Jackson lives in in aboriginal community in Australia called the Mish. He has good, loyal friends, a loving family, a girlfriend, but he feels at odds with himself, feelings he tries to drown with alcohol and mischief. Dealing with the whites in the community who treat Jackson and his friends with racist disdain is hard enough, but he has to keep himself in check or he’ll wind up in juvie.
Jackson’s aunt comes to visit, bringing his cousins as well as Tomas, a troubled boy who’s been staying with her. Tomas shares Jackson’s room, which starts out as an annoyance because of his personal space, but becomes even more of a distraction when Jackson realizes what his feelings for Tomas really are.
When the two boys realize their feelings are identical, Jackson has to decide what to do. Will living his truth mean having to leave the Mish and lose his family and friends? What should he do, hide his feelings and the truth of who he is? Can he be happy that way?
Ready When You Are was a beautifully told book. While the story is familiar in some respects, I’ve never read a story that takes place in an Aboriginal community before, especially with these themes. I worried the plot might get too tragic or melodramatic and I was so happy it didn’t; this was a story with characters I rooted for.
Thanks so much to Pride Book Tours, Gary Lonesborough, and Scholastic Inc./PUSH for inviting me on the tour for this book and providing me a complimentary copy in exchange for an unbiased review!
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