Title: All the Truth That’s in Me
Author: Julie Berry
Setting: Colonial New England (perhaps… but more on that in a minute!)
Recommended Age: Young Adult
What it’s about…
All the Truth That’s in Me is a story about being silenced and finding your voice. When Judith returns to her village after being missing for two years, she hardly receives a warm welcome. It also doesn’t help that the boy she’s been in love with seems destined to marry another. But when her village comes under attack, Judith must muster all her strength to fight back, find her voice, and speak her truth, no matter the cost.
My hot take…
This book starts off with incredibly high stakes that only build with each page turn. The sense of danger for Judith and her village is very, very real. Every character is living on the edge in some way. In many ways, this is a book about recovering from trauma and finding strength. Berry’s colonial New England setting is so rich you can almost smell the autumn frost and wood smoke in the air. That said, history “puritans” will note that Berry is careful to avoid specifically nailing down her time and place and does play fast and loose with the time period to help further her plot and raise the stakes. Readers today will enjoy the sense of danger and find much in common with Judith’s romantic plight if they’ve ever liked/loved/crushed in silence (and let’s be honest, who hasn’t?).
You might like this book if you enjoy: Unrequited love, juicy language, and Titus Andronicus
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