The Problem with the Other Side

July 15, 2021
New Jersey teens fall in love while managing their sisters' opposing presidential campaigns. In this novel told in alternating points of view, Ulysses Gates, who is Black, and Sallie Walls, who is White, describe the events leading up to a school shooting on inauguration day. While acting in a school play, the two bond over their love of the movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and slowly begin a romantic relationship. Sallie has had a crush on Uly since their English class the previous year; Uly, on the other hand, is surprised he even likes Sallie because he has never been attracted to White girls and had misinterpreted her behavior, believing her to be racist. When Sallie's sister, Leona, begins campaigning for president on a platform calling for an end to school busing from neighboring communities that are predominantly of color, Uly's sister, Regina, decides to run against her, call out the coded racist language Leona is using, and advocate for students of color. A third candidate enters the field--a White athlete with a divisive past--and the race escalates dangerously. Uly and Sallie are well-crafted characters; the interracial relationship is portrayed with honesty and humor, and their love is palpable. With excellent pacing, Ivery explores the impact White supremacy and patriarchal norms have on our lives and the dangers of not holding people accountable. A timely exploration of the state of American politics. (Fiction. 12-18)

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October 1, 2021

Gr 10 Up-A racially charged school presidential election leads to disaster on inauguration day for the students of Knight High School. Ulysses Gates, a Black teenager, and Sallie Walls, a white teenager, meet while acting in a play and quickly fall in love. What starts as a dream quickly turns into a nightmare as both of their sisters make them their respective campaign managers in the election for school president. The primary objective of Sallie�s sister Leona�s campaign is to block the Black and Latinx students from the neighboring town from coming to Knight High School as they have for the past 40 years. Ulysses's sister, Regina, aims to combat racism in the school and have everyone feel like they belong. As the campaign intensifies, Ulysses and Sallie wonder if their love can survive in an atmosphere of hate. Hate speech, gun violence, and racism are not shied away from in the work. Knight High School is a microcosm for a variety of issues found in the real world. An author's note prefacing the book states that the story was written as a way to process the events of the 2016 presidential election. VERDICT A romance that raises uncomfortable yet very necessary questions, this is an excellent book for discussion and purchase in young adult collections.-Ashley Leffel, Griffin M.S., Frisco, TX

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