Tiffany D. Jackson

Allegedly is a powerful YA thriller that follows Mary B. Addison, a teen girl accused of killing a baby when she was just nine. The story explores the brutal effects of violence, neglect, and a broken justice system, all through Mary’s raw and honest voice.

I really enjoyed reading about how Mary was trying to better herself despite everything stacked against her—her determination was inspiring. The environments she endures are harsh and emotionally damaging, which makes her fight for a show more future all the more compelling. And just when I thought I had it figured out, the twist at the end completely took me by surprise.

Dark, thought-provoking, and emotionally charged—this one stays with you. show less

Trigger Warnings: Racism, bullying, white privilege, child abuse, micro-aggressions

Maddy Washington has always been an outcast in her small Georgia town of Springville. She’s always kept her head down and dealt with it, as that’s what her Father has taught her. That all works well enough until a surprise morning rainstorm during PE reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life due to her fanatical white father, Thomas show more Washington.

After a video of Maddy being bullied goes viral and showcases Springville High’s racist roots, a few students come up with a plan to change their image: host the school’s first integrated prom! Wendy, the popular white class president, even convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend, Kenny, to ask Maddy to the prom.

But, just because there is an integrated prom, doesn’t mean everyone is happy about it and they think it’s all Maddy’s fault. What they don’t know is that Maddy has another secret… one that will cost them their lives.

This is the first novel where Jackson is addressing racism directly within the story as well as unpacking light-skin privilege. And boy, does she unpack a lot - on top of such is also child abuse, violence, and bullying. Within the novel, you see quite a few degrees of racism and white privilege throughout members of the high school and I felt like Jackson handled all of them well. Throughout the explosive horror and suspenseful read, the topics are sure to spark conversations.

As always, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the newest Tiffany D. Jackson book, especially in time for Halloween. And, this one is a Carrie retelling at that! I very much enjoyed it and see myself recommending this to horror lovers everywhere - even those that don’t necessarily read YA, because I didn’t find this one as campy as a lot of YA horror novels do, and because of that, I think readers outside of the YA genre could enjoy it too. show less

I don’t even know where to start with Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson. This may well be my best read of 2022. It is a haunting and disturbing story about the after effects of a murder case. The media hype was intense as nine year old Mary B. Addison was convicted of killing a 3 month old baby called Alissa. The fact that Mary is black and the baby was white had a lot to do with why Mary was sent to prison.

The book actually opens when Mary is 15 and is now living in a group home with a show more bunch of other young female offenders. Mary is picked on, ridiculed and beaten. She does work at a senior care centre and there she meets Ted. He gives her the attention and love that she has been craving and all too soon she is pregnant. Mary is overjoyed to be having a baby, until she is informed that social services will be taking the baby away from her. She realizes that she has to finally speak her truth about what really happened to baby Alissa even if in doing so she puts her Mother in the firing line.

I listened to an audio version of the story and narrator Bahni Turpin did an excellent job. Her skilful reading raises this book to another level. The story draws you in and stirs your emotions to the boiling point. Through Mary’s thoughts you learn about her childhood, or lack of one, and her challenging relationship with her mother, and always, skirting around in the background, are details of Mary’s alleged crime. Mary is very intelligent and she comes up with a plan for her and Ted to be together, to get herself to college, and to be able to keep her baby. The adults that have been assigned to look after Mary are negligent at best and the juvenile justice system appears to be one of hopeless desperation and failure. This chilling and dark story so draws one in that I found myself having to remind myself that it is a fictional story. I highly recommend this twisted and powerful novel. show less

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson may seem like a Carrie knock-off, but trust me when I say it makes Carrie look like a children’s story. Not only is Maddy’s story bloody and brutal, but how Ms. Jackson reveals her story is brilliant. Throughout the reveal, we get a first-hand glimpse of not just the everyday, overt racism non-whites face but also the millions of microaggressions they also must overcome. Ms. Jackson does this with no apology or filter, forcing you to review your show more words and behaviors and cringe. This aspect of the story can be a brutal reminder that even the most well-intentioned white person is guilty of some form of racism. But everything Maddy faces when her classmates discover her true heritage is nothing compared to the everyday abuse she meets at the hands of loved ones. It is this, alongside the cruelty of teenagers, where the horror resides. By the time you get the whole picture and understand exactly what went down on prom night and why Ms. Jackson blows your mind at not just the depth of Maddy’s story but the nuances of it as well. It is a brilliant story that is perfect for horror lovers working to become anti-racist. show less