Legacy by Jessica Blank - NO

Legacy by Jessica Blank, 228 pages. G. P. Putnam (Penguin), 2018. $17.99. 

Language: R (118 swears; 82 uses of the “f” word ; at least thirty scenes of drug usage, sex, police brutality, drug usage, brutality in general, self harm.); Mature Content: R; Violence: R.

BUYING ADVISORY:  HS – NOT RECOMMENDED

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  LOW

In Tacoma Washington, right after teaching Alison how to drink with style, Andy drives off with his friends for a night of fun. The kind of fun he never returns from. Alison, her mom and dad deal with it by falling apart. Alison compensates by having sex with all of her older, now deceased, brother’s friends and then wonders why everyone at her school thinks she is a slut. Along the way she finds a boyfriend. He has dropped out of college and his great inspiration is a guy named Dirtrat. After getting kicked out of their respective homes Dirtrat advises them to join a sit in to protest the cutting of old growth trees.  

This is historical fiction about an interesting time in our past. This a pivotal moment about how people can make a difference. But it is told through the eyes of confused and fairly repulsive characters, their language is offensive, their actions are chaotic and without logic, taking what could have been a really fascinating book down the trail of trash.

Lisa, Library Teacher