Sociology of the Family: Grief

Rez Ball by Byron Graves Like his older brother Jaxon, Ojibwe sophomore Tre Brun is a talented basketball player. But since Jaxon's death in a car accident, Tre has had to manage his grief alongside the pressure to live up to his brother's legacy as a star player on the Red Lake Reservation high school team. Tre has dreams of making it to the NBA one day, and knows as long as he believes in himself, he can prove to his father and other doubters that he can succeed. But obstacles stand in his way, including his team's drinking habit, his desires to get the attention of new girl Khiana, and others' racism. To overcome them, Tre must find both courage and a deeper connection with his brother that allows him to realize his dreams.

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride Two years after the death of her family in a car accident, sole survivor Moth still feels adrift and lost, even though she's mostly comfortably cared for by her aunt. When she meets junior classmate Sani, whose ancestors are Navajo, she finds a kindred spirit who understands what it feels like to be disconnected from family.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez Julia refuses to conform to her Mexican family's expectations of her, wanting to become a writer instead of following her older sister Olga on the path of community college, part-time job, and taking care of their parents. Then, Olga dies mysteriously, and her best friend Angie hints to Julia that there may have been more to Olga than everyone thought. Julia and her best friend, Lorena, investigate, and in the meantime Julia has to figure out how to fall in love with Connor, a white boy whom she is sure could never understand her family.

Crashing into You by Rocky Callen Street racing, a sport taught to her by her beloved older brother Santos, is nearly the only thing that brings sixteen-year-old Leticia Rivera joy these days. A scholarship student at Philmore Academy, Leticia is bullied by her classmates about her weight and her social class, and sexually harassed by popular Derek O’Neil, who is her rival on the underground racing circuit. For these reasons, and her unprocessed grief over the death of her mother, Leticia keeps a close reign on her emotions and doesn't let anyone get too close to her. But when she meets fellow outcast Jacob Fleckenstein, an autistic boy who shows her both kindness and honesty, she finds herself letting down her guard and falling for him. But a tragic series of events threatens her future in racing and her relationships with Jacob.

Meet Me in the Middle by Alex Light For as long as she can remember, Eden's life had always included that of her best friend Katie. This year the pair planned to room together while attending the same Toronto university.

Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder In this graphic novel, Tyler Feder tells her story of her mother's first oncology appointment through the stages of her cancer to the funeral, sitting shiva, and afterward, when she must try to make sense of her life as a motherless daughter.

The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown Jessica, an "out" lesbian and one of the only "out" teenagers in her school, finds that the grief and anger building inside her ever since her father's death is changed and redirected by Vivi when she crashes into her life, opening her up to love and encouraging her to pursue her talent as an artist. Then, in the middle of their senior year, Vivi suddenly dies, sending Jess back into anger and depression. However, in her work-study program she meets another new and unexpected friend who helps her learn to make room for her heart to heal and use her anger, passion, and creativity to make a new path forward to healing and a future.

After the Eclipse by Sarah Perry Sarah Perry was twelve when her mother was murdered, and many years would go by before the murderer was caught and convicted. Perry recounts the years of growing up without her mother, and the pain during and after the trial.

Shadowed by Carl Deuker Nate quits soccer to begin playing basketball with his neighbor Lucas, who is teased by the other kids because he is poor and cares for his sister who has special needs. Soon Nate and Lucas have honed their skills to become star players on their school's basketball team. But when a tragic accident happens, Nate struggles to come to terms with what happened and how he will go forward.

Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon As his brother's barsi nears, Sikh high school senior Sunny Gill decides it's time to live impulsively, by filling his brother's notebook with outlandish goals, beginning with shaving his beard, removing his turban, cutting his hair, and attending prom. His best friend Ngozi endeavors to save him from missing an annual cosplay event on the same night, by sending in their classmate Mindii Vang to get him to leave prom by stealing his notebook. The ensuing chase works, leaving Sunny and Mindii to add impulsive acts to his notebook in the hours before the event starts. As their antics ramp up, so do their feelings for each other, opening up space for Sunny to process his grief.

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry The Torres sisters dream of escape. Escape from their needy and despotic widowed father, and from their San Antonio neighborhood, full of old San Antonio families and all the traditions and expectations that go along with them. In the summer after her senior year of high school, Ana, the oldest sister, falls to her death from her bedroom window. A year later, her three younger sisters, Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa, are still consumed by grief and haunted by their sister’s memory. Their dream of leaving Southtown now seems out of reach. But then strange things start happening around the house: mysterious laughter, mysterious shadows, mysterious writing on the walls. The sisters begin to wonder if Ana really is haunting them, trying to send them a message—and what exactly she’s trying to say.

Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro Sixteen-year-old gay African-American student Moss Jeffries feels stuck in his run-down West Oakland High School. Still mourning the death of his father, shot by police years earlier, a violent incident at his school prompts Moss to channel his simmering anger into community activism against a corrupt authority system.

The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer After the death of her father, Atlas James began to spiral downward, failing to graduate high school and losing her job. Taking a community service job to rehabilitate Sierra mountain hiking trails feels like a last-ditch effort for her to get her life back on track, and to honor her father, who loved the trail and wanted to hike it with her one day. Atlas joins four others in her group--Books, Junior, Sugar, and King--in taking on a nickname for a fresh start and embarks on a four-week-long journey of grueling work, romantic attraction, stunning scenery, and grief.

What's Coming to Me by Francesca Padilla fter the ice cream stand where she works is robbed, seventeen-year-old Minerva Gutiérrez plans to get revenge on her predatory boss while navigating grief, anger, and dreams of escape from her dead-end hometown.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan After her mother's suicide, fifteen-year-old Leigh travels to Taiwan where she will finally meet the grandparents she never knew and come to terms with her mother's death. As she immerses herself the culture, she finds signs and hidden meanings all around her, and begins to believe that her mother has been reincarnated as a giant red bird.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander; Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator) Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan are stars on their high school basketball team, taught by their father, a professional player in Europe before his health forced him to quit.