Language: PG (4 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (drug possession, nonsexual nudity; Violence: PG (LGBT slurs), peril, confined in small cage
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Brittney Griner is a decorated WNBA player, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and star player in the EuroLeague. She has been playing for the Ekat team in Russia and was home in the US for a week long break. Disaster strikes when she is searched upon landing in the Russian airport. In a packing rush, she has left a THC vape in her carry on bag. At home she has a medical card to legally use marijuana to manage chronic pain, but it’s not legal in Russia. She must now navigate a corrupt legal system and manage to keep herself safe as a black, queer, 6’9” tall woman in a Russian prison. Brittney and her loved ones are desperate for her return home.
I liked that it showcased the things that kept Brittney going in her hardest times: faith, family, connections with others, and self love. I found the limited dialogue and heavy exposition a bit of a slog to get through in the middle of the book. I really enjoyed her reflections on coming of age, I think students may relate to and find hope in her coming out story. Brittney Griner is a black, gay woman.
Melanie Pew (School Counselor)
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