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About this item
Highlights
- An Instant New York Times Bestseller!
- 256 Pages
- Young Adult Fiction, People & Places
Description
Book Synopsis
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Get Out meets Holly Jackson in this YA social thriller where survival is not a guarantee. Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student--the handsome Allister--and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake. Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless and Jake is always happy to help them move on to the next place, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he's a powerful, vengeful ghost and he has plans for Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about dead world goes out the window as Sawyer begins to haunt him. High school soon becomes a different kind of survival game--one Jake is not sure he can win.Review Quotes
Praise for The Taking of Jake Livingston A 2022 ALA Rainbow Book List Pick
A 2021 Tor.com Young Adult Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Best Book Pick
A 2021 Black Caucus American Library Association Best of the Best Booklist Pick "Spine-chilling YA horror." --The Boston Globe "This book is absolutely incredible, chilling, and a must-read." --BuzzFeed
★ "An exceptional blend of genres--horror, mystery, thriller and contemporary--that brilliantly captures how Jake, a Black gay teen medium, copes with the varying kinds of violence threatening him. . . Douglass creates a clever and effective parallel between what Jake can't control--racism and how his body is perceived, a toxic father, an irresponsible brother, his mother's expectations--and his fight against Sawyer. The story builds to a rewardingly chilling and sentimental climax, as Jake must look deep within himself for the power to break the cycles of harm entrapping him. . . An extraordinarily crafted exploration of agency during Black gay teenhood." --Shelf Awareness, starred review "A teenage version of Get Out, and you will not be disappointed. . . Douglass looks at race and trauma and death with a comical and horror-esque twist." --The Root "Crucial social commentary and insight into the ways discrimination can isolate and depress young adults. Lush and emotive prose chronicles Jake's journey...Spooky, atmospheric, and layered."--Kirkus Reviews "There are many layers to navigate in this fast-paced trip to and from the world of the dead, including identity, violent and sexual traumas, and the stigma of mental illness, all with a supernatural and often gory twist. . . Ultimately, this is a satisfying addition to the supernatural horror section." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "YA readers looking for thrills and chills this summer will find them here." --Brightly "Captures the pain of navigating teenagerhood when no one around you sees the world the way you do...A quick, worthwhile read that manages to pack a lot of dark themes into a tight space." --The Young Folks "Chilling, edgy . . . spooky and layered. . .A wonderful genre-meld...This is an excellent debut." --Cinelinx "This YA debut from Ryan Douglass is a mix of genres--horror, mystery, thriller, and contemporary-that explores how a Black gay teen medium copes with the various kinds of violence that threaten him." --Culturess "Racial and sexuality themes undercut this gripping novel where a teen is haunted by the repercussions of his own sixth sense." --Cultured Vultures "A unique and terrifying world built on tension and ghosts." --The Seattle Times "Tackl[ing] mental illness, rejection, and loneliness. . . this novel takes a hard look at brutality in many forms, racism, homophobia, and consequences of the choices that we make." --School Library Journal, review of the audiobook
About the Author
Ryan Douglass is a queer horror author and freelance writer from Atlanta, Georgia. His work on media representation has appeared in HuffPost, Atlanta Black Star, LGBTQ Nation, and the National Council of Teachers of English, among others. He received his BA in theater studies from Hofstra University and is currently a nomad floating across the United States. The Taking of Jake Livingston is his first novel.Dimensions (Overall): 8.2 Inches (H) x 5.5 Inches (W) x .7 Inches (D)
Weight: .55 Pounds
Suggested Age: 13-17 Years
Number of Pages: 256
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Sub-Genre: People & Places
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Theme: African American, United States
Format: Paperback
Author: Ryan Douglass
Language: English
Street Date: July 12, 2022
TCIN: 85008165
UPC: 9781984812551
Item Number (DPCI): 247-26-5893
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 0.7 inches length x 5.5 inches width x 8.2 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.55 pounds
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4.0 out of 5 stars with 4 reviews
100% would recommend
2 recommendations
Definite need to buy
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Live2read - 3 years ago
Excellent read. The characters are well developed and distinctive; the author doesn’t fall into the common pit of creating interchangeable personas. Loved the atmosphere and especially the perspective of Jake.
Real spooky!
4 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Elizabeth - 4 years ago
Spooky and fast paced, just how I like my thrillers and horror! I loved Jake and felt really bad for him dealing with all the bullying on top of being hassled and threatened by ghosts. I was there for Fiona and Allister, and I loved the budding romance. I couldn’t decide how I was feeling or was supposed to feel about Sawyer - at first I thought he was a foil for Jake and meant to showcase how some of the most dangerous people are the unhinged white boys, but then I started to feel bad for him and his home life, and then he was so evil in death, that I just ended up feeling conflicted. And maybe that’s ok, but I ended up finding his POV less satisfying.
More than a ghost story
4 out of 5 stars
lurkykitty - 4 years ago
The Taking of of Jake Livingston is an impressive, fast-paced YA horror debut with hidden depths. Jake Livingston is unique because he is a Black, gay student at a mostly white prep school and he can see ghosts and ghouls. Both of these aspects of his life make Jake feel constantly haunted. He can never get away from seeing scenes of death (even in PE class) and he is bullied and subjected to racism by some of the teachers and students at school. The racism is institutionalized and almost no one stands up to the racism or comes to Jake's defense. Things get really dangerous for Jake when he is targeted by the vengeful ghost of Sawyer Doon, a school shooter who intends to finish the job and murder the students he missed the first time. The chapters from Sawyer's point of view were scary but showed what led to him being so troubled. Even though Sawyer did monstrous things, the reader develops empathy for him, as the abuse he suffered from was tragic. No one advocated for Sawyer. We also get a Sawyer's eye view on how he intends to infiltrate Jake's mind. The supernatural horror is done chillingly well. Jake must contend with ghosts, ghouls and sinister ecto-mist, the seeping matter that eats ghosts. These visions create a constant feeling of creeping unease. The story is dark and violent, and perhaps not one for those who easily have nightmares. However, shadows can be conquered. Jake finds some sympathetic friends; there is a sweet love story and Jake's family learns to communicate and support each other better. The Taking of Jake Livingston makes the reader think about how the worst monsters in the book are not necessarily the ghosts and ghouls, but the human horrors of racism, homophobia and abuse. There was depth and social commentary in this book that I was not expecting. Some aspects of the dead world and plot-line were a little confusing and could have been better developed. I would have liked this book to be longer. I really enjoyed Jake Livingston and am hoping for a sequel. #BookishFirst
It Was Okay
3 out of 5 stars
Devin - 4 years ago
Jake Livingston sees dead people. However, he can't decide what is worse, being one of the few black students at a school filled with racist teachers & students or having to witness over and over again how the ghosts he sees die. He feels like he's living his own nightmare when another black student comes to school. This one an attractive and charming young man. Jake feels that things maybe could be looking up. However, one of his ghosts is out for vengeance. Sawyer Doon killed multiple people when he brought a gun to school before turning the gun on himself. All of the other ghosts that Jake deals with are harmless and can't touch him, but Sawyer seems to be a different kind of ghost and things start to go south for Jake. I like horror movies and ghost stories so I figured I would enjoy this one. Overall, it was okay but I felt there was too much cheesy paranormal aspects to it.