By: DeAndra Davis
Many thanks to SimonTeen, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC!
Aiden just wanted to play football with his older brother Brandon, but summer tryouts didn’t go well. Tryouts ended in an overstimulation meltdown from Aiden’s autism. During the beginning of the school year, a spot opens up and Aiden makes the team. Not all of the teammates are excited for Aiden to be there. After a game, they all head to a diner. Aiden hears one of the teammates saying really mean things about him and a fight breaks out. Cops are called. Brandon tries to break up the fight, but the cops wind up arresting him and charging him with a felony. Now everything Brandon’s worked for is slipping away, and Aiden is desperate for a way to help prove his brother’s innocence.
This is such an important but really fantastic read. As a lawyer, I enjoyed the legal aspects of the book. What really got me with this book was how well the autism representation was handled. I don’t know if this author has anyone that is autistic in their life, but Aiden felt like a very honest character. There were times when he was not okay, and there were times that he was okay. He had his quirks, and things he could handle, and things he could not handle. It just felt real. What also felt real was how he was treated by others. How much he was made fun of, how much people just kind of tossed him aside. It was heartbreaking hearing one of the characters talk about him. I wanted to jump into the book!
There is also a racism theme in this book. It’s not very in your face but as you learn more about what happened that night, and how people were treated that night and how people are being treated after that night, the more you realize that race is a player. The arrest scene is a hard read, but I know that it’s honest, it’s real. I realize that this book is a work of fiction, but it really could be a true story, or based on one. Davis really wrote quite a harrowing and beautiful book. I’d love to see this made into a movie.
Publish Date: April 15, 2025
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