Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do you want a terrific young adult novel, probably one of the best I have read in a very, very long time? I was at the 50th anniversary reading at AWP this year in Washington, D.C., and had the great fortune of moderating a panel, and Tiffany D. Jackson was one of its participants. Tiffany is charismatic, energetic, passionate and has a wonderful personality, and these qualities are clearly grounded in her writing. I was so impressed that I asked her to share my launch date, February 21st, at Books of Wonder. She read from her novel, ALLEGEDLY, and I was totally bowled over. Let me tell you, readers, this is a page-turner, every step of the way. More importantly, it is gripping, heart-wrenching and an important book because of the many issues it touches on. What are these issues? Let's start with dysfunctional families. Based on a true story, the young Mary Addison, who has "allegedly" killed a three month infant when she, herself, was nine years old; she finds her teenaged self in a group home, after spending time in juvenile prison. Packed with notes from psychiatrists and correction officers, we see Mary from the point of view of others as well as from her own POV, yet we question the reliability of the narrator and the religiously fanatic (and sometimes abusive) mother who has raised her, who visits her once a week. The dead baby is white, so issues of race, incarceration for the young, the social justice system, truth, and evil, are explored in terse, dramatic language, and the agony of her world (did she do it? didn't she?) feels painfully realistic. The diction is daring and marvelous down to the smallest detail.

Tiffany's narrative voice is remarkable; the book will haunt you long after you have finished it. A MUST read!!!!!! By the way, she has a great delivery, so try to catch her at one of her readings!

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