We Are Your Parents

by Hannah Moskowitz

Sav Bergman has a lot on her plate. She's just getting her life together after having a baby, falling into a postpartum depression after having that baby, and then getting dramatically dumped by her girlfriend, while in the psych ward, following that postpartum depression. Now that she's back at school, it's time to dive back into Speech and Debate, a kind of competitive acting Sav takes more seriously than just about anything besides her daughter. And let's not forget best friend, bandmate, and father of her baby, who she has...very complicated feelings for.

So what she really didn't need was for Malcom to break the news that he's now dating the very same girl who broke Sav's heart in the hospital three months ago. Sav spills that little fact to her new Speech partner--who's unapologetically straightforward, argumentative, and gay, and so far hasn't liked a single play Sav's suggested--who immediately has an Sav should write her own play explaining what the hell happened over the past year, and they'll re-enact that for a panel of judges expecting some nice Vonnegut. But what starts out as a play about flaky girlfriends, disloyal boyfriends, and Sav's role as the innocent victim starts to unravel the more she writes. And as the competition draws closer, Sav is forced to question everything she'd assumed about the people she thought she knew and the future she'd always imagined.

From the author of Stonewall Honor book GONE, GONE, GONE and Sydney Taylor Honor book SICK KIDS IN LOVE, WE ARE YOUR PARENTS is a queer snarl of a story about the messy ways that families are made and the even messier people who make them.

Genres: Young Adult

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 2022

About the author

Hannah Moskowitz wrote her first story, about a kitten named Lilly on the run from cat hunters, for a contest when she was seven years old. It was disqualified for violence. Her first book, BREAK, was on the ALA's 2010 list of Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, and in 2013, GONE, GONE, GONE received a Stonewall Honor. 2015's NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED was named the YA Bisexual Book of the Year. SICK KIDS IN LOVE was a Sydney Taylor Honoree, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and one of both Kirkus and Tablet Magazine's Best Books of the year. She lives in Maryland with several cats, none of whom are violent.

Reviews

[Kate Larkindale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think it's any secret that I'm a huge fan of Hannah Moskowitz and a new book from her is an insta-buy for me! So it was a pleasant surprise last week when this book I pre-ordered a while ago showed up in my Kindle.

There are a lot of complicated relationships in this book and protagonist, Sav, is not really mature enough or experienced enough to competently navigate them despite being far more mature than I ever was at her age. Having a baby does that to a person...

Sav is luckier than many teen mothers in that the father of her baby is still around. They're best friends and while they don't live together, both their families are supportive and helpful when it comes to childcare. Especially both grandmothers.

So Sav hasn't been forced to give up on going to school or even her speech competitions or the band she and Malcom are in together. In fact, for a single mother of a baby, she manages to live her life pretty easily.

It hasn't always been easy though. Following the baby's birth she had terrible post-partum depression and landed in a psych ward. And if that wasn't bad enough, while she was there, her girlfriend dumped her. So it's not ideal for her to discover that baby-daddy Malcom has started dating Rose, the girl who broke her heart.

And then there's new girl, Kat, who Sav gets paired with for this year's speech competition. Brash, uncompromising and an outspoken lesbian, Kat refuses to settle for anything conventional for the contest and pushes Sav to write her own play, based on her experiences. She's certain it will wow the judges.

As she works through the events of the past year, Sav discovers that when it comes to relationships, there's no such thing as black and white, and while she might see herself as the victim in this particular drama, this might not actually be the truth.

I really liked all the characters in this book. They all felt very real and flawed, from Sav's mother to the other members of Malcom and Sav's band. And Sav's growth as a character also felt very real and organic and the book's conclusion was satisfying, even if it was somewhat bittersweet.

So I'd recommend this one wholeheartedly.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh I loved this book! Sav is now one of my favorite characters ever, I wish she and I could go get a drink and head out to a concert to rock out. I love how the baby, Autumn, is incorporated throughout the story unlike in others I've read and watched. The characters complex relationships were fun to read, and kept me guessing throughout the whole book. I love all of the elements with the band, speech and debate, exploring and figuring out your sexuality and yourself, on and on. Hannah Moskowitz never disappoints!

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great, witty dialogue and thoughtful coming of age/ maturity storyline. I didn't like this book as much as I did Moskowitz's Sick Kids in Love, in part because the set up just didn't seem super believable to me. I liked the characters and how they evolved, but I just couldn't believe they'd gotten into this situation in the first place. 3.5 stars

[Ness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah Moskowitz writing an absolutely devastating novel and making me cry? Must be a day that ends in Y.

[Sophia]

This sounds amazing and after The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe, I will read anything from Hannah Moskowitz.

[Ravi]

interesting and complex character dynamics

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With flawed and believable characters, this is a story with lots of big feelings. I loved the gradual reveal of the backstory, and how all the deep shit (like teen pregnancy and postpartum depression) was contrasted with Sav's desire for very ordinary things like smashing it in Speech & Debate at school.

(But I would just like to point out that not brushing your hair for a month doesn't mean you literally have to shave it all off!!!!! A couple of inches could've been saved AT LEAST.)