Apollo 14 mission before germinating back on Earth). A prologue reveals that when Addie was ten, her mom was injured in a bicycle accident and had surgery; things got worse from there. The main narrative begins almost two years later, after a traumatic (and ambiguously shown) incident, with Addie and her futurist dad adjusting to a "new normal." The pair is now living on a college campus for the summer, her dad working with a fun-loving group of young researchers studying augmented and virtual reality. Thrust into a new environment, Addie makes friends (including Mateo, a kind, free-spirited neighbor kid) and has experiences that push her as she challenges assumptions, processes feelings, and grows in empathy, vulnerability, and confidence. Character, setting, dialogue, and plot are skillfully delineated, and the inclusion of sunny moments balance heavier, introspective scenes. Well-paced, deftly illustrated panels convey characters' emotions and experiences; especially striking are fanciful VR-related images superimposed over realistic settings. When Addie's family situation (involving addiction and incarceration) is fully disclosed, it is presented with care, compassion, and hope. Back matter includes notes from the creators and a link to additional resources, including augmented reality that can be integrated into the reading of the book. Elisa Gall

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from March 15, 2023
In the aftermath of yet another incident of police brutality, a teen tries to find her way forward. Sadie was already managing generalized anxiety when, while being dumped by the girlfriend who made her feel safe, she witnesses police violently attacking another Black girl. The events trigger a debilitating panic that prevents her from leaving home, even to attend the protest that she wants to participate in. Instead of spending the summer interning at the local creative writing center, Sadie has to relearn how to exist in the world as a bisexual Black person with anxiety and agoraphobia and, eventually, how to use her voice, find joy, and move beyond the safety of her home. Despite the physically contained setting of the majority of the book--Sadie initially struggles to even reach the backyard--her Oakland, California, community is richly and authentically textured, with most of the characters cued as Black or brown. Verse narration is intercut with text from Sadie's social media posts, effectively capturing the nature of contemporary organizing and community-building. Nuanced depictions of intercommunity tensions--between Sadie's empathetic dad and her brusque mom, between her bold, activist, nonbinary best friend and her tentative, Black transracial adoptee new crush--help propel the narrative. Lockington's real achievement here, though, is the tenderness with which she captures the utter vulnerability, strength, and beauty of a "sad, anxious Black girl." Intimately and immensely powerful. (Verse fiction. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 6, 2023
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Sadie's life is falling apart at the seams. On the same day that her girlfriend breaks up with her, she witnesses a firsthand account of police brutality. After those traumatizing events, Sadie, who is already coping with generalized anxiety disorder, finds herself immobilized and unable to leave her house. As a queer Black girl, Sadie struggles with juggling the alternating layers of her identity. She navigates the nuances of friendship, love, and family within the world of her overwhelming anxiety. Throughout the novel, Sadie works through her fears by posting her poetry and thoughts on the (fictional) social media app Ruckus. Through a series of trials, Sadie eventually finds her voice and advocates not only for herself but for her community as well. Lockington doesn't shy away from the undulating highs and lows of mental illness; her vivid characterization of Sadie is simultaneously haunting and empowering. The author uses verse narration to give us additional insight into Sadie, and the reader is left raw from the character's unfiltered vulnerability. Lockington humanizes mental illness while also tackling several other important topics, including police brutality, transracial adoptions, and biphobia. Though this sharply written novel is wrought with emotional turmoil, it emphasizes the beauty of empathy and self-love.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2023
In this novel in verse, Lockington's (In the Key of Us, rev. 5/22) first book for young adults, sixteen-year-old Sadie has anxiety that means "when I panic, I stop being a girl / I become a thread unraveling / from some dark and blanketed expanse of time." When she witnesses a Black girl near her age being forcefully arrested by the police, the experience leaves her feeling unsafe and afraid to leave her house. With the help of her therapist, Sadie begins to find ways to cope with her anxiety and agoraphobia and shares her thoughts and poetry live on social media to create a sense of connection, and ultimately overcomes her fear. Lockington effectively mixes verse narration with social media posts to create an authentic teenage narrator. She thoughtfully explores mental health, sexuality (Sadie is bisexual), family, anti-Blackness, Black girl joy, and activism. Back matter includes an author's note, mental health resources focusing on Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, and a list of Sadie's favorite reads. Recommended for readers who appreciate books about Black teens' mental health, such as Parker's Who Put This Song On? (rev. 1/20) and Stone's Chaos Theory (rev. 1/23).

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)