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Forgive Me Not
Forgive Me Not | Jennifer Baker
6 posts | 5 read | 3 to read
In this searing indictment of the juvenile justice system, one teen in detention weighs what she is willing to endure for forgiveness. All it took was one night and one bad decision for fifteen-year-old Violetta Chen-Samuels’ life to go off the rails. After driving drunk and causing the accident that kills her little sister, Violetta is incarcerated. Under the juvenile justice system, her fate lies in the hands of those she’s wronged—her family. With their forgiveness, she could go home. But without it? Well . . . Denied their forgiveness, Violetta is now left with two options, neither good—remain in juvenile detention for an uncertain sentence or participate in the Trials. The Trials are no easy feat, but if she succeeds, she could regain both her freedom and what she wants most of all: her family’s love. In her quest to prove her remorse, Violetta is forced to confront not only her family’s grief, but her own—and the question of whether their forgiveness is more important than forgiving herself.
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blurb
sakeriver
Forgive Me Not | Jennifer Baker
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For today‘s #ChannelOpenPod, writer and podcaster Jennifer Baker joins me for a conversation about her debut YA novel, Forgive Me Not!

Topics discussed:
• Writing about serious topics for younger readers
• How different systems of oppression affect her characters
• Finding inspiration in other art forms

Subscribe to Keep the Channel Open in your favorite podcast app, or visit keepthechannelopen.com for full episodes, transcripts, and show notes!

review
sakeriver
Forgive Me Not | Jennifer Baker
Pickpick

I thought this book worked really well both as a thought experiment about the American carceral system and as a coming-of-age and family story. It was interesting reading it as both someone who believes in prison abolition and who is a parent to teen and tween kids. The story rightly focuses on the kids in the family, but you get a strong feel for their parents and extended family, too. I‘d love to know how this story hits with teen readers.

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sakeriver
Forgive Me Not | Jennifer Baker
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review
lurkykitty
Forgive Me Not | Jennifer Baker
Pickpick

Forgive Me Not follows fifteen-year-old Violetta who has been incarcerated after her drunk driving killed her younger sister. Young offenders are subject to one of 3 outcomes: forgiveness and return home, a prison sentence, or undergoing Trials while incarcerated to earn forgiveness. “Trials“ were designed to improve upon a broken system, it's evident that the same biases remain: racism, sexism, class and privilege. Well written and heartrending.

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AshRaye
Forgive Me Not | Jennifer Baker
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Mehso-so

I'm about the middle of the road when it comes to this book. I enjoyed it, but at the same time, I don't have any strong feelings about it. I thought it was interesting and had a different perspective on things. But, I didn't care for some of the characters. I didn't really get into the book until around the middle, but by the end, I liked it a bit more. It was differently different from what I usually read, so mixing it up was nice.

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IheartYA
Forgive Me Not | Jennifer Baker
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Pickpick

This story was unique and very interesting. It felt dystopian but was realistic at the same time. I love Divergent and Hunger Games, and the reading about the Trials of Forgive Me Not gave me similar feels.

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