Freedom Swimmer by Wai Chim

 

Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh 

Iloh, C. (2021). Every body looking. Dutton Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780525556220 

 

Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh is a novel written in verse where the main character Ada is a young African American girl of Nigerian descent going to college for the first time and embarking on a journey of self-discovery. From a young age, Ada has been set up to meet the high expectations that her family has placed for her, being that she is the first-born daughter of her parents. She struggles to answer the question "Who am I" and realizes early on her journey to self-discovery starts with dancing, a hobby that her parents are not supportive of. As Ada's first year in college progresses, she learns how to find self happiness.   

 

Every Body Looking alternates telling Ada's story in different periods of her life, whether in present-day college or flashbacks to her younger self at ages as young as six. You learn early on that Ada's religious father has high expectations for his daughter and what is and isn't acceptable. Ada's relationship with her mother is rocky, and she lacks that maternal figure. Her story is sad, and you, as a reader, feel for her when in one of the verses written where she is visiting the church with her father, all she prays for is a friend. You get brief glimpses into her younger years, where you learn about her fatphobic Aunt, read about Ava's peers bullying her for her hair, Ada's first experience holding hands with a girl, and learn that Ada was sexually assaulted in first grade.

Ada's story was not an easy one to read. She had a hard life in the beginning, and even in college, she is struggling to find acceptance from others, but especially herself. I wish the author had touched more on the fact that Ada was sexually assaulted because it was not mentioned much besides when it was first told. Ultimately, Ada perseveres and comes to terms with herself and her trauma through her love for dancing. The end of the book has you wishing for more to see how her parents would have reacted to her telling them she would pursue her love of dancing. Many can relate to Ada and her feeling of never being enough, but hopefully, those readers will also see being true to yourself, just as Ada was, gets you one step closer to self-healing, self-love, and finding your voice. Kirkus states that Ada's story is a "captivating, sometimes heartbreaking, yet ultimately hopeful story about coming into her own." Other books similar to this include Break this House by Candice Iloh, and Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.

Awards for Every Body Looking:

• A Finalist for the National Book Award
• A Michael L. Printz Award Honoree
• One of Reader’s Digest’s 50 Best YA Novels of All Time

Sources

Iloh, C. (2020, September 22). Every body looking. Kirkus Reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/candice-iloh/every-body-looking/

Iloh, C. (n.d.). Every body looking by Candice Iloh. PenguinRandomhouse.com. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/607663/every-body-looking-by-candice-iloh/