This Town Is on Fire, Pamela N. Harris
This Town Is on Fire, Pamela N. Harris
List: $32.99 | Sale: $23.10
Club: $16.49

This Town Is on Fire

Author: Pamela N. Harris

Narrator: Jordan Cobb

Unabridged: 13 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/20/2023

Synopsis

From the critically acclaimed author of When You Look Like Us comes a page-turning YA contemporary novel about what happens when the latest “Becky” on the internet is your best friend. A lot is up in the air in Naomi Henry’s life: her spot as a varsity cheer flier, her classmates’ reaction to the debut of her natural hair, and her crush on the guy who’s always been like a brother to her. With so much uncertainty, she feels lucky to have a best friend like Kylie to keep her grounded. After all, they’re practically sisters—Naomi’s mom took care of Kylie and her twin brother for years.But then a video of Kylie calling the cops on two Black teens in a shopping store parking lot goes viral. Naomi is shaken, and her town is reeling from the publicity. While Naomi tries to reckon with Kylie, the other Black students in their high school are questioning their friendship, and her former friends are wondering where this new “woke” Naomi came from. Although Naomi wants to stand by her best friend, she now can’t help but see everything in a different light.As tensions in her town escalate, Naomi finds herself engaging in protests that are on the cusp of being illegal. And then a bomb explodes, and someone is found dead. Will Naomi be caught in the center of the blast? Golden Kite Award winner Pamela N. Harris has crafted a taut novel that delves into big issues, and is the perfect next read for fans of I’m Not Dying with You Tonight and The Black Kids.

About Pamela N. Harris

Pamela N. Harris was born and somewhat raised in Newport News, Virginia—also affectionately known as “Bad News.” A former school counselor by day, she received her BA in English and a master’s in school counseling at Old Dominion University, her MFA in creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a PhD in counselor education and supervision at William and Mary. When she isn’t writing, Pam is rewatching Leonardo DiCaprio movies, playing with her two kiddos, and pretending to enjoy exercising. She is the author of When You Look Like Us, an Odyssey Award winner, SCBWI Golden Kite Award winner, NAACP Image Award nominee, and Edgar Award nominee, as well as This Town Is on Fire, an SCBWI Golden Kite Honor book. She lives in Williamsburg, Virginia. Visit her online at pamharriswrites.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Patricia on January 30, 2024

Harris captured that point in friendship where the friendship has died, but the residual feelings are still swirling around. And now, because I'm me, the following things didn't work for me. I didn't understand the band/dance team setup. Is the band not a marching band? Wouldn't they do a halftime m......more

Goodreads review by Lit_Vibrations on September 13, 2023

This was a pretty decent coming-of-age YA novel. Harris masterfully creates an intense yet thought-provoking read filled with so many emotions from all of the characters surrounding race. In the novel we watch as Naomi Henry struggles to navigate her Blackness after a viral video of her best-friend......more

Goodreads review by Tehnehn on July 12, 2023

Wow. I must say that I really enjoyed this book. Now I would be lying if I didn't say that Naomi is a frustrating protagonist at times. There are times when I want to shake her and say, "Wake up, girl, your friend is not your friend." This book has a lot of conversations about race, privilege, frien......more

Goodreads review by Kandice on December 11, 2022

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. I'm part of a book club (currently on hiatus due to life changes) that focuses on books either written by BIPOC authors and/or feature main characters of color, feature LGBTQ+ characters, characters with disabili......more

Goodreads review by Zev on July 19, 2023

Two stars because her writing of a teenager was so realistic. This is not a book about a bombing. It is not a book on dealing with the aftermath of horrible injuries brought on by a racist attack. It is not a book about a polarized friend group as a result of that. This isn't even a coming-of-age tr......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List