 Julie Hoffman | October is here and your fall reading list is about to get another great YA Lit recommendation! The picks for this month will be brought to us by educator and academic Julie Hoffman. She kicks things off this week with a page-turning thriller by Tiffany D. Jackson. Julie Hoffman is an educator with Springfield Public Schools and an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Springfield. Her research interests include urban education, empathy, social and emotional learning, young adult and children’s literature. She believes that young adult literature and poetry can be a message of perseverance and hope and believes that we thrive when we invest in ourselves and others. |
The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson
“Maybe I am making a mistake, just like everyone has said. Maybe it’s not too late to jump on the next train, back to what I know, what’s familiar, what’s safe. But there is something inside me so hard it could crack teeth if you tried to bite it. So empty that the air smelled old, carrying the echoes of heartbreak and grief. If I don’t go . . . it may never soften.”
 | Jordyn is enrolled in pre-law at an HBCU (I’m getting Howard University vibes). She shares a suite with three other girls. Everything is cool until Devonte, the brother of one of Jordyn’s roommates arrives on campus. He is just out of prison and needs somewhere to stay . . . just until he gets something together for himself. Good thing he is charming and has lots of friendly advice to help out the young college students, right? Devonte takes care of everything. He cleans. He cooks. He speaks up about injustice and inequities, schooling the girls on Black history. He is charming, influential, and quick with advice, encouraging the girls toward success, at least it seems so at first. His helpfulness eventually starts to look more sinister, like control. And quite possibly something worse. |
When one of the roommates goes missing, Jordyn starts to realize that she will need to protect herself—from Devonte and from the girls who have been finessed by him, and they are really taken in by him. Really.
| Tiffany D. Jackson does it again. The Scammer is a page-turner, a thriller, and a book that addresses some social issues TDJ-style. If you have read Allegedly, Monday’s Not Coming, Grown, The Weight of Blood, or any of her thrillers, you know what to expect—that you should come into the story not knowing what to expect. You never know what kinds of twists and turns Ms. Jackson might weave into her tales. You can also count on it that Ms. Jackson will touch on race and justice in a way that affirms those who know and understand and challenges those who are ready for new realizations. Tiffany D. Jackson is a master story-teller, and The Scammer will take you on quite a journey. The Scammer will be available in bookstores on Tuesday, October 7th, and is available for pre-order right now. Don’t miss out! |  Tiffany D. Jackson |
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