Lies We Tell Ourselves: Winner of the 2016 Inaugural Amnesty Honour

by Robin Talley

***SHORTLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL 2016*** ***WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL AMNESTY CILIP HONOUR 2016***

Lie #1: I'm not afraid

Lie #2: I'm sure I'm doing the right thing

Lie #3: I don't care what they think of me

It’s 1959. The battle for civil rights is raging. And it’s Sarah’s first day of school as one of the first black students at previously all-white Jefferson High.

No one wants Sarah there. Not the Governor. Not the teachers. And certainly not the students – especially Linda, daughter of the town’s most ardent segregationist.

Sarah and Linda are supposed to despise each other. But the more time they spend together, the less their differences matter. And both girls start to feel something they’ve never felt before. Something they’re determined to ignore.

Because it’s one thing to stand up to an unjust world – but another to be terrified of what’s in your own heart.

‘The main characters are terrific in what is a moving YA novel. And an important one.’ – The Telegraph’

This is so thought-provoking it almost hurts to read it, yet every word is needed, is necessary and consequently this is a novel that lingers long after you've finished it' – Lovereading

‘This is an emotional and compelling read that I did not want to put down. It is […]beautifully written and the tension just simmers on the pages.’ – Bookbabblers

‘This book packs a very powerful punch’ – Historical Novel Society

‘With great characterisation, tough issues covered, and a plot which had me guessing right up until the last pages, this is a must-read. Massively recommended!’ – The Bookbag

‘This exceptional novel of first love and sexual awakenings is set against a backdrop of shocking racism and prejudice. It is incredibly well written as the tense, riveting story seamlessly combines fiction with historical fact.’ – Booktrust

*A Goodreads Choice Awards semi-finalist 2014*

• ISBN13: 9781848452923
• Publish Date: 3 October 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Mira Ink
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[girlinthepages]

Lies We Tell Ourselves is one of the hardest-to-read books I've encountered in a while, and rightfully so. It chronicles school segregation in the south in the 1950s, a time when racism was at its ugliest and most obvious, and cruelty was currency to be used in establishing one's place in the racial social hierarchy. Watching Sarah and her peers have to deal with such blatant and intense harassment, and for them to have to just take the bullying for the sake of the greater good of segregation, made my blood boil, especially to think that this wasn't THAT long ago in history. The entirety of the novel I spent reading with my heart in my throat, waiting for the other shoe to drop, as I knew it was inevitable that something truly brutal would happen. However, often times the books that are the most difficult to read are the most important, and the fact that this novel evoked such a strong reaction from me means it did its job in portraying the horrors that belong to this era in history.

Lies We Tell Ourselves also deals with other social issues, such as gender and LGBTQ relationships. I appreciated seeing Linda, the daughter of a staunch anti-segregationist, struggle with the conflicting beliefs she held (claiming she wasn't a racist but also believed in segregation, etc.) and seeing that while she was priveleged to be white, she faced many forms of oppression still for being female. This novel did a great job of showing the intersectionality of multiple systems of oppression. However, while this intersectionality is a strength of the novel I also think it is a bit of a weakness, as I felt the plot points surrounding sexual orientation at times overshadowed the story line regarding race and desegregation, and I wish that the book had chosen to give a majority of focus to one of these issues rather than try to juggle both, as it didn't have the capacity to do so.

Overall: A strong read about a very important time in American history told from multiple female points of view. This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[Leah]

Truth #1: I'm terrified to write this review, because there's not a chance on Earth I will be able to do this amazing book justice. I picked this book up in a whim from the library, it was among others being highlighted and I liked the sound of it, so I got it. And I didn't expect the book to have such an impact on me that it had! The only other book I've read set during this time was The Help by Kathryn Stockett (which is one of my absolute favourite books, ever) and the two novels are completely different, mind. Though they both made me feel the same: that coloured people were treated so poorly back then. I mean it's hardly FANTASTIC now, over 50 years later, but back then? It makes me want to cry. To see how Sarah and the others were treated made me want to sob my heart out.

Not only is the book set in the time of black students integrating with white students, but it's clear that, despite the fact their skin colour is different, Sarah and Linda have some kind of connection, and that's what kept me reading, because they just wound each other up something chronic, but it made the book spark to life, to see them arguing and both of them thinking they were right. Of course it was also infuriating that they had to argue over whether black people should be allowed to go to school with white people. I long for the world where people are just people, not judged by their race, sexual orientation, gender, anything. (Will we ever get there is the question, mind.)

I raced through Lies We Tell Ourselves, putting it down only at midnight because I had to work the next day and if I hadn't gone to bed I would have finished the novel in the wee small hours and most likely have been the worst grump ever the next day. I honestly can't do this book justice, but it moved me, and I really, really think that you should just READ THIS BOOK. OKAY? Just read it.

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

I had heard so much praise about Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley, that there was no way I was going to miss out on what sounded like a really amazing story. The praise was well earned; this book is just fantastic!

It's 1959, and black students are integrating into Jefferson High School for the first time. Sarah Dunbar is one of the first to step through the school doors, and, along with the others, is met by the angry white students of the school, hurling abuse. The next several months are hard for the students as they receive abuse and violence every day. But Sarah hopes to change at least one person's mind; Linda Hairston, daughter of one of the leading men against desegregation. Linda believes the black students are ruining the Southern way of life, that black and white people were meant to be segregated, but finds herself horrified by the treatment of the black students at the hands of her fellow white students. The two girls soon realise they're feeling things for each other, something that might be worse than black students at a white school.

Lies We Tell Ourselves is an absolutely incredible story! Reminded me of the movie The Butler, and like The Butler, made me feel sick and ashamed of the things we white people did to black people. Sarah is unbelievable. The things she and the other black students have to deal with on a daily basis is unreal, yet she always walks tall. I seriously don't think I could hackk having things thrown at me, being spat on, and having vicious insults shouted at me all day - especially as the teachers ignore it all. It's absolutely heartbreaking to see all these students fall prey to such abuse, and knowing there's nothing anyone can really do about it, not if they want to survive - because lives are most definitely on the line. Sarah has such courage and strength in the face of it all; even when she's scared and wants to run, she confronts it head on. Her younger sister Ruth is just brilliant too; she can't always keep quiet and will respond to the taunts, which is so dangerous. She has some serious chutzpah!

Linda doesn't hurl insults or spitballs. For her, although she doesn't like the oblack people who have integrated into her school, it's less about racism and more about disrupting their way of life, the way things have always been. She feels they should have had more time to adapt and prepare, rather than have the court rulling on integration forced on them, having the black pupils "forcing" their way into her school. Linda's a smart girl, which makes it worse because of her flawed logic. She's wrong, but her thoughts and opinions go further than, "I don't like you because you're different." Her views made me so angry, it was so frustrating to read her thinking these things and just not getting it. It scared me to think about who I would be if I had lived back then, brought up with those ideals. I don't like to think of it. But it's awesome to see Linda's growth over the course of the story, how her arguments with Sarah get her thinking, really thinking, for herself rather than parroting everything she has been taught.

The LGBTQ aspect of the story was interesting. It's a big part of the story, a huge part, but is secondary to the whole desegregation of Jefferson High. Feelings for members of the same sex is wrong in the eyes of God. It's wrong just to have feelings for other girls, let alone girl who is also a person of colour. Seeing the feelings between the two grow is lovely; it's really sweet and innocent, but not so great to see them doubting themselves. It's less about the two of them and more about Sarah and Linda working out their individual identities at a time when so much is "wrong".

A brave, powerful, and emotional story, Lies We Tell Ourselves is a fantastic debut novel, and Robin Talley is now one of my automatic must-read authors! You must read this book!

Thank you to Mira Ink for the review copy.

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Beautifully written and incredibly brave, [b:Lies We Tell Ourselves|20579291|Lies We Tell Ourselves|Robin Talley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396886699s/20579291.jpg|21561215], is an emotionally captivating novel that will stay with readers long after the last page has been read. Set during a tumultuous time of hatred, intolerance, and ignorance this book sheds light on the truth amidst a web of lies. The sheer amount of courage, bravery, and determination these two young women possess as they endure all they have to go through is incredibly inspiring and hopeful in so many ways. This book moved me in so many ways, that it will definitely be an unforgettable read. It made me angry, it made me cry, and it gave me hope that things can start to change for the better. As I sat there reading, I felt transfixed to the story that was being told and I felt ashamed that the things that were happening, do still continue to happen in today's society.

Two young women, who are as different as night and day, have grown up in two different worlds. As their world's begin to collide, a lot more than sparks begin to ignite between them. Linda is a privileged white girl and Sarah is one of the first African American girls to set foot in an all-white privileged school. It's hard to find anything likable about Linda in the first half of the book, but at the same time you begin to realize that you can't necessarily blame her for her attitude. It's an attitude that is learned from her parents, her peers, and their parents as well. In some ways, as you read through her story, you will start to understand that she's just as much a victim in her own way as Sarah is.

Growing up in a home where she is ignored by her father and often times criticized as well as repressed, Linda knows there is something different about her and she's terrified of it. She is terrified of change and to speak out against it, but once she meets Sarah and the two argue constantly as much as they get to know one another in all of the little ways that counts, she begins to realize that maybe what she's been taught to believe isn't right and that change starts within and only you can do that for yourself if you're brave enough. The way she's been taught to view the world starts to make less sense to her and you can start to see the changes in her attitude shift slowly throughout the story being told.

Sarah is this amazingly strong, beautiful, talented, and courageously brave young African American woman who is attending this all-white privileged school. The strength she possesses is awe-inspiring and incredibly amazing, in the face of what she has to go through as she attends this school that doesn't want her or anyone of her kind there. Despite the number of times the rest of the students that attend this school try and make her existence there as miserable as possible, Sarah stands up to it and she endures it, and she never lets it break her. She's not afraid to speak her mind, when she witnesses the injustice that happens to the rest of the African American students that have integrated and she does everything humanly possible to protect her younger sister Ruth, so that she doesn't have to endure it to the extremes that she has herself.

[b:Lies We Tell Ourselves|20579291|Lies We Tell Ourselves|Robin Talley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396886699s/20579291.jpg|21561215] is an eye-opening, heartbreaking, and beautifully written novel that will leave an everlasting impression on you. The courage and integrity that went into this story, is incredibly awe-inspiring that it will leave you feeling all of the emotions as you try and sort through them. There is a definite need for more books like these written in both the YA and NA world of literature. It doesn't just touch on what it was like during the Civil Rights movement, when integration was first coming into existence and it doesn't just touch on racism, it also touches on LGBTQ rights as well. [a:Robin Talley|6469490|Robin Talley|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1357074650p2/6469490.jpg] did a marvelous job at showing us how these two beautiful young women navigated the muddy waters of integration and dealing with the fact that they are both attracted to girls instead of boys, let alone each other. I find it incredibly hard to put into words how much I enjoyed reading this book and just how inspired I was by it.

There were just so many incredibly sad moments that broke my heart into a million pieces and some truly wonderful surprises within the pages of this beautiful book, that I know without a doubt is a story that will stay with me forever. It is something that made me stop and think twice, as I read all of the horrible miserable things that Sarah endure and as I sat there trying to understand where Linda was coming from. There were also some incredibly powerful moments within the story as well, that can and will offer hope to anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation. I don't know how and I honestly don't know why just yet, but I feel as if there are some wonderful healing power contained within the pages of this book. This is a book that I would love to see as assigned reading curriculum in schools nation-wide, because I believe it is that important.

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

Tatum read Lies We Tell Ourselves back in the autumn, and I had been wanting to read it for the longest time. I love historical fiction, and the Civil Rights Movement isn't a topic that I've touched upon in fiction before, so I was very excited to read this book. Not to mention it's also LGBT and the two main female characters fall in love. I absolutely devoured this book, as I knew that I would! 

Lies We Tell Ourselves alternates between two points of view: Sarah, a black girl who is one of the first students in Virginia to join a previously all-white school, and Linda, one of the white students whose father is aggressively against desegregation. The perspectives are very different, of course, but I very much enjoyed (as much as you can enjoy such a book) reading both Sarah and Linda's chapters.

I wasn't expecting to like Linda as much as I did, considering she is racist and bullies Sarah, at least in the beginning. I was shocked to discover that I really did like her, both as a person and as a character, and that had a lot to do with her home life, I think. Her father is a supporter of segregation, and it's clear that he has abused and brainwashed his daughter. Not to mention that Linda desperately wants to impress her father, and so she often adopts his point of view without questioning it. This, I think, is a huge issue with a lot of children and teenagers. They spend so much time with their parents and haven't yet experienced much of the outside world that they are often told what they should think. So I got it. And I loved Linda so much because she slowly starts to realise that those opinions and her actions are wrong, and it's the best character progression ever.

Sarah absolutely broke my heart, and I kind of hated reading her chapters at some points because she was treated so horribly in her new school. It was uncomfortable and disturbing, and it made my skin crawl when I thought about how many black people were (and still are) treated so much worse than Sarah and her friends were. Sarah's character progression is more subtle than Linda's, but it is still just as important and it captivated me.

The love story between Sarah and Linda was wonderful and subtle and yet still in your face enough that you didn't forget who these characters were and how they were feeling. It felt totally natural, and it brought a brilliant edge to an already fantastically heartfelt story.

I was quite surprised when I didn't cry while reading Lies We Tell Ourselves, because we all know how I am with the crying thing. My tear ducts are broken, I swear. I managed to hold back the tears when I finished the book at work, but I was thinking about it all afternoon and was struggling to focus on my work (don't tell anyone).

Lies We Tell Ourselves is one of those books that stick with you for a long time after you put them down. I want Robin Talley to write LGBT historical fiction forever because she's certainly talented, and the amount of research that went into this story is impressive. Definitely pick this up next time you're in the mood for a great, emotional read.

[ellieroth]

También en: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Desde hace un buen tiempo busco personajes diferentes en mis lecturas, y los he encontrado mayormente en libros europeos, libros que por alguna razón son más fáciles de creer en cuanto a variedad étnica. Creo que esto mismo mencioné en What Milo Saw, donde personajes de alrededor del mundo se juntan y no es algo en lo que la historia haga hincapié, solo es y ya. En Lies We Tell Ourselves, es todo lo contrario ya que el racismo es el tema principal, está escenificado alrededor de 1950, cuando la reforma educativa quiere juntar a alumnos blancos y alumnos negros en una misma institución. Este tema siempre se ha hecho interesante, aquí en Perú (y gran parte de Latinoamérica, si no me equivoco) el problema con el racismo no es tanto con la gente negra sino más bien con nosotros mismos, es bastante irónico. Mi curiosidad nace en el momento en que veo tanta película basada en este odio de la gente blanca contra la gente negra ¿Cómo es eso posible? ¿Cómo puedes odiar o no gustar de alguien tan solo por su color de piel? Esperaba mucho que Lies We Tell Ourselves me respondiera un poco eso.

Como es costumbre en mí, no tenía idea sobre qué iba el libro, la portada tan curiosa te da una ligera idea y para mí fue suficiente. Narrada a dos voces, Lies We Tell Ourselves nos trae a Susan y Linda, la primera es parte del grupo de alumnos de color que se integra a este colegio, y la segunda es hija del líder del grupo que se opone. El libro comienza de una manera en la que lo único que me dio ganas de hacer es sacar mis chicos del libro y abrazarlos y decirles que todo estará bien a pesar que sé no estará bien y que no me guste tocar a las personas.

Más que racismo.

Lo que me gustó del libro es que la escritora no solo se concentró en un solo “problema” de la época, sino también en otro: La homosexualidad y el acoso. Si bien ahora tenemos un montón de información y gran parte del mundo ya se dio cuenta que no hay absolutamente nada de malo sentir lo que sentimos ¿Cómo sería ser un estudiante negro y gay? ¿Sin ningún tipo de idea que lo que estás sintiendo no está mal, no es pecado? Para mí es importante leer personajes lésbicos porque no hay muchos, si toman un poco de atención en comentarios que sobre todo hacen mujeres, ser hombre homosexual está bien y es cool pero ser mujer homosexual es bastante burlado e insultado, y como dije, es sobre todo por propias mujeres. No importa si eres fosforescente y quieras a quién quieras, este gato te querrá (siempre y cuando al que quieras sea legal, tampoco te aproveches del gatito)

Piensa por ti mismo

Linda, una de las protagonistas, te dije que es hija del líder de oposición. Aquí la pregunta es ¿Teniendo ese tipo de influencia, es fácil saber cuáles son tus creencias y cuáles son las creencias que te han impuesto? Eso es algo que Linda tiene que responderse y luchar durante el libro, si las cosas son estrictamente como se las han dicho o hay otras maneras de pensar y actuar, creo que en algún momento todos hemos pasado por eso, el momento en que tenemos que decidir por nosotros mismos lo bueno de lo malo, incluso si eso significa decepcionar a nuestros padres. Claro, no para todos ha sido tan dramático como eso pero entienden la idea xD Y de una forma totalmente distinta le pasa lo mismo a Susan, tiene que responderse si todo esa tortura por la que están pasando vale la pena, si exponer a sus hermanos y amigos hasta el daño físico es algo que importa ¿es que sus padres no lo ven? ¿Todo el daño?

América es un CONTINENTE

Esto va para mis kittens de otros continentes, solo Estados Unidos no es América, es PARTE de América. Así como Perú, México, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Canadá… y sigo y sigo. De poco en poco podemos cambiar eso, si te refieres a Estados Unidos, llámalo por su nombre, no sólo América. Porque, por ejemplo, si eres de Europa, ¿Te gustaría que solo se refirieran en todo el mundo como Europa solo a Inglaterra? O si eres de Asia ¿Solo China como Asia? O África solo…. *busca en Google* ¿Solo Etiopia? ¿No, verdad? Cambiemos eso u.u [AVISO POLiTICO CONTRATADO]

Lies We Tell Ourselves me gustó mucho y el hecho que le puse 4 de 5 estrellas es por la romántica de Susan, o sea, entiendo que estés en pleno crush, pero hay un límite chica, en serio.

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