Invisible Son

Reviewed by Keesha Ceran

Review Source: Teaching for Change
Book Author: Kim Johnson

It was a grand day receiving the notice that Kim Johnson was releasing her second book, Invisible Son. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, having fallen in love with her debut book This Is My America.

Johnson’s writing is captivating. She brings readers into the emotions of her characters. The stories, while fiction, reflect the everyday experiences of Black families, and the Black individual, and Invisible Son is no different. Through protagonist Andre Jackson, Johnson wrestles with tensions of gentrification, the COVID pandemic, the juvenile [in]justice system, classism, and the dynamics of a growing teenage boy.

Johnson’s dedication is a testament to the journey she takes her readers through:

To those who lost loved ones and missed milestones
To those who bring beauty, love, and joy to others
To those fighting for justice

To Dad, 1930–2021

Set in a Portland, Oregon, suburb, the reader is introduced to Andre Jackson, a Black male teen, who is returning home after spending time in a juvenile detention center for a crime he maintains he didn’t commit. His return occurs in the midst of much change for his community and his family. His parents have moved into his grandparents’ home, his father’s bookstore is losing money, and the historic Black community where they live doesn’t reflect the rich history that was once active there. He reflects,

So, when I think about home, it’s always the people, not the place. But this time I have to face them knowing they’ll look at me different. And I’m afraid of what they’ll see. There’s no way to go back to what was. I’m Dre now — the Andre they knew is gone.

Further, Andre’s best friend, Eric, is missing, leaving Andre and Eric’s sister, Sierra, on a mission to find his whereabouts and bring him home, too. Andre questions their ongoing search to find Eric, “What if finding Eric is actually bad for him? That him leaving was really for his own protection?”

Another page turner, I was eager to find out if Andre would prove his innocence and if Eric would return home. It also didn’t hurt to have a built-in playlist to accompany the book as I learned that Andre had his own YouTube channel where he featured his reactions to different songs. Listen to Andre’s Music Playlist via Spotify.

See the NEA Teaching Guide for discussion questions.

Keesha Ceran is the deputy director at Teaching for Change. 

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Invisible Son by Kim Johnson
Published by Random House Children's Books on May 14, 2024
Genres: Incarceration, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Reading Level: High School
ISBN: 9780593482131
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Also by this author: This Is My America

Publisher's Synopsis: From the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of This Is My America comes another thriller about a wrongly accused teen desperate to reclaim both his innocence and his first love.

Life can change in an instant.
When you’re wrongfully accused of a crime.
When a virus shuts everything down.
When the girl you love moves on.

Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn’t feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. And Andre’s suspicions about his arrest for a crime he didn’t commit even taint his friendships. It’s as if his whole life has been erased.

The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids — especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra’s brother Eric is missing, and the facts don’t add up as their adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture-perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game.

Critically acclaimed author Kim Johnson delivers another social justice thriller that shines a light on being young and Black in America — perfect for fans of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone.