Publishers Weekly
★ 10/31/2022
Biracial (Black and white) high school senior Avery Anderson abruptly relocates from Washington, D.C., to Bardell, Ga., to help care for her terminally ill, estranged Black maternal grandmother, Mama Letty. But the strenuous relationship between Avery’s mother and Mama Letty makes it difficult for Avery to get to know her grandmother, whose behavior toward Avery feels increasingly cold and hostile. Avery soon meets stunning next-door neighbor Simone, who is Black, and her friend Jade, white heiress to a downtown hotel. While exploring Bardell, Avery develops a crush on Simone, who she feels is “made of sunflowers.” When Mama Letty begins opening up about her life and Avery’s grandfather, Avery is heartened by this budding bond and connection to her heritage, and the more she learns about her family, the quicker she comes to grips with the town’s deep interpersonal connections. Hammonds’s deliberate prose crafts an expertly fleshed-out cast and a lushly described setting to thoughtfully examine questions of mortality and identity. This remarkable debut explores multigenerational trauma and how its effects leave severe wounds on the present while resonating into the future, making for a heartrending tale. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary and Media. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
2023 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent Winner
A Kirkus Best Books of 2022
A School and Library Journal Best Book of 2022
A B&N Best Book of 2022
A Parents Magazine Best Books of 2022
People magazine's Best Children's Books of 2022
"An absolute must read." —Buzzfeed
"A gripping portrayal of the South's inherent racism and a love story for queer Black girls." —Teen Vogue
"We Deserved Monuments gives us a complex and deeply injured family, and shows a path to healing." —NPR
"Hammonds seamlessly weaves together mystery, romance, and a town’s racist history, crafting a gripping and emotional story. A love story—romantic and familial—that is a must-read." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"[An] absolutely stunning debut. . . . Written from a place of love and healing, Hammonds' definitive standout will stay with readers." —Booklist, starred review
"A breathtaking exploration of vital issues wrapped up in a mystery, challenging readers to reexamine their own truths. A must-purchase for all libraries serving high school readers." —School Library Journal, starred review
"An expertly fleshed-out cast and a lushly described setting [that] thoughtfully examine questions of mortality and identity. This remarkable debut explores multigenerational trauma and how its effects leave severe wounds on the present while resonating into the future, making for a heartrending tale." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Life, identity, love, death—it’s all here. We Deserve Monuments marks a noteworthy debut from a writer paving her own literary future. " —BookPage, starred review
"Hammonds's debut is an outstanding. . . . When [all] truths are finally revealed, the abundance of heart-wrenching revelations will surely leave engrossed readers catching their breath." —Shelf Awareness, starred review
"Dynamic and astonishing." —Horn Book Magazine
"We Deserve Monuments is an absolutely beautiful achievement. I felt this book in my heart, in my very marrow itself." —Christina Hammonds Reed, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Kids
"We Deserve Monuments is an exquisite story about the value of family, the danger of long-held secrets, and the beauty of first love. I can't wait to read everything Jas Hammonds writes." —Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of The Voting Booth and Little & Lion
"A breathtaking debut that explores love and family in a tender, honest way, with beautiful writing and a mystery that grabs you to the end." —Kim Johnson, bestselling author of This Is My America
"This is a powerful, quaking meditation on generational trauma that effortlessly blends the South's honeyed sunshine with its rotten secrets. Hammonds has written a blazing debut." —Kelly Quindlen, bestselling author of She Drives Me Crazy and Her Name in the Sky
"We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds is a beautifully poignant novel. Readers will be drawn into Avery’s story as she discovers long-hidden truths about her family and navigates young love, ultimately finding herself in the process. This was an amazing read!" —Maika & Maritza Moulite, authors of Dear Haiti, Love Alaine and One of the Good Ones
"We Deserve Monuments is at once tender and riveting, drawing you in with its sweetness before sinking in its teeth and never letting go. Hammonds has crafted a profound story about family, history, and the burden of secrets, leaving no stone unturned or truth unexamined in this sincere debut." —Kyrie McCauley, award-winning author of We Can Be Heroes and If These Wings Could Fly
"Jas Hammonds’ new book is stunning, and makes for essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the generational trauma of racist violence in the South." –LitHub
"A pull-your-heart-out-with-its-teeth novel. . .[these] characters feel like real people, and so their big love, aches, and humor feel real too. Though the prose, plot, themes, and characters are expertly executed, Avery, the protagonist, carries the voice. Queer kids, Black kids, biracial kids — and everyone else — will find so much of themselves in her." –Chicago Review of Books
“I don't know how Jas Hammonds managed to weave so many beautiful, intricate layers into this story, but We Deserve Monuments is an absolute stunner. An intergenerational mystery, a tribute to first love, and one of the best YA books I've read in the last decade.” –Nicole Brinkley, Oblong Books, Rhinebeck, NY
“A phenomenal and emotionally captivating debut that weaves together small town secrecy, intersectional identity, and America's violent history into one stunning, poignant, and sure-to-be influential novel. The kind of book that will keep you up until 2 AM – or at least, it did for me.” —Andrew King, Secret Garden Bookshop, Seattle, WA
“This is the kind of book that will take root in your heart and never leave. I flew through this story of generational trauma and queer girl-next-door love with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Trust me when I say you need this book!” —Kassie King, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, MO
School Library Journal
★ 11/01/2022
Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old biracial teen Avery (Black and white) has just broken up with her girlfriend and best friend of five years after too many ugly racist microaggressions, leaving her with a sense of relief at ditching such a toxic relationship. The frantic pace of school and looming early admissions application to Georgetown are put on hold when she follows her parents to small-town Bardell, GA, to care for her dying maternal grandmother, Mama Letty, whom she has never met. Racial tensions and mystery abound in this community, piling rumors on half-truths, keeping Avery's head spinning while searching for someone to explain the facts. She tries to navigate her mother's vicious relationship with Mama Letty, deeply hurt by the never-ending hostility and bitterness between them. Unexpected friendships with two local girls offer Avery new perspectives and opportunities. Ultimately, Avery must choose her own path, find her unique voice, and balance the facts of people's messy histories with the good they do. This book pulls no punches, delving deeply into racial tensions, whitewashing of ugly truths, homophobia, and justice left undone. Yet, there is a lightness, humor, and catharsis for characters and readers despite the heavy subject matter. VERDICT Hammonds delivers a breathtaking exploration of vital issues wrapped up in a mystery, challenging readers to reexamine their own truths. A must-purchase for all libraries serving high school readers.—Kristen Rademacher
NOVEMBER 2022 - AudioFile
Tamika Katon-Donegal poignantly defines the characters who enter the world of 17-year-old biracial, queer Avery one summer. Avery is uprooted from her home in DC and moved to the small Georgia town where her grandmother, Mama Letty, is terminally ill. Immediately, she addresses numerous challenges. The first is clearly defined by Katon-Donegal’s portrayal of the cantankerous Mama Letty, who hints at tensions in the family’s past. Avery herself is recovering from the cruelty of her ex-girlfriend. Katon-Donegal demonstrates the welcoming, sensitive relationships she establishes with her new Southern friends, one of which evolves into romance, despite community prejudice. Katon-Donegal expresses just the right amount of racial tension, along with the mix of comfort and terror that Avery experiences. S.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-08-03
Avery and her parents move to her mom’s hometown to care for her ailing grandma.
Lately 17-year-old Avery feels like she needs a change of scenery, a break from Washington, D.C., and her singular focus on early admittance to Georgetown. When Avery’s mom, Zora, learns her mother is dying from cancer, she decides to move back home. After more than a decade away, Zora is not wholeheartedly embraced by Mama Letty. As a queer, biracial teen—Avery’s mom is Black, and her dad is White—Avery’s welcome in rural Bardell County, Georgia, population 9,127, is just as cold. Avery tries to understand what caused the rift between her mom and Mama Letty and what happened to her grandfather, but both women are reluctant to share. Avery befriends the pretty Black girl next door and the rich White girl whose family runs everything, and she discovers Bardell County is full of buried secrets. As in most small towns, everything and everyone is connected, and debut author Hammonds skillfully unpeels each layer of intrigue, keeping readers engaged until the last page. The tension between Mama Letty and Zora is complex and deep-seated, and the generational trauma revealed throughout is beautifully explored. Hammonds seamlessly weaves together mystery, romance, and a town’s racist history, crafting a gripping and emotional story.
A love story—romantic and familial—that is a must-read. (Fiction. 14-18)
