This is the second book in my sponsored read. I'm reading one YA book a week that tackles mental health, depression, substance abuse and other issues. I'm doing this in memory of my brother Matt who passed away in August 2018. I'm hoping to raise money for a charity close to him and our family. For more details, and to donate, you can go here: https://bit.ly/2NeAetH THE BOXER by Nikesh Shukla is about 17 year old Sunny. After a racist attack at a train station, he's left bloody, beaten and filled with PTSD and anxiety. After some convincing, he decides to join a boxing gym. Over time he becomes more confident and makes new friends. One of them is Keir, a boy with a troubled past but a kind heart. However, when Sunny learns that Keir's brother and father are hardcore racists, he becomes angry, frightened and confused. When another incident incites racial tensions to rise in their home city of Bristol, Keir and Sunny find themselves at opposite ends of the argument. This culminates in Sunny facing off against Keir in a boxing match, one that Keir claims will end Sunny's hopes of ever boxing again. THE BOXER is told in alternate chapters, with Sunny & Keir facing off in the ring and the other chapters flashing back to the incidents leading up to the match. It's masterful storytelling and highlights the deep racial issues that are prevalent in the UK. Sunny is a boy with deep problems, he's suffering from the trauma of the attack and grappling with the reality that his father is going to die. He and his father have a difficult and complicated relationship, which makes visiting him in the hospital tricky, it also makes talking about his feelings even harder for Sunny. I also learned a lot about the sport of boxing, and how it can have therapeutic qualities. Sunny's depression, anxiety and social awkwardness cuts to the bone in a very honest way. I feel like Nikesh was able to express how someone dealing with these issues on top of being attacked for having darker skin in a very nuanced way. The pace of this novel is fast and it's loaded with discussion points for students, which I love. I know it's going to be in the hands of lots of students next year and I can't wait.
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