Loosely based on a school explosion that took place in New London, Texas, in 1937, this is the story of two teenagers: Naomi, who's Mexican, and Wash, who's black, and their dealings with race, segregation, love, and the forces that destroy people.
Ashley Hope Pérez is the author of award-winning books for young adults, including What Can't Wait, The Knife and the Butterfly, and Out of Darkness. Out of Darkness was described by The New York Times as a "layered tale of color lines, love and struggle" and was named one of Booklist's "50 Best YA Books of All Time." It also won the 2016 Tomás Rivera Book Award, the 2016 Américas Award, and a 2016 Printz honor for excellence in young adult literature from the American Library Association. When she's not writing or hanging out with her two beautiful sons, Liam Miguel and Ethan Andrés, Ashley teaches world literature at Ohio State University. Visit her online at www.ashleyperez.com or find her on Twitter and Instagram: @ashleyhopeperez.
