Justice and Her Brothers

Justice and Her Brothers #1

by Virginia Hamilton

An eleven-year-old and her older twin brothers struggle to understand their supersensory powers.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Ebooks, Family, Speculative Fiction

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Virginia Esther Hamilton was the author of forty-one works of fiction and nonfiction. She was the first Black writer awarded the Newbery Medal and the first children's writer to be named a MacArthur Fellow (the "Genius" grant). She also received the National Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this whole series about Justice, a young girl with powers she is only beginning to understand, - and SURPRISE! - her twin brothers who are completely different in personality and outlook. The action begins on a significant birthday, where Justice is sure her life will change in some amazing and unexpected way.
Unlike many books for "young" readers (and I was relatively young when I read them) none of V. Hamilton's books talk down to her readers. Sometime during all my moves these books disappeared (I probably sent them to a used book store to avoid having to move them) but I wish I still had them.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Virginia Hamilton spins a story of sibling rivalry and extrasensory perception. It's a bit confusing at times, but if you stick with it, it's a rewarding tale. The strength, as usual, is in the way Hamilton writes about the relationships between the characters; the very real sibling relationships between Justice, Thomas, and Levi, as well as the concerns of their parents, ground what could have been a highly cerebral speculative fiction story.

[Kristina Coop-a-Loop · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this series (there are two more books) when I was in middle school about a million years ago. It was such an odd trilogy that I decided to find them and read them again. I skimmed most of the beginning of this one because it takes too long to set up the plot, which is really all I'm interested in. It's very odd. It's not surprising that this was written in the 70s because it has a very 70s feel to it. This book is a children's literature take on ESP, the supernatural, that type of thing. Somewhat interesting.

[Aasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story. It is so sad the way Thomas treats Justice and Levi.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise but confusingly executed. Not sure I will read the other two. If anyone has read the others, does it get better?

[Mathew Walls · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird book. I almost stopped reading after the first two chapters, but kept going because it was pretty short. Can't say it really paid off though.

At first it seems like it's just going to be a fairly unremarkable story about childhood or something, but then it gradually starts to seem like something very unpleasant is about to happen. I felt like Thomas was going to turn out to be a budding serial killer or something. But then it takes another turn with the introduction of the psychic neighbour and Justice's own psychic powers, and then the revelation that Thomas (and maybe Levi?) also have psychic powers. But then before anything can really happen it's suddenly over without any apparent resolution.

I don't know what I was supposed to have got from this, and I don't understand what actually happened in the end. Justice herself was also weird, in that she was apparently supposed to be 11, but was written in a way that made me think she was half that age. And that only after the first chapter, where I initially thought she was an adult. She was written very oddly.

I didn't exactly dislike this book, but I didn't enjoy it or get any real value from it either. It was easy to read, and it's short, but I don't know what the point of it is.

[Dorian · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off as a cute tale about a girl trying to keep up with her older brother as they plan out the Great Snake Race. Hamilton gives a lovely picture of family life in a small lazy town. The interaction of the 'cream and pickle' gang is great too. And one of the boys is called Dorian. It's always a bit weird seeing my name in print.

But the book got very weird. Justice and her brothers begin to learn about their psychic powers. The book is annoyingly vague and undescriptive about what they are and who is involved. Perhaps it's trying to keep the mystery.

The end was just bizzare. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the trilogy.

[elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as part of a Humble Bundle. Realizing it was a young adult book helped me a lot because I was super weirded out the first couple pages. Knowing it was written decades ago helped even more.

It's definitely a more heady read than young adults books of modern times but it didn't close the loop as a book should: the ending set itself up for the next novel without a satisfying conclusion and that always irks me.

[galicae · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't fascinated by this book - I found the premise a bit lacking in excitement and I think the whole mind-reading/compulsion thing has a lot of potential. On the other hand I found the atmosphere and the setting amazingly well written. There is a slightly oppressive, claustrophobic feeling seeping through the pages. Reading this book made me feel somehow constricted, and I appreciate the way this was done.

[Kj Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange story. I am not sure of it would appeal to he younger audience it was written for. The story takes a while to get moving and somebody the material is a bit mature. Interesting take on extra- sensory abilities in kids.

[Rebekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dont see how this is for teens because I found it hard to understand what was going on some of the time, but it was a good book and very interesting.

[Deathburst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange, slow start. Not very convinced, probably won't read the rest of the trilogy

[Ravay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite a strange little book—I got it in a Humble Bundle a few years back and finally got around to it. Beautifully written and I think it captures that special time when you are eleven years old and the summer stretches out before you like a magic carpet and anything can happen.

The overall plot point (the snake race) wasn’t quite enough to hold my interest though and the supernatural element was vague through most of the book. A lot of times I appreciate vagueness in building dread, but this was a bit too confusing for me for too long. In the abstract, I like the idea of psychotic sibling rivalry, but I didn’t feel very engaged by how it was put forth in this book. I can’t quite put my finger on why I felt that way, other than because so much was left vague even at the end

I liked the snake race resolution but felt like the resolution of the overall sibling power struggle was adequate only as a setup for the rest of the series. In the end, I didn’t feel satisfied enough to venture the second and third books in the series.

[Sean]

Wonderfully strange.

What was she reading that inspired this? I guess a fair amount of sci fi, but the resulting mix is certainly original. To me, "A Wrinkle in Time" feels like a precursor. But so does earlier sci fi--Theodore Sturgeon's "The Dreaming Jewels" or Zenna Henderson. Hamilton wrote this around the time Butler was starting, and there are some similarities, but the bucolic farm setting really sets "Justice" apart.

It's a shame as we're combing back looking for earlier Black and other POC speculative fiction that this one has so far remained buried.

Thomas is so, so ominous, especially for a kid's book.

This is the third book I've read by Hamilton ("Justice," "A White Romance," and "The House of Dies Drear"), and she's just so odd. It doesn't always work, but when it doesn't quite work, it feels like it's because she cobbling together so different.

Kids' chapter books attracting oddball authors, especially women, who wrote odd genre-ish books that didn't quite fit in--is this a theme? Madeleine L'Engle, Diana Wynne Jones, John Bellairs. J. K. Rowling, for that matter. Ummmmm, I haven't entirely convinced even myself, but if there is truth to this, does kid lit attract eccentrics, or was kid lit a safe, relatively unmonitored zone to fly one's freak flag?

[Sakile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice and her brothers was a book I enjoyed as a kid, and half understood. Rereading as an adult I can pick up even more pieces of what was going on. This story features a young girl named Justice trying to keep pace with her two older brothers. Who are popular with the local kids and she often feels left behind.

Throw mysterious powers into the mix of a sibling clash/ rivalry and you've got an interesting set up.

There's certainly a lot of mystery about the powers involved and the writing encourages this. Sometimes the writing is a little abstract even. This is pretty typical of Virgina Hamilton and if you're willing to stick it out your brain will get a real treat trying to pick apart the mystery of justice and her brothers.

The rest of the trilogy gets even more confusing in my opinion so this certainly isn't a read for the faint of heart but if you're willing to give something new a try please go for it! Invite a little mystery and into your reading :).

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a strange and wonderful book, by one of the OGs of classic YA literature. The book felt like it took a long time to develop, I couldn't really tell where the plot was going, it was just taking its time, much like a meandering stream bends back and forth until it opens up toward the end and all of the pieces fall into place. As the first book in The Justice Cycle trilogy, and so in the overall arc of the story, I suppose it deserves to set things up at its own pace. One of the few earlier (1978) books I've found in the "Black YA Science Fiction / Fantasy" genre and I'm eager to continue the trilogy.

[Lt Broccoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated it a 4 because this trilogy (along with Sylvia Engdahl's books) blew my mind as a child and I read everything by this author that I could get my hands on as a kid. On a reread as an adult it's more of a 2.5. It moves too slow and the reviewer who mentioned a feeling of claustrophobia is spot-on, though presumably it's intentional. Thomas (one of the main character's brothers) also comes across as legitimately scary in a way I would not have expected for a kid's book. I think I probably would recommend for a kid, but not for an adult looking to reread for nostalgia's sake.

[pluton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't understand what's going on after 10% of the story. The dialog style of the characters is strange and not very readable. I didn't see a point in continuing.

[Stephen Antczak · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty decent YA sci-fi novel written by a black woman and featuring a black girl as the main character, a rarity for the time that it was written.

[Jackie Jimerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t recall having ever read something as hard to follow as this. The story was all over the place. I don’t think I’ll finish the trilogy. The story doesn’t hold enough excitement to justify suffering through another book.

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a kid, but never read the other two books in the series. I decided to reread it and finally read the rest, as well.
Weird experience reading this as an adult. I feel like I was dissecting everything, looking for meaning and trying to contextualize it. As a kid, I just thought it was weird and a little confusing. As an adult, yeah, it is still weird and a little confusing.
Who exactly was the target audience? It was like a children's book written for adults. There are these very sophisticated references interspersed with really childlike stuff (a snake collecting contest, riding bikes down a treacherous hill, dealing with your parents not being home as much because of work/school etc.), and then a whole sci-fi/fantasy parapsychological element. Oh, and a super casual reference to smoking pot (which flew over my head as a kid but struck me a little odd today). And then, one of the brothers is a straight up budding psychopath and is genuinely unnerving. Like, it got legitimately tense, and you got the feeling like he was going to do something really awful. And he kind of did, near the end, but even that just felt like an appetizer. And then it ends on a strange cliffhanger.
Yeah, still a weird, confusing little book, but I look forward to reading the other two to see what happens.
Oh, the other thing is, as weird as the book is, the way it was written was way less weird than some of Hamilton's other non-sci-fi/fantasy books. It was written in a much more straightforward way.

[Victoria Whipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

Justice and her brothers spend the summer filling their summer days while their father works and their mother attends classes. Thomas and Levi are identical twins, and Justice is the youngest child. Justice has a growing awareness of not only how similar and different her brothers are, but also of her own growing powers, and how that connects her to others and to the world.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took somewhat too long scene setting for my taste.