We Deserve Monuments
Nov 2022 · Roaring Brook Press
5.0star
5 reviewsreport
eBook
384
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About this eBook
"An absolute must read." —Buzzfeed
"A gripping portrayal of the South's inherent racism and a love story for queer Black girls." —Teen Vogue
Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery collide in We Deserve Monuments, the award-winning debut novel from Jas Hammonds exploring the ways racial violence can ripple down through generations.
What’s more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?
Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.
While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family—whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.
As the three girls grow closer—Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance—the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell—or if some things are better left buried.
"A gripping portrayal of the South's inherent racism and a love story for queer Black girls." —Teen Vogue
Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery collide in We Deserve Monuments, the award-winning debut novel from Jas Hammonds exploring the ways racial violence can ripple down through generations.
What’s more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?
Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.
While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family—whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.
As the three girls grow closer—Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance—the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell—or if some things are better left buried.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Penny Olson
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7 December 2022
Avery is a lesbian, biracial high school senior who moves to her mother's small Georgia hometown with her parents to help her dying grandmother. This book is a deeply complex character-driven story which navigates intergenerational trauma, the ugliness of southern racism, white privilege, homophobia, police brutality, female friendships, family secrets, and identity. This coming-of-age debut novel is beautifully written, powerful, emotional, gripping and utterly heartrending. It deserves awards.
Christine Books
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15 February 2023
I thought Avery was a great main character, and really enjoyed rooting for her. This was a fast read because I was entirely swept up -- I think it's more character- than plot-driven, but I was so taken by the characters that the pages kept turning. Queer love, generational trauma, a small town's racist history -- this book pretty seamlessly covers a lot of ground (but I'm not giving specifics because I want you to read it for yourself!).
Danielle Hammelef
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29 November 2022
This debut novel deserves all the awards. From start to finish, I traveled on an emotional rollercoaster, driven by authentic and flawed characters whom I fell in love with immediately. The family relationships and dynamics felt happy and comforting at times, but then angry and frustrating at other times, just as in real life. The friendships are fierce and complex as not only are these teenagers dealing with figuring out their identities, but also what their futures possibly hold. The slow-burn
About the author
Jas Hammonds was raised in many cities and between the pages of many books. They have received support for their writing from Lambda Literary, Baldwin for the Arts, and the Highlights Foundation. They are also a grateful recipient of the MacDowell James Baldwin Fellowship. Their debut novel, We Deserve Monuments, won the 2023 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent, among many other accolades.
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