Give Me Some Truth - by Eric Gansworth (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

NPR Best Books of the Year * Boston Globe Best Books of the Year * School Library Journal Best Books of the Year * Chicago Public Library Best Books of the Year A stirring book from Eric Gansworth, author of If I Ever Get Out of Here, that speaks the truth on race, relationships, and rock from two unforgettable perspectives.

Carson Mastick is entering his senior year of high school and desperate to make his mark, on the reservation and off. A rock band -- and winning Battle of the Bands -- is his best shot. But things keep getting in the way. Small matters like the lack of an actual band, or his brother getting shot by the racist owner of a local restaurant.Maggi Bokoni has just moved back to the reservation with her family. She's dying to stop making the same traditional artwork her family sells to tourists (conceptual stuff is cooler), stop feeling out of place in her new (old) home, and stop being treated like a child. She might like to fall in love for the first time too.Carson and Maggi -- along with their friend Lewis -- will navigate loud protests, even louder music, and first love in this stirring novel about coming together in a world defined by difference.

Review Quotes

Awards and Praise for Give Me Some Truth: An NPR Best Book of the YearA Boston Globe Best Book of the YearA School Library Journal Best Book of the YearA Chicago Public Library Best Book of the YearAn American Indians in Children's Literature Best Book of the YearA WNDB Best YA Book of the Year* "Gansworth's follow-up to If I Ever Get Out of Here has an incredible voice.... His characters are rich, well developed, and will stay with readers for a long time.... A stellar choice for YA realistic fiction shelves." -- School Library Journal, starred review"Gansworth vividly captures the difficulties of reservation life and showcases his thoughtful protagonists' multidimensional interests and far-reaching aspirations." --Publishers Weekly"An intimate look at the teens' lives.... A rich, honest story of family and friends, of a Nation within a nation." -- The Horn Book"An achingly real and honest look into the lives of teenagers pushed to the margins, creating and loving against life's headwinds. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, always heartfelt." -- Jeff Zentner, author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days"From the first pages of If I Ever Get Out of Here, Dog Street was as alive to me as my own street and the people were as alive as my own. And when I finished, Dog Street sustained itself in my head as an ongoing place. I was so happy to have more time in a world that has become so alive to me. This book, Give Me Some Truth, teleported me in. I know I read it too fast. But it was like seeing the cousins you love at the picnic, how you just run to them. How you just want to hear everything." -- Lynda Barry, author of The Good Times Are Killing Me and One! Hundred! Demons!Praise for If I Ever Get Out of Here: A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selectionAn American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Award, Young Adult Honor A Junior Library Guild selectionA Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices pickAn International Reading Association's Notable Book for a Global SocietyA Notable Trade Books for Young People pick, National Council for Social StudiesA Horn Book Summer Reading List pickNational Book Festival appearance"[A] funny, poignant young-adult debut." -- Washington Post"Eric Gansworth fearlessly lays down the truth about what it's like to grow up poor, and the strength it takes to hold your head high and find a way out." -- Laurie Halse Anderson, author of The Impossible Knife of Memory and Forge* "Gansworth, himself an enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation, explores the boys' organic relationship with generosity and tenderness and unflinching clarity, sidestepping stereotypes to offer two genuine characters navigating the unlikely intersection of two fully realized worlds... And although Gansworth manages the weighty themes of racism and poverty with nuance and finesse, at its heart, this is a rare and freehearted portrait of true friendship." -- Booklist, starred review"If I Ever Get Out of Here rings true with a sophisticated look at what it's like to be an outsider and what it takes to be a true friend... More than just engaging, [it] is the sort of book that can spark all kinds of meaningful conversation." -- Los Angeles Times"Readers will appreciate the teenager's sharp insights into being an outsider and Gansworth's intimate knowledge of the prejudices and injustices inherent to Lewis's life." -- Publishers Weekly"A heart-healing, mocs-on-the-ground story of music, family and friendship." -- Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Tantalize and Rain Is Not My Indian Name

About the Author

Eric Gansworth is Lowery Writer-in-Residence and Professor of English at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, and was recently NEH Distinguished Visiting Professor at Colgate University. An enrolled Onondaga, he was born and raised at the Tuscarora Indian Nation, just outside Niagara Falls, New York. His debut novel for young readers, If I Ever Get Out of Here, was a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick and an American Indian Library Association Young Adult Honor selection, and he is the author of numerous acclaimed books for adults. Eric is also a visual artist, generally incorporating paintings as integral elements into his written work. His work has been widely shown and anthologized and has appeared in Iroquois Art: Power and History, The Kenyon Review, and Shenandoah, among other places, and he was recently selected for inclusion in Lit City, a Just Buffalo Literary Center public arts project celebrating Buffalo's literary legacy. Please visit his website at ericgansworth.com.