About Grace - by Barbara Shoup (Paperback)

About the Book

"Grace Lowery is a typical Midwestern American teenager: pretty, smart, a good student from what is, to all appearances, an average, middle-class, single-parent home. There's just one difference: A series of bad decisions involving her wealthy, charming-but-irresponsible boyfriend has landed her in the state juvenile correction facility for girls.Thus begins About Grace, a unique coming-of-age story in which a young woman deals with the consequences of her actions-and sees how those consequences are different for people living more and less privileged lives. Grace is forced to reckon with the harsh reality of the juvenile carceral system, the people she meets there, and her complicated feelings for the boy whose influence led her to this place. More important-and challenging-Grace begins to remember and unpack a history of childhood abuse at the hands of a trusted adult. It's a journey to self-awareness under harsh and unanticipated conditions, shocking revelations-and surprising friendships."

Book Synopsis

Grace Lowery is a typical Midwestern American teenager: pretty, smart, a good student from what is, to all appearances, an average, middle-class, single-parent home. There's just one difference: A series of bad decisions involving her wealthy, charming-but-irresponsible boyfriend has landed her in the state juvenile correction facility for girls.

Thus begins About Grace, a unique coming-of-age story in which a young woman deals with the consequences of her actions-and sees how those consequences are different for people living more and less privileged lives. Grace is forced to reckon with the harsh reality of the juvenile carceral system, the people she meets there, and her complicated feelings for the boy whose influence led her to this place. More important-and challenging-Grace begins to remember and unpack a history of childhood abuse at the hands of a trusted adult. It's a journey to self-awareness under harsh and unanticipated conditions, shocking revelations-and surprising friendships.

About Grace is a rare young adult novel that handles difficult and sometimes shocking subject matter with compassion, insight, and a touch of humor.

Review Quotes

"Barb Shoup has been an important YA writer for decades." -John Green

"Grace's voice is fierce and honest as she confronts some terrible truths in her life. In the hands of a lesser author, the story could have been unbearable, but Barbara Shoup's love of her characters and skill as a storyteller carry us to its believable-and ultimately beautiful-conclusion. I recommend this book for readers 18 and older, in the hopes that thoughtful adults will, if they feel it may be helpful, carefully share it with younger readers."

-Helen Frost, author of Keesha's House and All He Knew

Shoup is not afraid to lift aside the curtain, to explore the complexities of life and love, friendship and family, giving readers a glimpse into the life of a young woman struggling to define herself in a world where the same people who make her heart sing might also destroy her. In the spirit of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak and Mindy McGinnis's Female of the Species, About Grace introduces readers to a character they will desperately root for to hold on to hope despite a world where so much seems hopeless.

-Katherine Higgs-Coulthard, author of Junkyard Dog.

In this bold, beautiful, brutal novel, you'll have a new best friend in Grace. She's funny and honest. You'll laugh and cry with her. About Grace is the Orange is the New Black for teens. This is a gorgeous, devastating read.

-Margaret McMullan, author of Sources of Light