Play the Game

Name: Play the Game
Brand: Harper Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Charlene Allen
ISBN: 9780063212824

Author: Charlene Allen

Narrator: Marc Anthony Samuel

Unabridged: 7 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 01/31/2023

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, African American & Black Fiction, Law & Crime, Social Themes

Synopsis

From debut author Charlene Allen comes a captivating YA contemporary mystery and coming-of-age story, celebrating the power of friendship, first love, and exploring the criminal justice system from the lens of restorative justice. Perfect for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, and Maureen Johnson.In the game of life, sometimes other people hold all the controls. Or so it seems to VZ. Four months have passed since his best friend Ed was killed by a white man in a Brooklyn parking lot.When Singer, the man who killed Ed, is found dead in the same spot where Ed was murdered, all signs point to Jack, VZ’s other best friend, as the prime suspect.VZ’s determined to complete the video game Ed never finished and figure out who actually killed Singer. With help from Diamond, the girl he’s crushing on at work, VZ falls into Ed’s quirky gameiverse. As the police close in on Jack, the game starts to uncover details that could lead to the truth about the murder.Can VZ honor Ed and help Jack before it’s too late?

About Charlene Allen

Charlene Allen works with community organizations to heal trauma and fight injustice, especially the beast called mass incarceration. She received her MFA from the New School, her JD from Northeastern University, and her BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She lives in Brooklyn with her fabulous family and their very silly dog. Play the Game was her first novel. You can visit her at charleneallen.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bookishrealm on March 13, 2023

This was an interesting one! I only knew about it after selecting a copy for my library's collection, but I was surprised at how quickly I read this one and connected to the story. This is definitely for fans of restorative justice. Play the Game follows VZ who is coping with the loss of his best fri......more

Goodreads review by Darin on January 18, 2023

An intriguing novel which opens with a murder mystery premise and ends in a rather unconventional way, bending expectations within the genre and raising important questions about race, justice, and coping with loss. Allen's writing style here is smooth and engaging, with no noticeable awkwardness. E......more

Goodreads review by Mel on November 27, 2022

Finally! As a restorative justice program director at a community nonprofit, people occasionally ask me if I have any restorative justice-themed book recommendations that would be engaging for young adults--and I'm thrilled to finally be able to say yes. Play the Game weaves the vision and reality of......more

Goodreads review by Chris G. on January 05, 2023

They were three best friends - but Ed was shot in the parking lot of the restaurant where he and VZ worked, and Jack is a suspect in the murder of Singer, the man who killed Ed. VZ knows the biases police have, but can playing the game Ed created for a contest help VZ think creatively enough to put......more

Goodreads review by Jaime on April 16, 2023

𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 Bound by the Book Let's Be Friends on IG “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐩? 𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐮𝐩, 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 [𝐡𝐞] 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥.” 𝙩𝙬: drug use (marijuana), murder, prejudice & racism 𝐐𝐮𝐢......more