TAKE A SAD SONG

A grieving teen finds sanctuary in a home for “wayward” girls.

Set in 1970, this accessible work confronts the consequences of the Wayward Minor Act through poems that even reluctant readers will find riveting. Grieving the death of her father, Jane Flynn is out partying with friends on her fifteenth birthday when police officers show up, explaining that her mother has reported her missing. Bewildered Jane arrives at Spofford, “a maximum-security prison for children” in the Bronx, where she’s bullied and beaten by another girl. Her mom appears before the judge, trying to bring Jane home, but her original worries about keeping her daughter safe are used to justify continued incarceration. Jane is transported to the New York State Training School for Girls, where she meets the Racket, a group of girls who form a secret chosen family within the devastating system. Beatles fan Jane adopts the moniker Jude and develops feelings for the equally broken Jo-Jo. She also meets Miss Coleman, the first adult since her father’s death who listens to her. As Jane grows more comfortable with Miss Coleman, she risks exposing the Racket: With the Stonewall uprising a recent memory, can this adult be trusted? Gritz presents an excoriating critique of the systemic squashing of girls’ voices and the silencing of their desires and curiosity. Jane is cued white, and there’s diversity in race and sexuality in the supporting cast.

A thoughtful must-read that explores grueling attempts to destroy girls’ spirits.