Things We Couldn't Say

August 1, 2021
Abandonment issues abound in an emotional coming-out, coming-of-age, and coming-to-terms story. When 17-year-old Giovanni Zander came out to his pastor father as bisexual, it didn't go well. His best friends and stepmother are supportive, but his often drunk, very religious dad's rejection of who Gio really is just exacerbates how he's been feeling ever since his mother rejected their whole family and left when he was little. Gio's never gotten over it, so when his birthmother finally reaches out, a lot goes through his head. This high-stress situation for a queer, Black pastor's kid facing almost comically insensitive teachers in a tough Indiana neighborhood is complicated even further by meeting David, a new White student who plays with him on the basketball team--and who may just be the one. David helps Gio through the bumpy ups and downs of his mother's reinsertion of herself into his life, but even as this new romantic relationship flourishes, old wounds prove hard to overcome. There's not much subtlety in Gio's narration, in which heartbreak and hurt continually erupt from the seams of his mind and home, school, and community lives. Still, a bright spot for Gio and readers alike is the unlikely pairing of two boys who share music, basketball glory, and some desperately needed moments of intimacy. A realistic depiction of challenging circumstances and first love. (Fiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from September 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-When Gio was in fifth grade, his mother walked out the door, leaving him behind with his little brother and intolerant pastor father. Now she has unexpectedly made contact, throwing Gio's life into chaos. Recently out to his best friends as bisexual, Gio's life is further complicated by the arrival of David, a new student and starter on his basketball team. Gio and David's relationship builds slowly and organically from friendship to romance as the two work through tension surrounding their experiences of racism (Gio is Black and David is white) and comfort level in being fully out. Gio's friends Ayesha, who is Black, and Olly, who is white, are supportive and help carry authentic, multidimensional discussions about privilege, homophobia, and parental abandonment through the narrative. This book is accessible and easy to digest, and the author tackles big issues. Gio is often stereotyped and treated with hostility or pity by his white teachers, and his concerns about lack of diversity in the curriculum are brushed off. A candid look at the deep-seated trauma left behind by an absent parent and the importance of found family, this is ultimately a warm, genuine read. VERDICT A first choice for high school libraries and highly recommended for fans of Nic Stone.-Catherine Cote, John Champe H.S., Aldie, VA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2021
Grades 8-11 Giovanni Zander's got problems. His preacher dad offers him nothing but criticisms---especially since Gio came out as bi, his grades are tanking, and, after years of radio silence, he just got an email from his birth mom asking to see him. While this is a lot for any young teen to deal with, Coles (Tyler Johnson Was Here, 2018) ensures that Gio has a support system to see him through. His stepmother and best friends, Ayesha (Black, like him) and Olly (rich and white), are steadfast sounding boards, and a blossoming relationship with a basketball teammate ushers in a new source of love in his life. At times the story feels overstuffed with issue-driven details (gangs, racism, poverty, homophobia, abandonment trauma), but these are balanced by more mundane pleasures, like making play-lists, getting ice cream with friends, and (not so mundane) having sex for the first time. All in all, Gio's personal journey offers a welcome intersection of identities and experiences that is sweetened by the love shown him and the love that he learns to give.

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October 4, 2021
High school junior Giovanni Zander, 17, loves the band Paramore, making playlists, and spending time with his two best friends—Ayesha, who is Black, and Olly, who is white—as well as his younger brother, Theo. Beneath his joy, though, Gio struggles to navigate his relationship with his pastor father, who hates that Gio is both bisexual and plays basketball instead of devoting his life to the church; the trauma from his mother abandoning the family when he was younger; and the world as a Black teenager. As Gio works toward developing an upbeat outlook, his birth mother suddenly reappears, asking to be part of his life. Concurrently, he must face his sexuality when David, a new neighbor and basketball teammate, develops a crush on him. With tensions rising at home, Gio fights to make sense of complicated emotions regarding his mother, David, and David’s whiteness, while also maintaining his grades, basketball, and social life. Coles (Tyler Johnson Was Here) tackles the complexities of religion and sexuality, trauma and forgiveness, and race and relationships, exploring the myriad layers of one person’s identity and the importance of each in this emotional, yet joyful, novel. Ages 12–up.