I think this book is highly relevant given the current (mostly American) climate. I think the duality of the voices makes it more accessible as it speaks to a wider audience of both white and black readers. The voices also work really work together in delivery a message of understanding and unity.

A riot breaks out at Lena and Campbells school. They are thrown together as they try and get to safety. They are very different girls as Lena has a network of friends and family throughout the town and Campbell has been withdrawn so she hasn't made friends. She does however have a phone and no one else able to help her.

There is a scene that especially highlights the consequences of rioting and looting. There is no justification for looting but an understanding of how people can be angry enough that they have reached the point of looting.

This book is a lot about understanding as the girls come to a greater understanding of each other instead of making assumptions.

There is also Lena's relationship with Black. I found it interesting that he was generally a neglectful asshole who doesn't really care about her until the last minute. He only seems to come through when she really needs him. This is an interesting examination of toxic relationships.

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal (2019) deals with one night and riot.
I liked this book! It takes place on a Friday night. Its audience is high school kids. It tells a story that, in many ways, could unfold or has unfolded (at least in some form) in many of our communities. The story is dramatic and ugly. It is also potentially thought provoking and about relationships across differences.
It is told in two voices. Lena a black high school senior and in Campbell’s a white senior at the same high school in Atlanta. They are not friends - yet in this night when a high school football game turns into a dangerous fight between spectators and overflows into the neighbor - Campbell and Lena learn a lot about each other. They need each other to get through the dangers of the night. And they may also need each other to learn more about themselves and themselves with others.

#cmlibrary community read for 2021

I read this book in one evening as it was very face-paced. I do think it ended fairly abruptly. I would have like at least another chapter to wrap things up.

I read this as part of OverDrive's Big Library Read event. It was very fast paced and definitely sucked me in, I'm not sure either character really left too enlightened though. I would have liked a continuation showing the aftermath of the night's events.