Review Detail

We Deserve Monuments follows Avery, a lesbian, biracial high school senior who moves to her mother's small Georgia hometown with her parents to help her dying grandmother, Mama Letty. She doesn't know Mama Letty and barely remembers her. Her mother and grandmother start fighting almost as soon as they arrive, and Avery is determined to discover their secrets and end the hostility.
Avery initially resolves to complete her senior year with no involvement or drama, but makes two friends, one of whom becomes a love interest.
This book is a deeply complex character-driven story which navigates intergenerational trauma, the ugliness of southern racism, white privilege, homophobia, police brutality, female friendships, family secrets, and identity.
This coming-of-age debut novel is beautifully written, powerful, emotional, gripping and utterly heartrending. We Deserve Monuments deserves awards. Thank you to BookishFirst for a copy to review.