whitneydaniell

by: Tiffany D. Jackson
published: Jan 24, 2017
genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction
416 Pages, Paperback
GoodReads Link

> > Here is an article about a true story that this story is loosely based on. LINK < <

I’m on a Tiffany D. Jackson binge and don’t regret it. I waited with bated breath as I turned every page because I needed to know! I NEEDED TO KNOW.

Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?

There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?

GoodReads

I. Characters

The story is told from a singular point of view, that of Mary Addison a then 10-year-old young girl accused of killing a baby. In present-day, Mary is fifteen, just ahead of her 16th birthday. Mary has gone through enough trauma and drama in her life, she hasn’t had it easy, yet here she is.

After her manslaughter conviction, Mary spends years in what she calls “baby jail” where they keep her in solitary confinement for her safety – or so they say. From there, for the entire story, Mary is in a group home with other young women who have been convicted of serious crimes.

Mary is a bright young lady, smart beyond her years, and with every page, I was rooting for her. The other girls in the group home made her life a living hell. Her mother is no support for her and she is not a safe space for her to run to. Mary was an island out on her own without direction and lacking the support that she needs to make it in this world and because of that, Mary shut down, speaking very few words to the point where people assumed she was ‘mute’. I felt for Mary, in a world that gave up on her and made her give up on herself.

Ms. Cora is a lawyer who is helping Mary overturn her conviction. Five stars just for Ms. Cora alone! Tiffany, write a book about her and the other people she’s helped.

Ms. Claire is Mary’s SAT tutor. Everyone needs a Ms. Clarie!!

Winters and Ted can fu*k right off, along with all the girls in the home.

Mrs. Dawn Worthington, Mary’s mother, also needs a book. I have so many questions. Questions I can’t ask here without spoiling her story or the book. It’s been many years now, Tiffany… I need a book.

II. The Story / Plot

This is a riveting story, and I don’t know how to sum it up. Forgiveness is such a significant undertone of this story: forgiving yourself and others. Mary is innocent, and how could the news and media convict this child in the court of public opinion? Why didn’t they look deeper? Why did they assume?

I don’t want to spoil it so, just read it!

III. The Writing

I have nothing bad to say about Jackson’s writing. Spectacular as always.

Final Thought: Read it. This has been my favorite book from Tiffany D. Jackson thus far.