I love them, which is why I read the book, The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass. The Taking of Jake Livingston was released on July 13, 2021 by G.P. Putman's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. It is about a murderous ghost that begins to haunt Jake Livingston, and his high school eventually becomes a different kind of survival game.
I knew I would love this book when I read Ryan Douglass' dedication, "For everyone fighting a silent battle."
The protagonist is sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston, a gay teenage boy, and a medium that sees ghosts. Not only is he a medium and gay, but also a minority at his all-white prep school. Ryan Douglass is a fantastic writer, and his brass, in-your-face story is intriguing and perfect for boys. He is good at details and had me grossed out with some of his descriptions of the dead.
This book challenges many issues dealt with today. Some of these issues are school shootings, bullying, the challenges of being gay and how it feels to be an outcast. I felt horrible for Jake, and the antagonist Sawyer. As a mother, I wanted so bad to jump in and save these poor children from the cruelty of the world. But I commend Ryan Douglass for this harsh reality he created for Jake and Sawyer. It's a truth that cannot be swept away, as many of the adults did in his book.
While I recommend this book for teens 16 and older. I would not recommend it for any children younger than 16. Mainly, because of the sexual violence.
Have you read The Taking of Jake Livingston? What are your thoughts?