Give Me Some Truth

by Eric Gansworth

Carson Mastick is entering his senior year of high school and desperate to make his mark, on the reservation and off. A rock band -- and winning the local Battle of the Bands, with its first prize of a trip to New York City -- is his best shot. But things keep getting in the way. Small matters like the lack of an actual band, or the fact that his brother just got shot confronting the racist owner of a local restaurant.

Maggi Bokoni has just moved back to the reservation from the city with her family. She's dying to stop making the same traditional artwork her family sells to tourists (conceptual stuff is cooler), stop feeling out of place in her new (old) home, and stop being treated like a child. She might like to fall in love for the first time too.

Carson and Maggi -- along with their friend Lewis -- will navigate loud protests, even louder music, and first love in this novel about coming together in a world defined by difference.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Music, Romance, Fiction, Native American, Realistic Fiction

432 pages, Hardcover

First published May 29, 2018

About the author

Gansworth is an enrolled citizen of the Onondaga Nation; however, he grew up in the Tuscarora Nation as a descendant of one of two Onondaga women present among the Tuscarora at the foundation of the nation in the 18th century. Gansworth originally qualified in electroencephalography, considered a profession useful to his nation; however, he went on to study literature and to continue a lifelong interest in painting and drawing.

Gansworth has written five novels, including the award-winning Mending Skins (2005) and Extra Indians (2010). In all his novels, illustrations form an integral part of the reading experience. His most recent novel, If I Ever Get out of Here is his first Young Adult novel, and deals with the 1975 friendship between two boys, one a resident of the Tuscarora Nation, the other living on the nearby Air Force base. In a starred review, Booklist stated that the book succeeded in "sidestepping stereotypes to offer two genuine characters navigating the unlikely intersection of two fully realized worlds."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Ga...

Reviews

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a lot going on in this story.
I didn't latch on to any of it.

This is a tale of some pretty unpleasant people.
There's Carson, an overly self-involved 17-year-old who likes to tell himself stories to explain why he manipulates everyone around him.
There's Maggi who is about as nuanced as a Kristin Stewart character and is entering her sexual awakening with about as much gusto as...well, a Kristin Stewart character.

Carson has a brother, Derek, who starts the book by getting shot in the ass. That's a background story that becomes important but then fizzles out and changes to a supporting theme. He's also got a friend, whom he views more as a minion, named Louis (Lewis?). Carson wants Louis to join his band but never actually asks. Instead, he jumps through these ridiculous hoops to make Louis want to join the band of his own accord. ??? Carson has grand Battle of the Bands plans but, apparently, Louis can't know about that until he's on board. Louis has an uncle named Albert/Juniper, a Vietnam War vet with whom he shares a room and all his thoughts and secrets. Carson's father is abusive and his mother is there but rarely mentioned. Carson is a fine seamstress which probably should have been important but was just a thing the reader knows about him until it's time to think about college. Carson has decided Maggi is hot and is his.

Maggi has a sister, Marie, who is dating an older man. Their mother has a mental illness the girls call Dark Deanna. Their dad, who is about as present as Carson's mom, lives on the reservation in a shack, which is where family moves back to at the beginning of the story, leaving the city behind. Maggi is an artist who wants to get away from traditional beading to work in her own style. Oh! Maggi also has a twin brother named Marvin who also does art and it seems that would be pretty important and it does come into play, especially much later in the book, but every time Marvin was mentioned, I thought to myself, "Wait, who's Marvin?" Marvin watches a lot of 60's TV shows in syndication, such as "Land of the Lost" and "Lost in Space" and "The Monkees" and these are referenced constantly for...reasons. Maggi is also becoming aware of the opposite sex, mainly in the form of a hirsute manager at her place of employment, a 30-year-old man who gets a hard on for Maggi on the reg and is blatantly abusive toward her new friend, Louis. Also, Maggi plays the water drum and knows a lot of traditional songs and can make good use of vocables because, unlike Carson who has always lived on the reservation, Maggi was taught about her heritage while she was a city-dweller.

But, really, this whole book is about The Beatles with specific emphasis on John Lennon and Yoko Ono and how they shaped the young adulthoods of Carson, Maggi, and Louis over the second half of 1980.

I really didn't like this. It went on for far too long, there were so many themes that none felt important. Carson was an uncomfortable character for the entirety, Maggi was featureless, and Louis is the only one who had an arc but by the time he got to where he needed to be, I didn't care at all. The majority of the men were at the least unpleasant but mostly awful, from abusers to predators. The women were, for the most part, mean, sometimes because of mental illness, sometimes because of jealousy.
14 hours of violent men, mean women, and flat teenagers were just too much.

Recommended for mixed-media artists and superfans of the Beatles and for those who still have not gotten over John Lennon's death.

[Meike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This YA coming-of-age novel discusses what it's like growing up as a Native teenager, immersed both in the world of the rez and settler society - what makes this book special is that Gansworth, who works as a visual artist as well, also merges storytelling with music without needing a single note to do so. Set in 1980 and named after a song by John Lennon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaiGA...), the book tells the story of high school senior Carson Mastick who dreams of winning the Battle of Bands and get off the Tuscarora Nation Reservation. To give his band a special sound, he recruits 15-year-old Magpie Bokoni, a (traditional) drummer who just moved back to the rez with her family. Told in alternating chapters, the story slowly reveals multiple challenges Carson and Maggi face while preparing for their most important gig: There's a racist store owner who shoots Carson's brother, the artistic business of Maggi's family that depends on tourists buying their beadwork, Maggi's twisted relationship with a much older white man and much more.

Unfortunately, the book didn't manage to fully hold my attention, and I think there are mainly two reasons for this: 1. Joshua Whitehead ruined me for all indigenous coming-of-age novels, because Jonny Appleseed is perfection (he intended to write it as YA, but it was ultimately released as general literary fiction, probably because of its explicit sexual content and complex structure); 2. This is higly accessible writing for a young audience, and I'm a literary snob (which is not Gansworth's fault or problem). I have to admit that I skipped large parts in the middle, because the writing didn't seem dense enough to me, but again: I am not the target audience.

And this is why I am happy that there are books like this one, that discuss important issues in a way that teenagers can understand them - no 13-year-old would want to read House Made of Dawn, but in many respects, Gansworth touches upon the same issues. The way he remixes the Beatles, John Lennon and Yoko Ono in this book give it a special edge, and the novel exudes love for music and artistic crafts. So if you are into YA and pop culture, this is certainly a worthwhile read.

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little slow to grab me, but I definitely became very invested in these characters. There's such a mix of stakes at play here--will these teens win their battle of the bands? Will Maggi have sex for the first time with a shady older guy? will white people honor native treaties and respect native culture? And yet every level of conflict is ultimately so compelling.

This is such a good example of a YA historical fiction being grounded in a specific time and place--this isn't just set in 1980 because the author grew up then and didn't want to deal with cell phones, it's set in 1980 because of the political & pop culture context of specifically John Lennon's life and death, and Yoko Ono's life.

A great read, particularly for teens who are interested in music and/or social justice.

[Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Give Me Some Truth is one of those books where I could easily bump this to three stars, but then I remember how much I disliked reading it. 2 stars it is.

First and foremost, Give Me Some Truth definitely does some things right. It's an own voices story set on and around a Native American reservation and really engages with the culture and lifestyle of the place and its people. The novel has a very interesting structure, built around The Beatles, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono, and they're strongly tied to musical and artistic elements of the story. The narrative also looks at racism against Native Americans in the early 80s and how different people dealt with that. All that stuff was cool, no complaints.

Then there's the parts I didn't enjoy, and the bad outweighed the good for me. My main thing was that I didn't like the main characters. The POV switches between two different characters, Maggi and Carson. I was fairly indifferent towards Maggi, but Carson was just annoying. I'm not saying that Gansworth's depiction was unrealistic of some 17-year-old boys, but there wasn't really anything that redeemed Carson's selfishness. And, c'mon this novel is 400 pages long. That's not just a long novel for what it is, but it was too long. Nothing happened for the first 100/150 pages and it dragged. Coincidentally, it also took me a solid 150 to properly adjust to the writing style. I don't know what it was about it, but I just didn't click with it. As in, I was having to re-read sentences.

And then there's Maggi's storyline. It doesn't really fall into the category of things I liked, or the things I didn't like, but I lean more toward didn't like. Because it involves a relationship between a 15-year-old girl and a man in his early 30s. So did it make me wildly uncomfortable? Yes. But the novel did make it clear that this kind of relationship is not okay. Yet that was kind of negated by the fact there is a relationship between a 17-year-old girl and her former teacher, and they're still together and happy by the end of the novel. The thing I did appreciate about Maggi's storyline was that Gansworth stuck with it so long and depicted it from Maggi's POV. He showed how easy it was for Maggi to get swept up in this relationship and how easy it was for her to ignore the problems. All the same, the relationship only ended right before the close of the novel, and I didn't like how it was handled. Honestly, it seemed to sympathise with the old dude, and then the novel just ended a couple pages later. I didn't like the handling of the end of the relationship, nor the end of the novel.

Ultimately, I don't think Give Me Some Truth is an awful book, but I definitely didn't like it. If the novel was shorter, the ending longer, and the writing somehow clearer, I think I would have enjoyed this more.

[Elke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a story told in dual POV: the 15-year-old Maggi and the 17-year-old Carson, both native American teens, Tuscarora Nation (#ownvoices), living on a reservation near Niagra Falls and the border with Canada in 1980.

My audiobook subscription ends the third, and I really wanted to be able to finish this still. I'm glad I did! I am, however, sad that due to me listening to it I didn't get to see the visual art.

Something that made me extremely uncomfortable was the fact that Jim, a thirty-year-old guy from Maggi's work, preyed on her. Maggi was drawn to him too (he played his part well) and all their interactions made me feel dirty.
SPOILER: they end up being in a relationship, kiss, fondle and even plan (but don't go through bc Maggi changes her mind) having sex.
END SPOILER

I liked the story, but i wonder why i always pick band and music-related books when i myself have very little affinity for music. Either way, i thought it was pretty cool that all the chapter titles were song titles too! I liked Lewis and the other supporting characters. I loved the sister relationship and it was also interested reading about twins that weren't that close they did everything together or even talked a lot.
Carson was kind of an ass and I would have liked him developing more. I did absolutely love the substory of resistance, protest and fighting against racism and injustice.
Also pretty cool that art (also in the way of music, of course) was such a big part of the book. Both as inspiration for the characters and them actually creating it.


Content warning for: racism, gun wound, discussion about sex, alcohol abuse, ableism, mentions of genitals and the aforementioned thing of the thirty-year-old

[Elysian · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star. No, just no!

Generally

I did not plan to read this book at all, but I did and that might be my biggest regret in 2019 and I read many dumb books this year.

Characters

Both MC's were plain annoying. I did not hate them and had no real emotions towards them. The male MC was so toxic? His gender stereotypes were unbearable to read and I generally hated following him along. He was neither likable or had any reasonable motivations in life except getting this one girl laid he likes so much and playing music.

The female MC was ... worse. She war far worse. At the beginning until the end she dates a guy who is about double her age. SHE IS FIFTEEN. (Yes, you are correct. We all smell Pedophilia here.) Their relationship is so weird and actually child abuse, but hey. :)

Plot

I cannot talk about it that much, because honestly I stopped paying attention around 100 pages in. It was mostly about those poor kids making stupid decisions, nearly ruining their lives. I mostly followed the romance plot along and the book could have been shortened a good chunk, because most details felt very irrelevant to everything happening.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 1980 and Carson wants to win Battle of the Bands to get a free trip to NYC. But first he needs a band. That's the basic premise of this book, but it's so, so much more than that. Carson is a Tuscarora Indian living on a reservation and at the very beginning of the book his brother is shot and injured when he robs a local restaurant - a restaurant named after and honoring George Custer, famous Indian killer. This starts in motion a social justice movement that will have impact beyond what Carson could have imagined.

Magpie and her family have just moved back to the Reservation after years of living as City Indians. As Maggi relearns the ways of "the Rez" she also starts a job working at the school cleaning school buses and develops a crush on a white man twice her age who also seems interested in her. As Maggi and Carson's stories intertwine, the book explores much to do with race and the relationship between white people and Indians.

This is a complex story with characters that will stay with me for a long time. At times I wondered where the narratives were going, but when they came together everything fit into place. This is a novel with a strong sense of time and place, using the Beatles, specifically John Lennon, and Yoko Ono to tie everything together. Although we're revisiting characters from Gansworth's previous teen novel If I Ever Get Out of Here, this story stands on its own.

Hand this book to fans of John Green's thoughtful teen characters and teens interested in music and/or social justice.

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, so this was great. I started to draft a long, largely incoherent love letter to this book, and then I remembered Debbie Reese had this to say about Eric Gansworth's first young-adult novel, If I Ever Get Out of Here: https://americanindiansinchildrenslit... , which is both more authoritative and better written than my ramblings. (This isn't a series, but there is some overlap in the two books.)

Anyway, I thought this book was even better than If I Ever Get Out of Here, and I loved the stuffing out of that book. Give Me Some Truth is moving, funny, and amazing in every possible way. Unpretentious stories about young people creating art are my kryptonite, and this novel excels in that regard. (There's a playlist!) As with If I Ever Get Out of Here, I learned a lot about Tuscarora Nation culture and history, as well as racism that targets Indigenous people, and that information is interwoven into the plot and the characters' voices in ways that feel completely organic.

There is also an extremely realistic portrayal of adults who prey on teenagers. There's very little—beyond the age difference--about the adult that screams, “Predator, stay away!” at first, and we see it from the teenager's point of view. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's really well done, and I think that's an important thing to have in a young-adult novel. Like many of my generation, I second-guessed myself a lot when a sexual predator was, say, a super likable high school math teacher instead of a mustache-twirling villain who popped out from behind the bushes, so I am beyond thrilled about the nuanced, realistic description here.

I also really liked that one of the two narrative voices was a teenager who didn't drive a main story line, but closely watched it as it developed.

Okay, so I guess I've written a long, largely incoherent love letter to Give Me Some Truth after all. TL;DR: This is an utterly amazing novel. Read it.

This is own-voices for Tuscarora Nation resident representation.

The dual narration by Eric Gansworth and Brittany LeBorgne is excellent.

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two best things about GIVE ME SOME TRUTH are the setting and the music. I very much liked Gansworth's first book that grew from this 1970's Indian reservation, IF I EVER GET OUT OF HERE. This one truly puts the reader there, showing both the grimness and the beauty of the community. Also most of the kids in TRUTH are exactly my age, their senior year was my senior year. And even growing up in a very different community half a county away, I recognized this time. Not just through the excellent playlist, but in the attitudes of racism and sexism.

This book did some things better - and truer - than most books speaking of "important" issues. Both Carson and Maggi felt like their respective ages. Not some overly self-aware versions of teens, spouting clever observations, that tend to populate the recent glut of "important" YA fiction. Something I've been sensitive to in this age of #metoo and Own Voices is how period kids are suddenly spouting twenty-first century battle cries.

As painful as it was to watch, Maggi's infatuation with her predator felt very genuine. I very much remember how flattering it felt to have the eyes of older men checking my under-age body out. And I was both more naive and luckier than Maggi. Her reaction, until perhaps the end, felt so fifteen-year-old girl.

Carson's self-absorption was both annoying and lovable.

Most of the way through I expected to give this five stars. It is very worth reading. Even if logic jumps a bit at times and it gets a bit unruly and drug-out by trying to cram too much in.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2019 Read Harder Challenge: 12/24 (halfway!)
Task #9: A book published prior to January 1, 2019, with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads.

This task REALLY stressed me out. (Because I have no chill and am taking this challenge too seriously.) I am not and have never been an early adopter. Of anything. I literally cannot make a decision without reading twenty thousand reviews first. So in the end, I searched *every book* on the NPR Best of 2018 list and found the only one that somehow never gained widespread traction. (Because I have no chill, I was prepared to search every major best of list over the past ten years just so that I didn't have to make this decision alone.) This book currently clocks in at 223 ratings, but only 79 reviews.

The book itself was B O R I N G. I could not get into it. My biggest issue was that the characters were very one-dimensional; it switches between two narrators, but I honestly couldn't tell the difference between them. (NPR lied to me--they said the characters would "jump off the page.") It also got too explain-y in the dialogue. It is really great to have a young adult book tackle issues on race, poverty, etc., but I wish the author would have covered it more in the narration instead of the dialogue. There was too much "You don't understand me because I'm a girl and girls do these very specific girl things that I'm now going to describe to you." It was awkward. No one talks like that.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was generally lost a lot when reading this book, and I don't know if I was lost because it took me so long to finish, or it took me a long time to finish because I was so often lost. Who is saying what? What was with that sentence structure? What are they trying to say here? Huh? Who are they referring to? Who's that character again??
Then at the very end, did anyone else feel like Carson came out of nowhere being all like, "What? Maggi is seeing another man? But I'm totally in love with her!" Uh, since when? Y'all shared a nice time talking on a school roof and she helped you swap a turkey, but NOWHERE during this book (unless it was lost on me in my constant confusion) did you express anything more than friendship towards her. Instead Carson spent the book just being a manipulative little shit towards all his friends and hardly interacted with Maggi at all. That really got on my nerves when I finally FINALLY was close to finishing this book.
It's nice to have a teen author besides the disgraced Sherman Alexie writing on behalf of Native American teens, but I don't know how many teens will be able to relate with this setting of a reservation in Niagara County, New York in 1980. Heck, how many of them even KNOW who John Lennon is??? I feel this book was written more for adults than teens, and even then, it caters to a very small audience.

[A.R. Hellbender · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
I wanted to like this book, but the only thing I liked about it was how well-researched the native rep and reservation life appeared to be.
This takes place in 1980, but I spent the first 100 pages thinking it was modern day. There was no indication of the time period save John Lennon still being alive and East Germany still being a thing.
There also appeared to be very little actual plot, and no moral to the story that I could discern.
Most of the story revolved around a 15-year-old’s creepy romantic relationship with a 30-31-year-Old. It’s not portrayed romantically and it’s obvious from the first that she’s not going to end up with him, but it takes up SO MUCH of the story, and was slightly painful to read about, and doesn’t serve the rest of the story at all.

[P. Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I didn't say too, and what my damned inner voice wouldn't let me unhear now, was that a thirty-year-old guy shouldn't find a fifteen-year-old that interesting, no matter how mature she was.

Heh. That also applies to immortal guys who supposedly fall in love with a teenage girl.

Give Me Some Truth is a novel that is both weakened and strengthened by its verisimilitude. The novel's young protagonists, Carson and Maggi, are driven, respectively, by teenage arrogance and naivete to such an extreme that I wanted to reach into the book and smack some sense into them.

Carson is seventeen, in his last year of high school, and dreaming of leading the perfect rock band, a band that will win the local "Battle of the Bands" contest. His story begins when his brother, Derek, sneaks into his room one night with a gunshot wound to the ass. Derek was shot by the owner of a local eatery called Custard's Last Stand. Though the incident looks like a failed robbery, it's actually a statement (also failed) on Derek's part to comment on inherent racism of a business that celebrates a man who prided himself in being an "Indian killer." The event begins the slow awakening of Carson as an activist, or at least someone who won't tolerate the racism levied against indigenous people anymore.

Maggi, her sister Marie, and their mother are moving back to the reservation after living off reservation for several years. Maggi finds herself caught between the duality of her awareness of the wider world beyond the reservation and the need to hold to her roots and traditions. It is through her mastery of the water drum, an instrument typically used at social dances, but also adaptable for inclusion in Carson's rock band, that Maggi reconnects with her heritage.

Carson's voice is wryly funny, but he's often just too much of the arrogant, self-centered boy. When contrasted with the usual, impossibly-perfect, sensitive boyfriends of YA, he's a breath of fresh air. For about ten pages, and then his attitude gets stale.

Maggi is a sympathetic protagonist, but her fixation on Jim, a much older man that she meets at her workplace, is frustrating to watch/read. I don't know how a younger reader will parse out Jim, but my adult sensibilities scream, "Creeper Alert!"

Jim is viciously cruel to the best character in the novel, Lewis. Lewis, sensitive, smart, a huge Beatles fan, is a great kid trapped in a world that wants to trample him to dust. If Give Me Some Truth had been written from his POV, it would have been brilliant.

Give Me Some Truth was striking in how little things have changed on native reservations in the U.S. The story, set in 1980, portrays a setting that infrastructure forgot. Dangerous stray dogs roam the street, poverty reigns along with alcoholism and a sense of hopelessness. Today, conditions have improved on some reservations, but there are still places on the Rez where people lack even the most basic infrastructure, including running water and electricity.

Another of the novel's strong points is that it addresses native artists' struggles with artistic identity. That is, the tendency of the art-buying public, and other native peoples, infuriating and narrow definition of what indigenous art should be. Not to find fault with those who cleave tightly to traditional art forms, but being native (or Latino, or Black, etc.) shouldn't require that artistic expression be confined to narrow limits.

The novel's weakness, beside a frequently obnoxious protagonist, is that it overreaches, tackling too many themes, all worthy, but too, too many. The setting is wonderfully realistic but the story often meanders into pointless interactions that drag the plot's momentum.

That said, Give Me Some Truth is punctuated by powerful moments and gives voice to native youths, something that is rarely seen in YA literature.

(Library book)

[Mrs. Walsh-Hilf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good. I am listening to the audiobook and reading along in the hard copy. I really love hearing Magpie's story. It is creatively woven together by offering duel perspectives. I am not quite finished but cannot wait to finish it. For my students, I do have this title available to borrow in my classroom library.

[Jerry Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give Me Some Truth text and illustrations by Eric Gansworth (2018) is as Kirkus Review writes, “A classic teen novel, especially for Native youth and Beatles fans.” I think that sums it up well and I would add for those wanting to increase their awareness of the varied contemporary journeys Native youth travel in America.
Eric Gansworth has written many books. I especially enjoyed his If I Ever Get Out of Here (2013) another contemporary journey, with some of the same characters as in Give Me Some Truth.
Give Me Some Truth is not sugar coated. Truth, given can be subtle, delicate, abrasive, cutting, and reflecting of the ups and downs of life. Gansworth masterfully weaves the complexity of racism, poverty, music, family, friendship, high school, reservation life, maybe some failing in love, creativity, genuine characters navigating adolescence, courage, a group protest against a ‘No Indians” policy, troubling situations, confused teens gaining maturity, an immature selfish mean adult predator, dysfunctional relationships, and much more into a story that is exceptional! The characters, plot/sub-plots, and the arch/arches are all realistic and intriguing. You will want to keep the reading light on!
As Horn Book says: An achingly real and honest look into the lives of teenagers pushed to the margins.
Here are some of the other recognitions Give Me Some Truth has earned: NPR Best Book of the Year, Boston Globe Best Book of the Year, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year, American Indians in Children's Literature Best Book of the Year, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, an American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Award, and a Notable Trade Books for Young People picked by the National Council for Social Studies.
Those are powerful accomplishments!
I think this book has the potential to stimulate learning about and knowing about yourself, yourself with others, and yourself with others getting stuff done.
I recommend this book to anyone 13 years or older. I think many adults would find value in reading it.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sometimes wonderful, sometimes sad, and sometimes uncomfortable look at the lives of teens on a Native American reservation.

I really appreciated Carson's awakening during this story, and his growing interest in activism. He considered himself a ChameleIndian, a Native American, who could pass as white. He knew he didn't suffer as much as some other Native Americans. Then his brother opened his eyes to some of the inequities and injustices right in their own backyard, and that was when Carson started to become a better person.

I appreciated Carson's story, but I really loved Maggie's journey. After several years in the city, Maggie returns to the reservation. She had to adjust and learn some of the ways for the rez. She makes some questionable choices, but also discovers and nurtures her passion for art and music. I loved how she married her Native American culture with both her passions. I struggled a little with both her and her sister's romances. They were really inappropriate, but Maggie learned a lot from it, and it forced Carson to face some truths too.

This book had a soundtrack provided by The Beatles, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono. In fact, Lennon and Ono as influences for several characters. They are mentioned and vignettes starring the two are interspersed throughout the book. Needless to say, the book was set in 1980, and I got choked up, when Lennon was murdered.

Overall: An honest, thoughtful, and sometimes heartbreaking look into the challenges facing Native American teens.

[Claire Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book, and it was a slow read. I had a hard time connecting with Carson. Sometimes I like a coming of age story when the focus is on a boy, but for the most part they are not my favorite stories and this book falls into the not my fav category. I had a hard time connecting with Carson's character partially because of the band thing (I have no musical talent) and also the teenage boy thing. He had many annoying moments throughout the book that just made me cringe. I kind of got the heebie-jeebies Maggi’s story with the grown MAN! Stuff like that happens, but it was not what I was expecting when I picked this book up. There are better books out there that tackle the issues in this book like race and poverty. Overall, I don’t think that this book was anything more than mediocre.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF about halfway, but not because it was bad! It just wasn't interesting? "Slice of life" bildungsromans are just really not my thing, and while the characters were interesting, it was not really exciting. I picked this up after hearing Gansworth speak on a panel about toxic masculinity, and I really wanted to love it. This belongs in the "great book but just not my genre" pile.

[Lizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were times when I felt invested in this novel, and the dramatic moments really shine. But I also spent way too much time being frustrated with the characters. The stakes were so varied and there were so many plotlines, all of which, again, resolved themselves in dramatic and emotional ways, but overall it just kind of felt meh.

[Lorelei · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 40%

I really tried to give this one a go, especially since it was my read for Native American Heritage Month. I started with the audiobook read by the author and it was just...bad. So I switched to an ebook, and I still found myself zoning out and not invested in any of it.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes!

[Laura Hakala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated how Gansworth tries to make Carson a sympathetic character. it's a testament to good writing that I disliked Carson SO much in the first book, but I did care about him in this book. I also loved reading about Maggi and Native beadwork.

[Jennifer Mangler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a harder time getting into this one, but ultimately enjoyed it. I liked and cared about both characters. I preferred Maggi's POV chapters to Carson's in the beginning, and then flip-flopped about halfway through and much preferred Carson's. Maggi's relationship with Jim really creeped me out and was something I just couldn't get past. The thing I loved most about this book is the powerful sense of setting. Gansworth really brings Maggi and Carson's world to life.

[Chalida · Rating 3 out of 5]

In looking for a Sherman Alexie replacement, we gave this one a try. It is too long and the main characters are not 100% lovable. The part that was the most challenging was reading about these relationships between young teen Native American women and white older men. That was painful and sickening to read, despite how I could relate to Maggi's naiveté. There are some beautiful moments particularly with the young Native men, Carson organizing this nonviolent protest and Lewis's speech at the Battle of the Bands. If teaching this text, I might excerpt those particular scenes which featured resilience and resistance. Gansworth thanks teachers first in his acknowledgements. I think if better edited and shortened tremendously, this would be much more attractive to teens.

[Rich in Color is now on StoryGraph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review copy via library

In this time where we seem to be inundated with half-truths and outright lies, Give Me Some Truth speaks truth. There are hard truths shared within this compelling story of teens taking a long look at themselves and their community.

If I Ever Get Out of Here, the first novel in this set, followed a young man named Lewis who is also in this book. It would definitely make this story easier to understand if one has read the first story so I strongly recommend reading them in order, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. Both books have a heavy emphasis on the music of The Beatles. Gansworth uses Beatles references throughout the book and since there is an emphasis on John Lennon, he also included quite a bit about Yoko Ono. This worked really well since Maggi shared some similar artistic leanings with Ono. Maggi is a musician and an artist. I really appreciated her need to blend traditional Native art and music with her modern art leanings. She loves and respects the traditional music and art, but wants to be able to speak her personal truths with her own voice and this means stepping out from what her community would expect. Gansworth shares visions of this artwork at the beginning of the book and in between some of the chapters. It’s an awesome addition to the story.

The story has so much happening. Maggi has spent a lot of time as an urban Native and her family returns to the reservation. Carson notes that she is from the reservation, but she is not of it. Maggi doesn’t feel quite like she belongs and has become used to moving around in White spaces. Her family sells crafts among Native people so it’s not like she isn’t around other Indians, but the spaces are distinct. Carson notices this when he steps into several spaces with a majority of White people. He sees Maggi navigating such spaces and sees that they don’t have the same experiences and references. Maggi slowly becomes more and more a part of the reservation and readers come to know this place too. There is a strong sense of place within the story.

There is also a tremendous amount of racism to discover within the pages of this book. It’s often quite overt like the ‘No Indians’ sign in a local spot called Custard’s Last Stand (a restaurant with all kinds of problematic issues). There is a also a lot of covert racism and ignorance happening too. Many people are completely clueless about treaties, sovereignty, and simply what it means to be Indian. One White farmer questions Carson about what kind of Indian he is, “He grabbed my arm, and held ours side by side. ‘My arms are tanner than yours.’ ” As if skin color is the primary marker of what it means to be Indian.

Gansworth is an enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation. He is writing from his own truth. Through Carson, Maggi, Lewis, and the many other characters, readers hear voices from the reservation. These are teens figuring out who they are in the world. They are working out how they will express themselves and what they want to say when they do share with the world. These characters ultimately find their own unique ways to express their truths.

Recommendation: Get it now especially if you enjoyed If I Ever Get Out of Here. Gansworth created a multi-layered story with characters who feel amazingly real.

[Elise · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the perspective of this book, but that was about it. The book felt too long. Carson was extremely unlikable, which is fine, but I'm not sure how much he learned or changed by the end. For example, on page 361, quite near the end, he was pissed that Maggi was with Jim not because Jim is a manipulative racist asshole who is TWICE Maggi's age, but because Maggie should have been ready to sleep with him instead. He thinks, "It was supposed to be me! I'd done everything right!" Entitled, much? He thought because he was nice to her, helped her fit back in on the Rez, that she owed him a relationship? No. Just no.

Maggi's relationship with Jim made me super uncomfortable. Unfortunately, it look the entire book for Maggi to realize what a terrible idea it was to be with him, not because he's a manipulative racist twice his age, but because she can't be seen with him. Yeah, his age is part of it, but I don't think she truly understood how wrong their relationship was. She said maybe they could try again in the future. Even at the end, despite showing Jim to be awful when he was with his older friends, shit talking Indians and Maggie specifically, he was portrayed almost sympathetically. He was said, crying, that Maggi was leaving him, as if he was just some lovesick guy getting his heartbroken. Yes, a girl should be allowed to make her own decisions, but someone -- like her sister -- needed to give her better advice. Plus, Marie's relationship with her former teacher? Not a big deal, I guess.

This was definitely a coming-of-age story, especially when it came to Maggi. I understand what the author was trying to do with her character. She wanted to be taken seriously as a woman, and she thought a relationship with an older guy and losing her virginity would do that. It just feels like most of the characters were doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or the wrong thing for what they thought were right reasons.

Overall, it was a frustrating book. I might check out the author's other book and see if I enjoy it more.

[Dork · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about music and social justice set in the 80's on a reservation.

The decision to set it in the 80's and have the Beatles play a major thematic role I assume means a lot to the author, but felt weirdly niche to me. As somebody who kinda remembers the 80's and gives very few fucks about the Beatles, I had to gloss over a lot. The many, many song callouts meant nothing to me.

That aside, I did enjoy the book as a realistic portrait of the messy lives of teens and life on a rez. The protagonist is a bit of a selfish ass but in a way that felt very fitting for a teen boy, and never so much he was insufferable.

But what I want to get into is the portrayal of 2 sisters, both who are in relationships with much older men.

One sister is secretive but it's revealed that while certain things are dodgy, she and her older boyfriend at least made efforts to keep things non-creepy and are very aware of the situation.

Whereas guy trying to get with Maggi is very clearly bad news to the reader, but the PoV also makes it clear WHY she'd be interested in such a guy. I liked the empathy in understanding her motives but at the same time, I feel like it never quite tips over the edge of Maggi fully realizing that he's serious bad news. She knows the situation isn't great, she realizes he might be kinda fucked up, and she backs off in the end, but it never felt like she fully got to the "this is a gross-ass 30 year old manipulating me from a position of power to get into my pants" realization.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Nations story, near NY/Niagara Falls, set around 1980.
Maggi and her twin brother, their older sister and their mom had actually moved off the rez for 8 years but now older sister Marie has persuaded mom that they should move back to the reservation, so back they go. There she re-encounters people and things she doesn't or barely remembers because she was only 8 when they left. One person she meets again is Carson who is trying to get a band together and who also helps her get a job. However, on this job she meets creepy older white guy who thinks she's hot - you can figure out where that story line is going.
High school appropriate for sexual content and drinking and language. But if you're in a middle school with First Nations students and they want something authentic to read, definitely give them this but be aware that there is some really intense stuff in here!!

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carson was annoying, and Maggie’s “love” was too silly for me. On the flip side, I appreciated that a man in his thirties was portrayed as creepy for going for a younger woman.

I read a YA book earlier this year with the same kind of relationship but it was meant to be romantic. I didn’t hate it, but as usual I questioned the man’s motives and maturity.

The best part of the book for me was the look into what it’s like living on the reservations. I recently learned about a lot of the stuff depicted in the book; how they lack basic amenities, how teenage pregnancy and illiteracy is extremely prevalent, and how unemployment is a huge problem. I have no idea how to even begin to fix those issues, but I love that the author is giving voice to a group of people who have long been ignored.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

diverse teen fiction (Indians living on a reservation near US-Canada border, Niagara Falls)
Carson is about 17--a high school senior and Maggi is 15; Carson's story revolves around getting a band together to compete for a prize trip to NY (his ticket off the Rez) and Maggi's story revolves around her "romance" with a 30-something jerkwad (he's not as bad as some of them, but he's not great either) and her eventual realization that she wants more out of her relationship. Beatles' fandom (since this takes place in the late 70s post-breakup) winds throughout.
Note: this isn't a "clean" read--they don't end up going as far as Jim would like, but everything else is described in (thankfully sparse) detail. There are also some scenes with alcoholism and abusive parents.