Three things I know are true: a novel

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
HarperTeen
Publication Date
[2020]
Language
English

Description

Five months ago, Liv's big brother, Jonah, shot himself in the head. It was an accident. He didn't know that the gun was loaded. But the damage was done. Now he won't ever be leaving their small mill town like he planned. Jonah can't speak, can't walk, can't take care of himself at all. Their house is full of machines and nurses working around the clock to keep Jonah alive. Liv's mom is struggling to cope with the aftermath, so Liv ends up being the one to soothe Jonah when he gets agitated, to lie with him when he can't sleep, and to see the carefree brother she's sure is still inside him somewhere. Liv hasn't spoken to Clay, Jonah's best friend, since the accident, even though he lives just across the street. The gun belonged to Clay's father, and Claywas with Jonah that terrible day. With Liv's mom suing Clay's father, there are lines Liv is not supposed to cross. As their entire community chooses sides, she feels the distance between them growing every day. Liv knows that Clay is nearly as broken asJonah. She knows his life also changed forever the same moment as Jonah's. And she refuses to turn away from Clay, just as she refuses to give up on Jonah.

More Details

ISBN
9780062908025

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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

For the last five months, Liv has been caring for her brother, Jonah, after his recklessness with a neighbor's gun resulted in a near-mortal head wound. Now debilitated, Jonah requires 24/7 support just to stay alive. Making matters worse, Liv's mother is balancing a lawsuit against the neighbor with her efforts to keep her family out of poverty. One of Liv's few lifelines is the neighbor's son, Clay, in whom she secretly confides her fears: Will a split-second decision by her brother determine how she will live the rest of her life? Told in verse, this first novel takes readers on an emotional journey that follows a life-altering tragedy. Culley weaves carefully chosen details into a slowly forming tapestry that depicts a town decaying after its main industry has shuttered, leaving the community hopeless and its youth desperate to escape its soul-crushing despair. The story also highlights how tragedies linger long after headlines forget them. Culley has crafted a tale that is both harrowing in subject matter and elegant in execution.--Reinhardt Suarez Copyright 2019 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

In eloquent narrative verse, this debut set in a small, working-class Maine community recounts the reverberations of a gun accident that leaves 17-year-old Jonah severely brain damaged and on life support. The narrator, Jonah's 15-year-old sister, Liv, struggles to comprehend her new reality: her teachers' voices sound "like buzzing.../ all the words blending together/ into one big GRAH." Jonah now lives in the family's living room, dependent on round-the-clock nurses for survival, and letters to the editor blame Jonah's parents' negligent teaching for the accident. Meanwhile, Jonah's best friend, Clay, in whose attic Jonah accidentally shot himself, is forbidden to visit because Liv's mother, desperate for money to pay for Jonah's care, is suing Clay's parents. Frustrated that her mother pays "more attention/ to Jonah's machines/ than to Jonah," Liv remains convinced that "Jonah is in there." Liv's resilience grows with her gradual recognition of her own inner resources; Jonah's indomitable spirit; Clay's quiet, steadfast friendship; and the supportive network that embraces her family. Culley, who has worked as a pediatric hospice nurse, deftly captures the community's nuanced responses and the heartbreak both families navigate as this devastating tragedy becomes a political battleground. Ages 13--up. (Jan.)

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School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up--This leisurely paced novel in verse follows two families (the Carriers and the LeBlancs) who are affected by the accidental shooting of 17-year-old Jonah Carrier. Liv, Jonah's 15-year-old sister, shares the heartbreak of watching her brother struggle through being machine- and nurse-dependent since he accidentally shot himself with his best friend Clay's father's gun, and she explains the toll this accident has taken on both families. Clay experiences heavy guilt and responsibility for Jonah's condition. Clay's mom doesn't know how to converse with and support the Carriers while she copes with Clay's behavior. Jonah's mother is in denial about her son's condition. Liv experiences her own withdrawal from school but finds purpose in taking care of her brother. While these families are dealing with the trauma of the shooting they are also preparing for Jonah's trial, which places everyone against each other, including members within their small community. Liv is immature and can be easily viewed as childish. As a teenager, Liv calls her brother's machines by silly nicknames such as "Suck-It-Up" and "Trapeze," and refers to her brother's gunshot wound as his "boo-boo" throughout the story. The romance between Liv and Clay doesn't seem to fit considering the trial, the shooting, and how everyone deals with Jonah's condition. VERDICT A heartbreaking story about a topic that is too prevalent in today's society.--Kharissa Kenner, Bank Street School for Children, New York

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Kirkus Book Review

After her brother is injured in a gun accident, a teenand her towngrapples with the aftermath in Culley's debut.Fifteen-year-old Liv's older brother, Jonah, had always been a daredeviluntil he accidentally shot himself with a gun belonging to his best friend Clay's dad. Now, severely brain damaged, he requires expensive round-the-clock care. Despite Jonah's largely passive state, Liv accords him as much agency as possible, helping him to "have his say." As the trial to determine who's responsible approaches, residents of former mill town Maddigan, Maine, vehemently defend their right to own guns. But firearm debates are only the surface of this character-driven drama. Introspective and inquisitive Liv's free-verse narration vividly explores the rift between her family and Clay's; memories of her late father; and the difficulty of surviving in her economically depressed small town. Above all, her spare, blunt lines convey her love for Jonah; her exhaustion and loneliness as her friends and overworked, overwhelmed mother grow distant; and the nuances of guilt and forgiveness. Liv's struggle with the "little animal / inside" her that yearns for attention even as she acknowledges that Jonah "needs everything" is piercingly realistic. Fortunately, kindif somewhat one-dimensionalsecondary characters offer support, and Liv and Clay's gradual romance is touching. The ending offers bittersweet but satisfying closure. Most characters appear white; one of Liv's friends is Indian American.A poignant, humanizing exploration of a sadly timely issue. (Fiction. 13-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Booklist Reviews

For the last five months, Liv has been caring for her brother, Jonah, after his recklessness with a neighbor's gun resulted in a near-mortal head wound. Now debilitated, Jonah requires 24/7 support just to stay alive. Making matters worse, Liv's mother is balancing a lawsuit against the neighbor with her efforts to keep her family out of poverty. One of Liv's few lifelines is the neighbor's son, Clay, in whom she secretly confides her fears: Will a split-second decision by her brother determine how she will live the rest of her life? Told in verse, this first novel takes readers on an emotional journey that follows a life-altering tragedy. Culley weaves carefully chosen details into a slowly forming tapestry that depicts a town decaying after its main industry has shuttered, leaving the community hopeless and its youth desperate to escape its soul-crushing despair. The story also highlights how tragedies linger long after headlines forget them. Culley has crafted a tale that is both harrowing in subject matter and elegant in execution. Grades 9-12. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

In eloquent narrative verse, this debut set in a small, working-class Maine community recounts the reverberations of a gun accident that leaves 17-year-old Jonah severely brain damaged and on life support. The narrator, Jonah's 15-year-old sister, Liv, struggles to comprehend her new reality: her teachers' voices sound "like buzzing.../ all the words blending together/ into one big GRAH." Jonah now lives in the family's living room, dependent on round-the-clock nurses for survival, and letters to the editor blame Jonah's parents' negligent teaching for the accident. Meanwhile, Jonah's best friend, Clay, in whose attic Jonah accidentally shot himself, is forbidden to visit because Liv's mother, desperate for money to pay for Jonah's care, is suing Clay's parents. Frustrated that her mother pays "more attention/ to Jonah's machines/ than to Jonah," Liv remains convinced that "Jonah is in there." Liv's resilience grows with her gradual recognition of her own inner resources; Jonah's indomitable spirit; Clay's quiet, steadfast friendship; and the supportive network that embraces her family. Culley, who has worked as a pediatric hospice nurse, deftly captures the community's nuanced responses and the heartbreak both families navigate as this devastating tragedy becomes a political battleground. Ages 13–up. (Jan.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.
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School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 9 Up—This leisurely paced novel in verse follows two families (the Carriers and the LeBlancs) who are affected by the accidental shooting of 17-year-old Jonah Carrier. Liv, Jonah's 15-year-old sister, shares the heartbreak of watching her brother struggle through being machine- and nurse-dependent since he accidentally shot himself with his best friend Clay's father's gun, and she explains the toll this accident has taken on both families. Clay experiences heavy guilt and responsibility for Jonah's condition. Clay's mom doesn't know how to converse with and support the Carriers while she copes with Clay's behavior. Jonah's mother is in denial about her son's condition. Liv experiences her own withdrawal from school but finds purpose in taking care of her brother. While these families are dealing with the trauma of the shooting they are also preparing for Jonah's trial, which places everyone against each other, including members within their small community. Liv is immature and can be easily viewed as childish. As a teenager, Liv calls her brother's machines by silly nicknames such as "Suck-It-Up" and "Trapeze," and refers to her brother's gunshot wound as his "boo-boo" throughout the story. The romance between Liv and Clay doesn't seem to fit considering the trial, the shooting, and how everyone deals with Jonah's condition. VERDICT A heartbreaking story about a topic that is too prevalent in today's society.—Kharissa Kenner, Bank Street School for Children, New York

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal.

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal.
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