Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Robin Talley’s debut novel LIES WE TELL OURSELVES (Harlequin TEEN * October 2014; $17.99) is a fresh voice on the literary YA scene, with its profoundly moving story of finding your own truth, even when the whole world seems determined to silence you. Set during the tumultuous era of school desegregation, LIES WE TELL OURSELVES follows Sarah, one of the first black students at all-white Jefferson High School, and Linda, the daughter of a conservative newspaperman. Assigned to work together on a class project, the girls confront the hard truths about the world they live in: Sarah deals with racially-charged verbal and physical threats and Linda faces her volatile father and his domineering ways. And both girls come to terms with the notion that they may be falling for each other at a time when same-sex attraction was even more taboo than interracial friendship.

Decades after the story takes place, the issues in the novel are sadly relevant and still affect the lives of teens around the country. A thought-provoking, heart-rending and ultimately hopeful novel, LIES WE TELL OURSELVES will touch audiences in a profound way.

A Lambda Literary Fellow, Robin Talley grew up in Roanoke, VA, and now lives in Washington, DC, with her wife. When not writing or reading, Robin is planning communication strategies for a nonprofit that fights for equal rights. She brings her passion for words and for social justice to every page of LIES WE TELL OURSELVES.

LIES WE TELL OURSELVES is an ABA Indies Introduce New Voices pick for Fall 2014 and a 2014 BEA Buzz Book. October is LGBT History Month and Robin Talley would bring her expert and personal perspective to the conversation. Please let me know if you would like to receive a review copy, set up an interview, and/or host a giveaway for LIES WE TELL OURSELVES. Both NetGalley and physical ARCs are available.

Review:
 Tackling issues of race and prejudice, this book takes on the issues that we all claim to avoid but are still truly evident in today's society. It has got to be tough in in a world that promotes straight relationships when you know you are attracted to the same sex. Especially in a time where this is not accepted at all and people in general get physically violent when they learn of these things.

I liked the approach at the civil rights movement that is presented in this book to portray what is going on in this time of history. It was nice having a fresh perspective on the same topic that has been written about a thousand times over. I realize that there is a lot of writing on same sex relationships these days but not a lot exists or talks about these feelings earlier in history. Another nice aspect of the novel is that it is pretty accurate for how the LGBT movement was. All in all, this is a great book that tackles many topics and all types of readers are sure to enjoy it.   

Reviewed by Chris

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