I'm going to be honest. A couple of months ago, I logged on to NetGalley and searched for titles that are available for me to request and review. With NG's system prohibiting some titles to be requested by International readers such as myself, my choices were narrowed down to a couple of upcoming 2018 releases, and I was so ecstatic to see that Anger Is A Gift is one of them. I've heard lots of amazing things about this resilient story from my friends online and so I went ahead and requested for this. And thank the stars that Tor Teen approved it. I breezed through this amazing book and loved it. Read on for a detailed summary of my thoughts.

Intimidatingly Infuriating Plot
My need to read this book started from my constant need to read heartbreakingly moving stories every once in a while. After having been touched by previously read books written by brutally honest authors, I instantly requested for this title on NetGalley and was so overjoyed to have been approved for it. What I loved about this is the same reason why I loved other books such as The Hate U Give... It's plot made me so absolutely infuriated, I found myself extremely engaged with Moss' story. I love how the author was able to provoke me too many times to evoke real emotions out of me. I hate for this review to sound cliche, but while reading this, I constantly found myself holding my breath whenever Moss had breakdowns or panic attacks, and it was at then that I found myself completely rooting for him.

Dystopian Issues Tackled in Modern-day Tones
The heaviness and overall feel of this book came from the way the author tackled issues like police brutality, racism, and murder. And for those who know me well, they'd know how much I love stories such as this one. The author seemed to have wanted to tell an honest story about how it is to be a part of a marginalized community. Personally, I was impressed by how well the chapters were choreographed and written, and I was very much moved by Moss' journey all throughout the book. I cringed, I got angry, I got my heart broken several times, all while breezing through it's pages. I have no doubt that this could wow readers who consider them fans of novels like History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner, Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles, and a lot more of controversially impressive books.

Amazingly Impressive Character Dynamics
Moss' relationships with everyone was so, so impressive in my opinion. First, his relationship with his mother is just the purest thing in the world. I love how his mother always had his back even if she was miles away, and the fact that come hail or storm, she'd go to her son in a heartbeat if he needed her melted my heart in a way that I didn't know was possible. Second, his relationship with his tight-knit group of friends was also so, unbelievably heartfelt and during these times of chaos and insane dystopia, it does help to have a friend as company. I have to admit, the huge cast of minor characters disoriented me every now and then but I came to appreciate everyone in the end. And lastly, Moss' relationship with Javier is just so very memorable, and I love them both as individuals and as partners. Seriously, their tandem was reminiscent of other M/M couples that I came to read about in the past like Simon and Blue, Mateo and Rufus, and a lot of other favorites.

"Anger Is a Gift is an engaging, brutally honest contemporary novel that tackles heavy, but very modern and relevant issues like abuse of power, murder, and police brutality. It's highly emotional, and it evoked so much emotions out of me from the start, and I really enjoyed getting to know Moss, his friends, and his family. I love how colorful they all seemed, and the depth that they had was refreshingly heartbreaking. Reading this, for me, was reminiscent of reading a dystopian novel except the chaos was happening in modern time. It's a moving story about loss, and familial love that I know will be perfect for fans of Adam Silvera, Jay Coles, Angie Thomas, and Jeff Zentner. I hate to end this by saying that Anger Is A Gift is quite literally a gift of a novel, but it is. It most certainly is."

(This review is scheduled to go live on May 24, 2018)

I wasn't a huge fan of the writing and also thought the violence was a bit over the top. I know this things keep happening around the world but some of the moments in the protests seemed almost dystopian and stole some of the credibility from the story. Also the cast was way bigger than necessary. All these little problems made it less enjoyable than it should have been, becuase it had a solid plot, great themes and a lovely main character

This is a powerful, heartrending novel. Moss is a gay, African-American teen with a single mother who is very supportive and a group of diverse friends (ranging in race, gender identity, and sexual orientation). His struggles with grief, anxiety, and self esteem are realistically rendered.

As the story begins he meets Javier, an undocumented immigrant, and experiences first love. The story begins as a sweet love story but morphs into a social justice commentary about oppression and police brutality after tragedy strikes. Moss learns that anger is a gift that can be wielded to fight for what is right. Reading the book is intense, especially the last half.

This is a very interesting subject and when I heard about the novel, I was curious to see how the author was going to treat it in this story.

Moss is a boy touched by discrimination and racism. Having lost his father, an innocent victim, killed by the police, he often now has panic attacks. But now, this time, he will decide to move on, to stand against the system when his school begins to turn into a prison. It is first of all the random search in the lockers, the brawls between the police and the students when they have not done anything and of course, the truth is camouflaged. Then eventually things go further, much further.

The author addresses a topic that is not simple. It shows us a horror lived daily, a completely unfair thing. And yet even peaceful resistance causes problems beyond what anyone would have thought. My heart squeezed more than once in the face of all that. I was wondering if things could work out by the end of the book, if the events would finally have consequences for the people involved. Yet nothing is simple but Moss will fight for it!

I also found that the nascent story between Moss and Javier was very touching. They learn to discover each other, to understand what they feel and I found that it was full of sweetness.

It’s a rather difficult novel but one that makes us think. An interesting novel.

Unpopular opinion alert ahead... just warning...

I didn't love this book. I so appreciated the
-diverse characters
-timely events
-timely events like police brutality

but I just didn't like the writing. The first chapter, with the insta love, also was cringey and just made me not want to read on.

They weren't kidding when they said this book is gut-wrenching. Anger is a Gift is a book about discrimination, police brutality, systemic racism, and resistance. It is also about a gay, black teen from Oakland experiencing his first love. And honestly, I think that is what makes this book work. The very sweetness of Moss and his blossoming romance with Javier create a stark contrast with the world that they inhabit and the challenges that they confront daily.

Moss has severe anxiety and PTSD from watching as his father was shot and killed by police when he was a boy. He is sometimes recognized from the protests that followed his father's death, and that can bring on panic attacks. (The normalization of therapy as a helpful part of coping was a thread through the story that I really appreciated) Still, Moss lives in a neighborhood where police violence is not uncommon and even his severely underfunded high school houses a volatile officer on-site. The escalation of problems at his school eventually leads to dramatic events. This include a horrifying display of government sanctioned force against teenagers, and a vivid portrayal of non-violent resistance gone very wrong.

This thread of the story is at times uncomfortable and shocking, but also tragic and made me want to do some research and do something to make the world better. And ultimately, I think this book is also empowering because while there are no easy answers or easy victories, it does show demonstrate how non-violent resistance plus social media CAN make a difference.

Of course, the other piece of this story is Moss, who is a total cinnamon roll. He's unsure of himself and struggles a bit with body image (and props to the author for showing that boys deal with this too!) but he is an absolute sweetheart. He deeply loves the people in his life and watching him meet and get to know Javier is the most adorable thing. Moss is surrounded by a group of friends and family who love him and are quite diverse. His friends include teens who are transgender, non-binary, asexual, lesbian, adopted, etc. and are mostly people of color. And while that can sometimes feel like tokenism, I think the author does a pretty good job of making them fleshed-out characters who make sense in this world and would probably be drawn to Moss. And here's the thing- the fact that Moss is so sweet highlights the severity of the circumstances that push him to finally express his (very justified) anger.

We also get a number of important discussions throughout the book on things like the fetishization of dating a person of color, adopting a child of a different race or ethnicity, or the fact that doing nothing in the face of injustice still makes you culpable. This was an intense, heart-breaking book that will suck you in and open your eyes if you allow it to. It was a little slow to start (which might be ironed-out in the finished book since I did read a proof copy) but once things got going I couldn't put it down.

It’s not very often that I come across a book that everyone absolutely must read. After all, books are a very subjective thing, and I try to keep my friends’ preferences in mind when I recommend them something. But, with that being said, here’s the thing: I’m going to need everyone to read this book, okay? Anger is a Gift is that kind of book that you can finish, but you won’t be able to move on. Since I turned the last page, I’m still thinking of the characters and the story, and I guarantee that won’t be stopping anytime soon.

When I started reading this book, I didn’t quite know what to expect, but now that I’ve finished its clear that I expected NONE of this, I was NOT prepared, and I’ll never be okay again.

This book was brutal. It was honest, I felt like I got punched in the gut—repeatedly—the entire time I was reading this, and it was real. So real. I cried. A lot. (Seriously. I’m surprised my neighbors didn’t stop to make sure I was okay.)

Moss is about to start a new school year, and things are worse than ever. His school is falling apart, the teachers don’t have enough books to go around, and there is a constant police presence on school grounds. Everyone is uncomfortable, especially Moss, who’s father was shot and killed by a police officer. Moss still has anxiety, and as the school progresses from bad to worse, Moss is forced to face reality head on.

Mark Oshiro doesn’t shy away from, well, anything. Anxiety? A very real issue Moss deals with throughout the book. Gender identity? This is the first book I’ve ever read that includes gender-neutral pronouns. Sexuality? Our main character is gay, and many of the characters throughout the book have varying sexual orientations. Race? Moss’s father had been killed by being in the wrong place at the wrong time while the local police were looking for a black man with a gun. Police brutality? Oshiro displays that front and center. He makes it impossible to ignore that there are very real problems involving these topics. In short: Anger is a Gift is powerful.

The relationships between the characters were some of my favorite parts of this book. The bond between Moss and his mother was fantastic, and I loved every scene with them. The wit and banter between Moss and his friends was great, and more than once I caught “the feels” from the teachers in this book. Oshiro establishes every single one of these relationships in a way that grasps the reader and pulls them into the story and the emotional events within.

Look, guys, I’m not going to lie: this book was difficult to read—and wasn’t that the point? There are so many lessons and realities packed into this one book; this book is less of an escape and more of an eye-opener. I cannot wait to see the discussions that result.

‘Anger Is a Gift’ is a heart-wrenching and necessary read. It’s brutal and difficult. It’s beautiful and it gives me hope. The exploration of the anxiety/PTSD that follow acts of police brutality and murder, how it affects the family & community was fantastic and will open up even more discussions on mental health. The diversity rep in this book for POC and the LGBTQIA+ community is great.

I had minor issues with the pacing, the first third of the book is a little slow and “info-dumpy”, but other than that I fully recommend this book to everyone.

[This review will be posting on my blog http://www.readervoracious.wordpress.com on 5/17/18]

Anger is a gift. Remember that...You gotta grasp on to it, hold it tight and use it as ammunition. You use that anger to get things done instead of just stewing in it."
This is an incredibly powerful novel about resilience in the face of adversity and loss. It is about community. It is about taking a stand against the system of oppression, even if it seems hopeless. This is an incredibly difficult read, but it is such an important read. The Bay Area, and Oakland especially, has a long history of activism and holding the police accountable yet there is a long documented history of police brutality there. This novel shines a light on what it is like to be a person of color in Oakland. Compton. Chicago. And countless other cities around the United States.

Anger is a Gift follows sixteen year old Moss and his diverse group of friends at the start of their junior year at West Oakland High School - a dilapidated school that the system may as well have forgotten about. Peeling paint, missing ceiling tiles, not enough books to go around; funding having been restricted due to low test scores, a choice that has doomed the students to an endless cycle. Even the College Fair proves to reinforce the self-fulfilling prophesy these disenfranchised kids cannot achieve success and better their positionality. Juxtaposed against any of the other area high schools, the kids at West Oakland High have the deck stacked against them.
"You know, sometimes it does feel like we're in one of those trendy dystopian novels. Except a lot less white."
This is a contemporary dystopian, except that this is currently happening across the country. It begins with random locker searches, but things quickly escalate. The kids decide to organize, to execute their first amendment rights. Reading the events unfold felt like reading the news; crippling to the injustices in the world and feeling almost powerless to stop it. And as we have become all too aware of, the media's role in shaping the narrative of public discourse helps to continue the system of disenfranchisement.

I appreciated Esperanza's character a lot. She is Hispanic but having been adopted by well-off, well educated white parents in the posher neighborhood of Piedmont, circumstances that all afforded her privilege that she was not aware of. The journey that she takes, in witnessing the differing realities that she and her best friend Moss inhabit due to the circumstances of their homes firsthand was incredibly powerful for me, and added a layer of complexity to the narrative. She learns how to be a better ally, and as a result so did I.

The novel was a bit slow to start, but I think that pacing was important as the reader gets to know the characters and the system of oppression that they live in. I came to care deeply for them, and that made the novel all the more powerful as the narrative progressed and things escalated. In addition to exploring issues of race, this novel also delves into gender and sexual identity with gay, nonbinary, queer, and trans characters.

cw: police brutality, violence, death, loss of a parent, discrimination and racial profiling, racism, religious intolerance

This is a love poem to those activists that stand up for what is right and a rallying call to action for those on the sidelines. It also provides context on how to be an ally in a masterful manner. I recognize my privilege and my positionality in this society, and I'm not going to pretend I understand or can relate to POC's suffering to even the slightest degree. But I will stand by you, because I do understand that our justice system is UNjust and NEEDS to be transformed. I cannot recommend this book enough both to everyone. Just bring the tissues; I haven't cried this much since The Fault in Our Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is sweet, scary, uplifting, upsetting, empowering, uncomfortable, and generally fantastic. There are no easy answers, but that's no reason not to fight. I love Moss and Wanda and their chosen family. I love basically everything about this book, even the parts that are uncomfortable because it's about listening and not making everything about you.

[This review will be up on 05/21 on my blog, acquadimore.wordpress.com]

Anger Is a Gift is a story about police violence and racism from a point of view I hadn't seen yet: a gay black boy with anxiety whose school is every day more similar to a prison, with cops and metal detectors but no money for books.
This is a contemporary, but it works perfectly as a dystopian, except it's real. I mean, the police kill innocent black people because they look ~suspicious~, and regularly beat up minors because they can. Not a problem at all.
This book didn't shy away from showing the worst moments - horrifying, even if you know what you're getting into.

I really liked the diversity. Not only this book has a mostly-black, mostly-queer cast, it also has multiple trans characters (of which one is non-binary), disabled characters, muslim characters, asexual characters, bisexual characters and it's really intersectional. It tackles topics like transracial adoption and damaging "allies" as well.

I didn't like the writing. It felt detached, which is the worst thing that can happen to books that deal heavily with grief, and it had an infodump problem. Yes, a contemporary book full of infodumps, I didn't think it was possible either, but here we are.
During the first chapters, when Moss is wandering around his neighborhood, the book tells us the names of the inhabitants, where they come from, what Moss thinks of them - for pages, and then we do not see most of them again. If you want to portray a diverse neighborhood, I'm sure you can find a less clumsy way to do it.
And that's not the only time this happens! Moss has many friends at school, all of them introduced during the same scene, and we're told how they're like by the narration, in a "[character] was [x] and [y] and chose that name because [z]" way. Some never got more development than that, and I kept confusing them. The cast of characters is huge, but just Moss, his mother and his friend Esperanza are actually developed.

Also, what happens here isn't bury your gays - most of the cast is queer and I saw it coming anyway - but I think it needs a warning. If you want to read this book, keep in mind that: there are many scenes of violence on (mostly) black people, a major queer character dies, a trans character is assaulted and a disabled character gets injured. Also, there are depictions of panic attacks.

I really need to start a shelf which sorts books into the category of "it's not you, it's me" because this is one of those ones. I figure the best way to get through this review is by listing the good and bad things so, here we go.

THE GOOD

- The diversity! The cast of characters in this book was fairly diverse, especially in terms of the LGBT community being represented, which was great to see. And I really did like most of the characters a lot.

- Moss and Javier were cute, though perhaps their relationship progressed a bit fast, but I get why it did for the plot. (I also get why That had to happen, but I'm not happy about it.)

THE BAD

- The writing was, not objectively bad bad, because obviously people have really loved it, but for me it was cringey, and at times felt like the author was trying too hard to be relatable and down with the kids. And, yeah, at times I did think it was straight up bad so, that too.

- Because the writing was bad, my enjoyment of the book plummeted, if I'm honest. The writing is what makes or breaks a book for me first off. Characters are secondary - I can get through a book with unlikeable characters alright if the writing is good, but a book with bad writing becomes a slog, no matter how much I like the characters.

- Another personal quibble I had: the use of the q-slur as a blanket term. So, sure, reclaim it for yourself, but I hate having to read it as a blanket term. It's actually started making me feel sick seeing it so, that wasn't fun when it showed up in this book.

- I wouldn't say this book is bury your gays, but a gay character does die in it. I understand why that had to happen - Moss needs a catalyst for his anger to surface properly, and it was never not going to be a death when you consider the subject matter of the book, and it had to be someone he loved, which leaves his mother, his best friend, and his boyfriend. But yeah. I doesn't mean I had to like it.

- At one point, an ace character compared her struggles to those of a lesbian character, which felt really uncomfortable. Firstly, they're not the same, no matter who's comparing them. Secondly, and more majorly, I don't feel like it's Mark Oshiro's place to be making that statement of comparison. He did similar things with women making comments about men being trash and all too, and it just felt uncomfortable. Like when a straight author has their gay characters make comments about straight people. It just doesn't feel right.

So yeah. Overall, my one word review for this book would probably, unfortunately, have to be: disappointing.

Moss isn't new to feeling distrust of police officers in his Oakland community. He has had nearly crippling anxiety since the day six years ago that his father was shot and killed by police when leaving the town market. Despite the police department's acknowledgement that the officers were at the wrong market and killed the wrong man, no one was every brought to justice for Moss' father's murder.

Now, Moss is dealing with an aggressive police presence as part of pilot program in his crumbling high school. As the situation escalates, Moss has to decide what he wants to do about his school, his friends, and his city.

Anger is a Gift is a compelling look at police brutality and protests. I think the message is important and appeals to today's readers. However, I really struggled to get into the book until about halfway through. I thought there were way too many characters that the author attempted to deeply develop. I also think that the author tried to tackle too many topics. In addition to police brutality and protests, the author also attempts to incorporate numerous topics regarding homosexuality, transgender, and adoption. It really just felt like the author was trying to do too much. I also felt like there were several places in the book where details were included unnecessarily. For example, Moss is meeting up with a friend and the author describes Moss intentionally ignoring a text message, but then the topic is dropped. There were numerous times that this occurred in the book which became distracting.

Ultimately, I was very torn by this book. If I had to rate it during the first half, it would have been a 2. If I could rate just the second half, it would be a 4. I'm not sure I'll end up recommending this one to students just because I think there are books with similar themes that are better written. Either way, I'm glad to see more books tackling the topic of police brutality and racism.

Very gripping. I read it in one sitting unable to put it down. It touched me and was so relatable. Would definitely purchase and recommend to others!

Powerful, important, and so timely. Moss and his friends, who are as gloriously diverse as life itself, are struggling against a security crackdown at their urban high school. Tragic events lead to protests that involve their wider community. Each time it felt as if the events portrayed in this novel were just a little bit extreme, I made myself read yet another in the seemingly never-ending list of news articles about police brutality without consequence. Privilege checked.

I fell in love with these characters, who loved and supported each other, no matter their background or sexuality. I also enjoyed reading about characters who were comfortable in their skins, who were past coming out about their sexual orientation and/or gender - who were just being. Although coming out stories are very important, I think that teens (whether straight or gay, trans or cis) need examples of life in which diversity is an accepted fact rather than the sole point of drama.

This book is so powerful and beautifully written. A story I had to put down and immediately return to despite being so raw and brutal. It’s diverse in so many ways, I especially appreciated the anxiety representation and how that was done. I am definitely looking forward to what Oshiro will write next.

My full review will be posted up on my blog http://midsummernightsread.wordpress.com closer to the release day as requested:)

Oh wow this is an incredibly powerful book...just wow. Definitely do. not. miss this one when it's out in May, ok, peoples?!? It's so well written with amazing characters and it just sucks you write in so you're there, experiencing this horribly unfair and frightening world of police brutality and racism...and also strong friendships and love. Moss was amazing and so so relatable.

And honestly, as a white/Australian, this almost felt dystopian at times?! I know it's not. I know this what real black kids in America go through, but it's downright insane. This world is broke, ok, it just is, if kids can be brutalised at school, have their parents murdered in the streets, and be denied opportunities to succeed in life because no one even gives you a chance.

Moss was such an amazing narrator! It's written in 3rd person (MY FAV) and it's such a really close, personal 3rd?!? Like I was so there on Moss' journey. And he starts off this super anxious kid with panic attacks and he just shuts down if he sees a cop because his father was murdered by them. Then things spiral at school and he + his incredibly tight-knit group of friends start to do protests about how bad their school is. (Like zero funding + there's a cop on the school grounds terrorising the kids all the time.) Peoples, it just gets OUT OF CONTROL. It gets bloody and violent and kids get hurt and all because they freaking wanted some textbooks that weren't falling apart.

This book is about horrible things happening to good people and it's SO UNFAIR.

OH oh and the relationships are everything?! Moss and his mum are so so close!! It's the sweetest thing ever and brb sobbing a bit. Plus Moss has dozens of exceptional friends (I ADMIT: I got really confused with the secondary characters because it is a huge cast, buuut that's just me.) And the romance is literally tHE CUTEST THING EVER. Moss is gay and meets Javier on the train and they just...they are a smoosh of wholesome cuteness. Javier is like this excitable super extra dork (!!) and Moss is this anxious softhearted squish. THEM THO.

Look it's definitely going to punch your feels. And I think it should.

This story is important and hits you really hard with realities. NO sugar coating. NO stepping down. I honestly can't fathom living in a society like that?? so I'm glad books like this exist because the world needs to know and I hope this book gets into a sheer ton of black teens' hands. It's definitely up there with The Hate U Give, Dear Martin and Tyler Johnson Was Here.

Moss is a sophomore who has suffered from panic attacks and anxiety since witnessing a police officer murder his father. Now, with an increased police presence bringing violence to his underfunded high school, he and his friends are organizing to push back. This book is smart, moving, painful at times, and so important. Oshiro has created a beautifully diverse and powerful cast of characters, each with something new to contribute to the conversation. He does a wonderful job of speaking to police brutality against people of color, lack of support for public schools, student activism, anxiety, and young queer love in a way that young people can connect with. "Anger is a gift. Remember that... You gotta grasp on to it, hold it tight and use it as ammunition. You use that anger to get things done instead of just stewing in it."

I've been a fan of Mark's even since I read his reviews of Twilight, and when I heard he had written a YA novel, I couldn't wait. I teach in a school where the majority of the students are in a lower socioeconomic status. I also am the PRIDE Club advisor, so I know my students will be able to relate to Moss' story. Moss and Javier's love story was both beautiful and heartbreaking. I am rarely surprised, but an event towards the middle of the novel gutted me. I could see it happening in slow motion and couldn't look away. I can't wait to get a copy for my classroom, I know my students will love it!

Strong and thoughtful entry into the growing body of YA literature dealing with injustice, police brutality, and protest. I particularly appreciated the diversity of characters, I know our library's patron group will as well.