Review & Event Recap: Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
When I attended Mark’s recent Bay Area event, he described Anger is a Gift as an epic contemporary. Epic fits perfectly, for the book and Mark’s personality. I am thrilled to see him again this weekend at San Diego Comic Con and to share this 4 star review and event recap with all of you!
Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
Category: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publication: May 22nd, 2018; Tor Teen
Purchase: Amazon
A story of resilience and loss, love and family, Mark Oshiro’s Anger is a Gift testifies to the vulnerability and strength of a community living within a system of oppression.
Six years ago, Moss Jefferies’ father was murdered by an Oakland police officer. Along with losing a parent, the media’s vilification of his father and lack of accountability has left Moss with near crippling panic attacks.
Now, in his sophomore year of high school, Moss and his fellow classmates find themselves increasingly treated like criminals by their own school. New rules. Random locker searches. Constant intimidation and Oakland Police Department stationed in their halls. Despite their youth, the students decide to organize and push back against the administration.
When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.
Review:
4/5 stars
When you pick up Anger is a Gift, you may notice a few things:
1. It’s gorgeous cover, a young man looking at the streets of Oakland (!). The colors blue and orange, orange being the color for gun violence prevention.
2. An engaging title. Anger is a gift. It’s a funny concept, anger being a gift. But anger can be fuel, can be the start of necessary revolution.
3. It’s length compared to a typical contemporary. There’s A LOT of story here. There are many characters and perspectives, including across culture and age. There’s exploration of intense topics such as police brutality and militarization of schools and racism.
The first 400 pages establish the world that Moss and his family and friends live in. It’s our world – it’s Oakland, CA. It’s the world from the viewpoint of a gay young man of color along side adults from his family and neighborhood. It’s the world from his friends, who are from a variety of backgrounds. Each viewpoint is important to consider because personal experiences shape how a person comes at an issue.
The last 100 pages are how Moss and his friends come at a multitude of issues that revolve around police brutality and perceived “school safety”.
This book feels very personal, as it absolutely should. To make it even more personal, take a listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Mark himself. He nails the emotions!
Event Recap:
Mark Oshiro Lights the Fire in Oakland with Anger is a Gift
