The cost of knowing / Brittney Morris.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781534445451 :
- ISBN: 1534445455 :
- Physical Description: 327 pages ; 22 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Simon & Schuster BFYR, [2021]
Content descriptions
Target Audience Note: | Ages 14 up. Simon & Schuster BFYR. Grades 10-12. Simon & Schuster BFYR. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Clairvoyance > Fiction. African Americans > Fiction. Brothers > Fiction. Dating (Social customs) > Fiction. Racism > Fiction. Orphans > Fiction. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Town of Hanover Libraries.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Holds
0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Howe Library | YA FIC MOR | 31254003711286 | Teens - Lower level | Available | - |
Kirkus Review
The Cost of Knowing
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
For 16-year-old Alex, having a secret superpower is more of a curse than a blessing. Ever since his parents' deaths, Alex can see into the future--seconds, days, and years beyond the present of anything he touches. Rather than giving Alex an advantage, this supernatural gift gives him endless anxiety. Alex and his 12-year-old brother, Isaiah, live with their Aunt Mackie in an affluent suburban Chicago neighborhood. They are all Black. Alex keeps his secret powers from everyone, including his devoted Spanish-speaking girlfriend, Talia, whose family struggles to make ends meet. Alex's constant visions interfere with his job at an ice cream shop and his intimate relationship with Talia. But when Alex has a vision foretelling Isaiah's impending death, his anxiety goes through the roof: The clock is ticking, and he must journey into his ancestral past and grapple with what it means to be a man. This portrait of Black boys as sensitive, vulnerable, and complex is refreshing, unfolding within a powerful and provocative narrative about brotherly love and the insidiousness of racism. Morris seamlessly and beautifully weaves together multiple plotlines (including frank talk about sex) with crisp and sometimes humorous dialogue that always rings true. A timely, poignant page-turner about grief, love, and facing your fears. (Fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
The Horn Book Review
The Cost of Knowing
The Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
When sixteen-year-old Alex lays his hands on an object, he gets a glimpse of the future related to what he's touching. These visions are a great source of anxiety for the teen, who is also dealing with the grief of losing his parents in a car accident several years earlier and with the emotional chasm between himself and his younger brother, Isaiah. When Alex touches a photograph and sees his brother's impending death, he is devastated -- particularly because he is unable to change Isaiah's fate. However, he is determined to do whatever he can to reconnect with his sibling in the time they have remaining. That effort leads to surprising revelations, including how deep these supernatural roots run in the family's ancestral line. Morris (SLAY, rev. 11/19) deftly weaves in themes of contemporary racism and the adultification that Black children often experience, with the tension between the past and an uncertain future resulting in hypervigilance. For Alex -- and, we learn, for Isaiah -- this manifests in a difficulty in focusing on the present. But amid the gripping, suspenseful plot, the joy in the unfolding relationship between the siblings provides respite and bridges the ancestral past to a hopeful future. Monique Harris May/June 2021 p.139(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
School Library Journal Review
The Cost of Knowing
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 8 Up--After a tragic accident that left him and his brother orphaned, Alex Rufus sees visions of the future connected to items that he touches--from a mundane object being used over and over to the tragic preview of his best friend's death. Alex avoids physical contact as often as possible but knows that once he sees a vision it can't be changed no matter what he does. He has developed methods of coping, but when he sees the death of his younger brother, Isaiah, in a vision, he knows he must do something to try to break this curse of knowledge. As Alex gets to know his brother better in his last days, he learns that Isaiah also carries a curse: being able to relive the past of their ancestors. Passed down from father to son, over hundreds of years, this is their family's long-held secret. Alex and Isaiah must face who they are and what they fear most in order to break their curses. The story is rich with magical elements in the form of generational trauma that Black families carry with them, and the real danger of existing while being Black in America. The brothers face racism from their white neighbors despite "good intentions." The story is important, timely, and gives representation in a novel that is about both Black joy and pain. VERDICT Readers who are looking for books like Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give and Nic Stone's Dear Martin will gravitate towards this book. An important addition to every young adult collection.--Erica Coonelly, Monroe Township M.S., NJ
BookList Review
The Cost of Knowing
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Morris' moving novel addresses the burden young Black boys experience in a world that has deemed them criminal. Ever since the car accident that killed his parents, 16-year-old Alex Rufus has had prophetic powers that are more of an annoyance than a blessing. With each touch of a person or object, Alex is able to see a few seconds into the future, depending on how often he has touched the object. It isn't until he accidentally sees his younger brother's death that he realizes he hasn't been the best older brother. This thoughtful, character--rich novel is alternatingly joyous and heartbreaking as Alex acknowledges all of his previous traumas, while also allowing himself to be more vulnerable with his younger brother. Morris (SLAY, 2019) explores many aspects of Alex's life that may distract from the emotional central story, but every detail is important in understanding how Alex moves in the world and how the world views him. A great pick for fans of Nic Stone's Dear Martin (2017) or Kim Johnson's This Is My America (2020).
Publishers Weekly Review
The Cost of Knowing
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Since surviving the car accident that killed his parents four years ago, Chicagoan Alex Rufus, 16, has secretly lived with near-constant anxiety as well as a "curse"--psychic visions that show him the future of anything or anyone his palm touches. Faced with a vision of his solitary 12-year-old brother Isaiah's impending death, Alex throws himself into bridging the gap grief drove between them before time runs out. But Alex isn't the only Rufus with secrets, or with powers, and it will take both siblings, together, to tackle the curses that have ruled their young lives. Morris (Slay) delivers a searing indictment of respectability politics as seen through the eyes of two Black boys with every reason to fear the anti-Black society in which they live and in which generations of their ancestors have died. Despite some muddled worldbuilding around the Rufuses' powers, Morris succeeds in blending moments of "Black boy joy," superhuman abilities, intergenerational trauma, mental health (including a description of self-harm), and loss into a resonant story of fraternal love that first compels, then devastates, and will be remembered for a long time. Ages 12--up. Agents: Quressa Robinson and Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary. (Apr.)