YA review: Angela Johnson's A Certain October

Award winning author Angela Johnson's A Certain October is a terse tale of forgiveness, healing, and moving on. Scotty takes care of her little brother Keone and enjoys hanging out in East Cleveland with her friends Misha, Falcone, Nick, Thelonius, & Jason -- who often enough give her grief over her Tofu-eating vegetarianism. But Scotty thinks of life like Tofu-- the Tofu isn't that interesting on its own. It's what's around it that gives it flavor and texture. When a commuter train accident following a doctor's visit with her brother puts Keone into a coma and kills a new friend (potential boyfriend?) who was travelling with her, Scotty is racked by guilt. She blames herself for what happened, and can't imagine forgiving herself enough to move on with her life. Similar to Angela Johnson's This First Part Last, this novel is short-- only 158 pages-- yet incredibly powerful in its seeming simplicity and raw emotion. Highly recommended, especially for high school reluctant readers.