Every Body Looking
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A Finalist for the National Book Award
When Ada leaves home for her freshman year at a Historically Black College, it’s the first time she’s ever been so far from her family—and the first time that she’s been able to make her own choices and to seek her place in this new world. As she stumbles deeper into the world of dance and explores her sexuality, she also begins to wrestle with her past—her mother’s struggle with addiction, her Nigerian father’s attempts to make a home for her. Ultimately, Ada discovers she needs to brush off the destiny others have chosen for her and claim full ownership of her body and her future.
“Candice Iloh’s beautifully crafted narrative about family, belonging, sexuality, and telling our deepest truths in order to be whole is at once immensely readable and ultimately healing.”—Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times Bestselling Author of Brown Girl Dreaming
“An essential—and emotionally gripping and masterfully written and compulsively readable—addition to the coming-of-age canon.”—Nic Stone, New York Times Bestselling Author of Dear Martin
“This is a story about the sometimes toxic and heavy expectations set onthe backs of first-generation children, the pressures woven into the familydynamic, culturally and socially. About childhood secrets with sharp teeth. And ultimately, about a liberation that taunts every young person.” —Jason Reynolds, New York Times Bestselling Author of Long Way Down
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The best coming-of-age stories explore the awkward push into adulthood with poetry and truth-telling. Candice Iloh’s brilliant novel tells the story of teenager Ada entirely in gorgeous verse. Born to a Nigerian father and an African American mother, Ada grows up torn between cultures, in a constant state of conflict with herself and the world around her about what it means to be a Black woman. Iloh’s powerful writing makes her young heroine’s struggles feel immediate and up close, but it also expresses passion and joy for Ada’s victories, especially when she finds her calling as a dancer. We loved watching this character discover inner strengths she never knew she had and develop an intimate friendship with a fellow dancer. The queer aspects of Ada’s journey are handled with the same feeling of realness and sensitivity. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a poetry person, trust us, this intensely emotional story will knock you backward.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this remarkable novel in verse, introspective Ada moves out of her Nigerian father's home in Chicago to begin her freshman year at an unnamed historically Black university in Washington, D.C., where she experiences the anxieties and rewards of living independently and making her own decisions. However, traumatic memories of her past persistently haunt Ada, particularly the volatile relationship she has with her estranged mother who suffers from addiction, the gendered expectations that accompany her father's Christianity, and a childhood sexual assault. Uninspired by her accounting classes, Ada meets Kendra, a charismatic Black dancer, who encourages her to pursue her secret lifelong love of dance. As their relationship deepens beyond friendship, and dance becomes a priority, Ada must bridge the gaps between her past, her father's projections of her future, and how she wants to define herself and her life. In this stunning debut for young adults, Iloh crafts succinct, beautiful poems to illustrate the difficulties of navigating the tangle of family history and obligation, the power of art to heal and express, and the strength it takes to chart an authentic, independent path. Ages 12 up.
