The Life I'm In by Sharon G. Flake (review)

Flake, Sharon G. The Life I'm In. Scholastic, 2021 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781338573176 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781338573190 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 9-12

After the death of her parents, sixteen-year-old Char has been in the dubious care of her older sister, but now JuJu is straightening up her act and sending Char to their grandparents to do the same. On the way Char meets a troubled girl her age, April, and her adorable baby, Cricket, and when a desperate April gets "help" from Anthony, a smooth-talking guy at the bus station, Char finds herself caring for Cricket on her own rather than continuing her journey. Soon Char too needs the help of Anthony and quickly finds herself his sexual property, warehoused with other girls who go with her to service parties, caught by his occasional loving attention, and afraid that she could meet April's fatal end if she causes trouble. Eventually she escapes and finds her way back home to JuJu, but it's hard for her to recover from the trauma she's faced. Readers of The Skin I'm In (BCCB 1/99) may recognize Char as that book's antagonist, and she's credible as a teen whose defeats and sorrows have left her oppositional; it's also credible that she clings so stubbornly to one of the few things she's succeeded at, taking care of Cricket. Char's denial about the truth of her trafficking, which persists through her return, is also heartbreakingly plausible. The book is less successful at plotting, though, with the phases of the story jarring against each other and the shifts abrupt and not always explicable, and there's a purposive element that sometimes overwhelms the human story. It's still a raw and immediate account of an experience that sometimes gets treated as very distant, and young people may heed Char's experience as a cautionary tale. An extensive note about human trafficking and resources to combat it is included.