Patrisse Khan-Cullers narrates the audiobook for her YA adaptation of her biography. Starting with her formative years, family, and the development of her chosen family, Patrisse reflects on her journey to become an organizer and activist and tracing the experiences and people that helped shape her beliefs. Woven with broader historical events and the founding and growth of Black Lives Matter, the book follows Patrisse's life through the election of Donald Trump in 2016. ( )

RGG: Honest, intense, revealing, motivating memoir. Not sure though what has been omitted or changed to make this the Young Adult version. Much of the memoir takes places when Ms. Khan-Cullors is an adult in relationships and then married and having a child. Reading Interest: YA-Adult.

RGG: Honest, intense, revealing, motivating memoir. Not sure though what has been omitted or changed to make this the Young Adult version. Much of the memoir takes places when Ms. Khan-Cullors is an adult in relationships and then married and having a child. Reading Interest: YA-Adult.

RGG: Honest, intense, revealing, motivating memoir. Not sure though what has been omitted or changed to make this the Young Adult version. Much of the memoir takes places when Ms. Khan-Cullors is an adult in relationships and then married and having a child. Reading Interest: YA-Adult.

"In this young readers’ adaptation of the 2018 original, a Black Lives Matter co-founder recounts growing up in a society that sought to punish her mere existence.

Using journal entries, Khan-Cullors recalls with sometimes excruciating detail finding and developing aspects of herself that would cumulatively create her identity. From stories of her biological and chosen family to her wider community, the writing overflows with honesty, compassion, courage, and love. The many unjust interactions she and her community have had with law enforcement make for a heart-wrenching read. Still, the author and activist maintains a message of action-based hope, life-sustaining love, and community support. With assistance from co-author bandele, a noted writer and journalist, Khan-Cullors shares private and public challenges and victories. Readers will understand and connect the traumas experienced by Black people in America for centuries, from Jim Crow to the war on drugs to modern-day slavery in the form of the prison system. Most importantly, the authors share principles and beliefs that speak to what is needed to facilitate and achieve necessary changes to a blood-stained, toxic, fatal disease of American society. Part memoir, part call to action, the message is clear: Black Lives Matter despite systems and inhumane practices that say otherwise. Questions for readers at the end of each chapter will prompt discussion and awakening and even inspire action.

A gripping, much-needed memoir about a Black woman, a movement, and people fighting for freedom denied. (recommended reading and viewing) (Memoir. 14-18)" From Kirkus, www.kirkusreviews.com