CAPRICE

A 12-year-old girl navigates the effects of past abuse and finds the power to share her truths.

Fresh off a seven-week leadership program at Ainsley International School, an elite boarding school, Caprice is eager to see her friends and family back in Newark at the end of an amazing summer. Before she leaves, the head of school offers her a full scholarship, giving her a week to decide whether she wants to return. Once home, Caprice is keen to see her best friend, Nicole, and enjoy what could be her last week of summer at their neighborhood recreation center despite the shadow cast by news of her estranged grandmother’s failing health. Through her first-person narration, readers come to understand that Caprice is harboring painful feelings tied to incidents of abuse from when she was younger that now influence her interactions with boys, even the one she is developing feelings toward. As the week moves on, an increasingly anxious Caprice must confront her past so that she can have a better future. The raw, poignant text highlights the frequency of misogynistic microaggressions and objectification, while the swift yet emotionally charged ending supports the larger message of consent and the hope of overcoming the lasting trauma of sexual assault. The book’s haunting tone will linger with readers. Caprice and most main characters are Black.

A heart-aching journey that needs to be witnessed.