Book Review: The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: September 6, 2022
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation . . . Maddy did it.

An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she’s dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing as white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.

After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High’s racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school’s first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it’s possible to have a normal life.

But some of her classmates aren’t done with her just yet. And what they don’t know is that Maddy still has another secret . . . one that will cost them all their lives.

The Weight of Blood is Tiffany D. Jackson’s homage to Stephen King’s Carrie. As such, I thought it was masterfully written. Our main character is Maddy, a biracial girl whose father is forcing her to pass as white. He diligently straightens her hair with a hot comb to keep up the ruse. Maddy is careful to avoid water, because getting her hair wet would expose her. One day, she is outside during PE class and it suddenly starts raining. Her secret is out.

Maddy has always been the weird girl, and this just adds fuel to the fire. Her classmates immediately start bullying her. A video of the bullying goes viral online. Maddy’s classmate Wendy, a popular white girl, convinces her friends to help her organize an integrated prom to make the school look better. Yes, this school, in 2014 has separate prom’s for Black and white students. Wendy convinces her Black football star boyfriend to invite Maddy to the “everyone prom” in an attempt to atone for her part in how Maddy has been treated. Not everyone is happy to have an integrated prom, and this is where the trouble really starts.

I was impressed with how Jackson was able to tell an insightful story about racism, both overt and systemic, while still keeping the fundamental essence of Carrie. Her creativity is amazing. Halfway through reading this book, I learned that it’s a YA novel. I never would have guessed although it is a book that teenagers absolutely should read. It’s highly entertaining while also making important points.

Highly, highly recommended.