I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal, Kimberly Jones

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight

by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones

An NAACP Image Award Nominee, I'm Not Dying with You Tonight follows two teen girls―one black, one white―who have to confront their own assumptions about racial inequality as they rely on each other to get through the violent race riot that has set their city on fire with civil unrest.

Lena has her killer style, her awesome boyfriend, and a plan. She knows she's going to make it big. Campbell, on the other hand, is just trying to keep her head down and get through the year at her new school.

When both girls attend the Friday-night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together.

They aren't friends. They hardly understand the other's point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they're going to survive the night.

This book is perfect for:

  • Sparking conversations about prejudice and the racial tension that exists in America
  • Parents and educators looking for multicultural and African American books for teens
  • Fans of Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, and Jason Reynolds

Reviewed by roundtableknight on

4 of 5 stars

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Rating:3.5 stars
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I... enjoyed this book. It hit a lot of topics dealing with race that are very prevalent in our society, especially at this time, and allowed the subject to be available for younger audiences and allowed a more open conversation. I thoroughly enjoyed having both Lena's and Campbell's POV to understand their mindsets and how their own opinions and thoughts change and progress throughout the story.

One thing that left me a bit jarred was the Lena's boyfriend Black, or Milton, and that part of the story. I believed, especially at the end, that it was going in a completely different direction than the one it actually went toward. It's definitely an opinion on how you perceive their relationship, but I didn't enjoy as much as I wished.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 July, 2020: Finished reading
  • 5 July, 2020: Reviewed