A Sitting in St. James

Rita Williams-Garcia is a master storyteller. She brings her pitch perfect characterizations out of middle grade fiction (One Crazy Summer trilogy) and into YA with this incredible story. And, while the book is marketed as YA, it has all the complexity and richness of the best novels for adults. Read it with your teen! You will have so much to talk about.Williams-Garcia pulls no punches when creating this narrative about enslavement and its effects both on the enslaved and the slave-holders. There is no aspect of life at La Petit Cottage that is not entangled in the moral depravity of slavery, from the first page to the last. We are all so lucky to be living in a time when brilliant authors like Williams-Garcia are writing stories that make us take stock of our history and own beliefs. These narratives can, if we allow them, make us all better.

This is a brilliant book told in an amazing voice, a story woven through several generations, multiple continents, historical turning points and differing cultures. Each is meticulously researched and brought to life on the page by the author. The story exposes some of the darkest aspects of our country’s history, but like other recent YA books, this should be required reading in every high school in America. We cannot hide from this and look the other way anymore. The sometimes graphic nature of the storytelling is crucial for a reader to truly “experience” what these characters lived through. But it isn’t only about the darkness, there is much light and love between people, for the land, for promises, and there is honor and redemption and a glimpse at a world we must attempt to understand. I’ve gone back and read parts of this over and over again because of the rich yet sparse language. Every single word counts. Indeed, it is not for the faint of heart, it is not a light and breezy read, it is an important read. Don’t miss out.

This book needs to be read by everyone.

Well-researched, lyrical, and complex – A Sitting in St. James offers teen readers the very best in historical fiction.