In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • Legacy by Jessica Blank
  • Elizabeth Bush
Blank, Jessica Legacy. Putnam, 2018 [256p]
Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-399-25647-9 $17.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-698-17360-6 $10.99
Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 9-12

Alison adored her older brother, who allowed her to tag along with his senior buddies even though she was a freshman; she also understood he was polished on the outside and a wild child inside, so it came as no real surprise when he died drunk in a car crash. For three years she’s blamed herself for not helping him, however, and hated her parents for splitting apart when she needed them most. Bouncing from one hookup to the next and ostracized as the school slut, she’s settled into a relationship with Jeff, a dropout with big plans for someday and a room in his dad’s basement for now. When Jeff reconnects with old acquaintance Dirtrat, an even [End Page 463] bigger loser than he is, he gets thrown out of his comfy hidey hole and the trio set off to find the Free State, a commune in the Washington forest dedicated to saving the millennia-old trees from Cascade Lumber’s clear cutting. Readers quickly realize where this will lead—the troubled girl will find purpose and worthy friendships with other young adults committed to an important cause. Just when the book sets up the tree-hugger vs. shallow stoner dichotomy, though, Blank tosses in some character twists that expose an undercurrent of conflict within the environmentalist group and unexpected backbone among the feckless deadbeats and hangers-on. Set in the ’90s just before its contemporary YA readers were born, Blank’s compact novel is a fast-moving quick pick that will bridge fandoms of angsty teen drama and social cause.

...

pdf

Share