Saints of the household

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Title :

Saints of the household / Ari Tison.

Title:

Saints of the household

Author:

Tison, Ari

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

312 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

ISBN:

9780374389499

Production / Publication Information:

New York : Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2023.

Summary:

When brothers Max and Jay help a classmate in trouble, they struggle with the consequences of their violent actions and worry they may be more like their abusive father than they thought, so the brothers turn to their Bribri roots to find their way forward.

Target audience note:

Ages 14-18.

Language:

English

Genre:

Novels.

Subject Term:

Brothers -- Juvenile fiction.

Violence -- Juvenile fiction.

Fathers and sons -- Juvenile fiction.

Costa Rican Americans -- Juvenile fiction.

Bribri Indians -- Juvenile fiction.

Indians of Central America -- Costa Rica -- Juvenile fiction.

Indigenous peoples -- Costa Rica -- Juvenile fiction.

Brothers -- Fiction.

Behavior -- Fiction.

Violence -- Fiction.

Fathers and sons -- Fiction.

Costa Rican Americans -- Fiction.

Bribri Indians -- Fiction.

Indians of Central America -- Costa Rica -- Fiction.

JUVENILE FICTION / General.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library	TEEN FICTION TISON	31330009320163	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Amesbury Public Library	YA FIC TISON	32114002794262	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Billerica Public Library	YA/TISON	33934004620481	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	Y/FIC/TISON	31480011652887	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Georgetown Peabody Library	YA FIC TISON	32120001427846	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groton Public Library	YA TISON	37003701968555	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groveland - Langley-Adams Library	YA FIC TISON	32121000954848	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Hamilton-Wenham Public Library	Y TIS	30470002080900	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	YA/TISON A	31479007608564	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lawrence Public Library	FIC TIS YA	31549004984083	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lowell - Pollard Memorial Library	YA FIC TISON	31481005710616	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Methuen - Nevins Memorial Library	YA TIS	31548003472363	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Reading - Flint Memorial Library	YA FIC TISON	31550002602339	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Rockport Public Library	YA FIC TISON	32129002570900	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Salisbury Public Library	YA FIC TISON	32131000995626	Searching... Unknown
New books	Searching... Tewksbury Public Library	TEEN FICTION TISON	32132003379982	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Topsfield Town Library	YA TISON	32133002685536	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... West Newbury - G.A.R. Memorial Library	YA TIS	32135001592191	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	YA F TISON	31990005263491	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Wilmington Memorial Library	TEEN TISON	32136003605429	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Winner of the Pura Belpré Award and Walter Dean Myers Award for Young Adult Literature!

Saints of the Household is a haunting contemporary YA about an act of violence in a small-town--beautifully told by a debut Indigenous Costa Rican-American writer--that will take your breath away.

Max and Jay have always depended on one another for their survival. Growing up with a physically abusive father, the two Bribri American brothers have learned that the only way to protect themselves and their mother is to stick to a schedule and keep their heads down.

But when they hear a classmate in trouble in the woods, instinct takes over and they intervene, breaking up a fight and beating their high school's star soccer player to a pulp. This act of violence threatens the brothers' dreams for the future and their beliefs about who they are. As the true details of that fateful afternoon unfold over the course of the novel, Max and Jay grapple with the weight of their actions, their shifting relationship as brothers, and the realization that they may be more like their father than they thought. They'll have to reach back to their Bribri roots to find their way forward.

Told in alternating points of view using vignettes and poems, debut author Ari Tison crafts an emotional, slow-burning drama about brotherhood, abuse, recovery, and doing the right thing.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 8 Up--A heartrending, contemporary debut novel about the repercussions of trauma and the healing power of family and art. Bribri American brothers Jay and Max (who are Indigenous Costa Rican) are reeling from the act of physical violence they perpetrated against the town's beloved soccer star. When they witnessed Luca stepping angrily toward their cousin Nicole and forcefully grabbing her arm in the Minnesota woods, the brothers instinctively beat him up. They've experienced physical abuse at the hands of their father and witnessed him doing the same to their mother. Max finds refuge in his art and a budding romance, while Jay burrows deeply into himself, occasionally finding respite in Nicole and his grandfather, who shares his love of reading and nature. However, the brothers become estranged. The chapters in this ruminative, dual perspective work are short. Jay's are written in prose vignettes; Max's are done in spare free verse. Tison's (Bribri) masterly economy of language--every word and even punctuation mark is chosen for a specific purpose--presents this compelling story of a family smashed to pieces by violence. The novel searingly depicts PTSD's strong hold--how every aspect of life is dictated by the fear of where the next fist is going to land, and how living so deeply in that circle of pain permeates every aspect of one's identity. Their problems aren't solved, but the siblings find peace in their small victories. Nicole is Anishinaabe, and Luca has some Mexican heritage. VERDICT Violence can be inherited but so can love and forgiveness. This vulnerable and magnetic tale of brotherhood belongs on every shelf.--Shelley M. Diaz

Kirkus Review

Haunted by the specter of violence, two Bribri American brothers contend with their hang-ups and each other as their senior year of high school concludes. Two weeks have passed since the incident in the Minnesotan woods when Indigenous Costa Rican brothers Jay and Max brutally beat up Luca, the school's star soccer player, in defense of their cousin Nicole. The brothers are now social pariahs among their peers, enduring counseling sessions to get their lives back on track. At home, daily life remains the same under their father's brutal hand, leading them to take shifts to ensure that their mother isn't left unprotected. A rift soon festers between the brothers, who are only 11 months apart in age. Book-smart Jay rebuilds his friendship with Nicole, keeps a cautious eye on Luca, and tries to hold himself together for his mom, all to the detriment of his homework. Meanwhile, Max remains dedicated to securing a spot at his dream art school and embarking on a secret relationship with classmate Melody, consciously trying to avoid Jay's dragging him down or problems at home from stunting the rest of his life. In this striking, assured debut exhibiting a measured pace and delicate writing, Tison (Bribri) probes the ties of adolescent brotherhood and ways the effects of violence can stall self-directed growth. The author peels apart each brother's bruised psyche by ingeniously rotating among Jay's tense vignettes, Max's wistful verses, and Bribri cultural elements to underscore their anguished journey to reconciliation. Remarkably compelling. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

After beating up the school's soccer star for assaulting their cousin, brothers Jay and Max are suspended from school and assigned to mandatory counseling. Unbeknownst to everyone outside their household, this act of violence wasn't an isolated affair. They and their mother have learned to live under the threat of their father's rage, stoked by tough economic conditions and alcohol abuse. As the brothers deal with their father's legacy, they must consider how their relationships with their parents, community, and, most important, each other have inexorably changed. Though sparked by an incident of violence, the story itself is a quiet, soulful exploration of how young men process the often-stark realities they live in. The character notes are subtle and nuanced, with dual POVs that reflect the brothers' outlooks--grounded Jay in thoughtful prose vignettes and artistic Max in emotionally charged verse. The brothers' Bribri (Indigenous Costa Rican) heritage is showcased in the book (Tison is also Bribri), offering tradition as a way for Jay to quell the anger he harbors inside himself. A thoughtful, solid debut.