FINISHED: 
Springstubb, Tricia. (2016). Every Single Second. New York: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.

[Italian American Nella deals with growing apart from her best friend Angela, the stroke of her great grandmother, Angela’s brother being involved in what appears to be a racially-motivated shooting, and a father who is still reeling from the consequences of his actions when he was in his youth.  This dense and heavy, though eminently engaging, novel is startlingly current with its examination of race relations and veteran mental health issues, while rife with poignancy as it deals with broken fathers haunted by ghosts that prevent them from moving forward, and the preciousness of every single moment in life.  “Then” and “Now” chapters track the dissolution of the friendship between Nella and Angela, and the beginning of Nella’s friendship with quirky, science nut Clem, slowly revealing to the reader character motivations and secrets.  One of Springstubb’s major strengths is her use of deliciously insightful 3^rd person narration, which is cleverly deft with description as she fleshes out a world without you even realizing it, and how her adolescent protagonists continually assess and reflect upon the world around them and their place in it.  Though filled with references to Christianity/God that could limit its appeal, its Springstubb’s gift with language, imagery, and subtle humor that ought to overrule.]

STARTED:
Alexander, Michelle. (2012). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York: The New Press.

[.]

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