Forgive Me Not

June 15, 2023
Violetta wanted a classy night of connection and affection with boyfriend Pascal; instead, the night ends up being one of destruction, despair, and death. Fifteen-year-old Violetta Chen-Samuels' decision to drive drunk caused the death of her 7-year-old sister, Vivian. Now she's incarcerated in a juvenile justice facility, and her family has declined to forgive her, instead requesting that she participate in the Trials, interactive experiences ostensibly designed to teach her the severity of her actions. In chapters told from the alternating perspectives of Violetta and Vincent, her older brother, the circumstances that led up to the night of Vivian's death are explored, as are Violetta's experience of incarceration and her realization that forgiving herself may be more important than attaining the forgiveness of others. Central themes include questions of what constitutes justice, the state's role in achieving it, and the ways that power and privilege corrupt the pursuit of it. Baker's writing excels at showing rather than telling through vivid details that contribute to pacing that drags in the middle, although the last quarter of the book feels rushed. Violetta and her siblings are Chinese American on their mom's side, and their dad is Black. Vincent and an aunt are unapologetically queer, as are some other supporting characters. A multilayered, if uneven consideration of family, justice, the pressures teens face, and the power of forgiveness. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)

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June 26, 2023
Fifteen-year-old Violetta Chen-Samuels, who is half Black and half Chinese, has been in juvenile detention for 22 days, since her decision to drive home drunk from a party resulted in her seven-year-old sister Vivian’s death. Now, she’s awaiting her family’s judgment. If they forgive her, she can go home; if they don’t, she’ll be subject to an extended sentence or participation in the Trials, interactive experiences instituted 25 years ago meant to strengthen rehabilitation efforts and lower the possibility of repeat offenses. Via video, her queer 17-year-old brother Vince urges her to complete the Trials (“While as a family we don’t yet forgive you, we want to give you the opportunity to learn from this incident,” he says, as if reading from a script). As Violetta enters the Trials, Vince struggles with a drug dependency and blames himself for not being able to protect his sisters. Through Vince and Violetta’s resonant alternating perspectives, debut author Baker empathetically examines the harsh treatment of Black youth in the justice system, and its ripple-effect impact on the detainee’s family. Affecting depictions of Vince’s addiction and Violetta’s reform process contribute to the novel’s overarching interrogation of blame, guilt, and self-forgiveness. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jenni Ferrari-Adler, Union Literary.

August 1, 2023
Grades 7-11 *Starred Review* Letta, 15, is facing a nightmare of her own creation: she drove drunk and caused an accident that killed her younger sister, Viv. Now Letta is in a detention center awaiting sentencing. In Baker's reimagined U.S. justice system, victims of a crime or their families, rather than a judge, determine the sentence; they can send the offender to prison or assign them to one or more Trials, which are meant to bring home the impact of crime for the offender and provide some kind of closure to the victims. For Letta, her own family determines her sentence, and they reluctantly select Trials. As Letta gets to know the other girls in the detention center, she finds that the system, despite its stated goals, is still stacked against the poor, the nonwhite, and the powerless. Though the justice system in the novel is clearly fictional, the parallels with our current system--especially in Baker's depiction of the unequal way in which justice is applied--are unmistakable. It's a sharp indictment that doesn't shy away from the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions. Letta and her brother, Vince, take turns narrating the story, painting clear pictures of how the pressures they each assigned to themselves contributed to the end result. Baker makes a powerful and passionate statement about real justice, embedded in a well-constructed plot populated by vivid characters.

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November 24, 2023

Gr 8 Up-Violetta Chen-Samuels made a mistake with life-altering consequences. She drove drunk with her seven-year-old sister as a passenger, and her sister died. Now Letta is in juvenile detention awaiting her fate. Under the current justice system, victims of crimes determine the consequences for criminals. If Letta is forgiven, she can return home; if not, she can choose between a longer sentence in juvenile detention or participation in The Trials, experiences designed to make sure offenders understand the true impact of their crimes. When Letta learns that her family is not ready to forgive her, she decides to endure the unknowns of The Trials in the hope of returning home more quickly, and has an eye-opening experience of what justice really means in this society. Chapters alternately narrated by Letta and her older brother, Vince, provide multiple perspectives on Letta's offense and its impact, while also highlighting the differences between the siblings' actions and their consequences. Letta's exploration of the origin of The Trials, particularly what happened to the first person sentenced to them, draws parallels to the inequality of the justice system in the United States, particularly its treatment of Black people and people of color. Letta and her siblings are biracial Chinese-American and Black; Vince, as well as other secondary characters, are queer. VERDICT An important addition to teen library collections; hand to readers looking for inequality and social justice stories such as This is My America by Kim Johnson, The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed, and When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris.-Alison Glass

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