WHY WE FLY

The senior year of best friends and cheer squad members Eleanor “Leni” Greenberg and Chanel Rose “Nelly” Irons is upended by their decision to kneel during the national anthem.

Narrated in alternating chapters by Leni, who is White and Jewish, and Nelly, who is from an upwardly mobile African American family, the book chronicles the girls’ senior year as they navigate the pressures of elite high school sports, family expectations, college admissions, and the consequences of their burgeoning social activism. When Cody Knight, a professional football player and graduate of their Atlanta, Georgia, high school, is disciplined for taking a knee in contravention of a new rule, the girls rally their cheerleading team to take a knee during a high school football game in solidarity against police brutality. Predictably, it is Nelly who bears the brunt of the ensuing backlash, threatening all that she’s worked for. Leni’s romantic relationship with Sam “Three” Walters, a light-skinned African American student who serves as captain of the school’s football team, complicates their friendship while offering an opportunity for readers to explore some of the political differences that exist within the African American community. The premise is timely, and the novel abounds with details that attempt to build authenticity; unfortunately, the characterization at times feels two-dimensional and lacking in shading and nuance.

Inspired by recent events, this novel will spark dialogue about race, class, privilege, and performative activism.