Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now

After African-American 16-year-old Tiffany’s mother dies, she is sent to live with a father she’s never met. Suddenly, she has a white stepmother, four new sisters, and a father, Anthony, so strict he’s nearly abusive. Anthony challenges everything that helps Tiffany feel like herself—her hairstyle, her love of music, her atheism (he is a Jehovah’s Witness and wants Tiffany to convert), her friends, and even her OCD and anxiety medication. Tiffany has no idea how to fit into her new situation; worse still, she encounters bigotry at every turn at her new L.A. private school. And in a further twist, Anthony might not be her father after all. Through Tiffany’s experiences, debut author Davis takes an unflinching approach to racism, religion, emotional abuse, and mental illness. Tiffany’s circumstances are nightmarish, but the narrative isn’t weighed down, in large part because of her integrity, passion, and refusal to be self-pitying. Perhaps too generously, Davis humanizes Anthony, portraying him as flawed but not irredeemable. It’s a brave narrative choice that speaks to the story’s focus on how family, in all its forms, is an ever-evolving work in progress. Ages 14–up. [em]Agent: Uwe Stender, TriadaUS Literary Agency. (May) [/em]