Featured: YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING, JILLY P! by Alex Gino

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences.

Today we are featuring You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino!

Jilly loves hanging out on the fan site for her favorite book series, the Magically Mysterious Vidalia trilogy. She’s especially good friends with username=profoundinoaktown, a boy who is black and deaf. Profoundinoaktown is very opinionated and forthright whenever Jilly makes mistakes in her assumptions about black people or deaf people. With news about black teens being shot by police officers, Jilly begins to worry for profoundinoaktown and her young black cousins.

Then Jilly’s baby sister, Emma, is born deaf, and she realizes how easy and carefree her life is compared with deaf kids and black kids. She tries learning to sign on her own so she can communicate with her sister, but their doctor says it’s a mistake that will prevent Emma from adapting to trying to “hear” after surgery. This upsets Jilly, and she thinks her parents are making a big mistake by working with this doctor. She’s also frustrated with her white family members who say things that are racist around her black cousins and her aunt. She knows her parents know it’s wrong. Why won’t they speak up for her cousins? Why can’t her family talk about the problems black kids face?

Jilly and her community are devastated when a deaf black teenage girl is shot by police while out running in the streets outside her home for track practice. The teen didn’t hear them yell “stop.” After this tragedy, Jilly learns to use her voice to support her family and help open their eyes and hearts to the harm in staying silent.

This book is very different from Alex Gino’s GEORGE, which won many awards. Alex’s writing skills and storytelling really shine through in YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING, JILLY P! I had no plans to blog about this book. I wanted to read at my leisure without any pressure to write about it. By the time I was done, I couldn’t not talk about it. Here are some of the special highlights that make the story shine.

Jilly is a character who will stick with me for a very long time. I ached with her as she struggled through the growing pains of figuring her way through some very tough topics.
The honest and open discussions between Jilly and her black aunt about racism and standing up for others are perfectly executed and will help kids understand the complexity and importance of their voices.
As Jilly and her parents muddle through how best to support Emma, students will learn a lot about the pros and cons of cochlear implants, deafness, and advocacy for the deaf.
The story is filled with incredibly important messages about inclusion, American sign language, the deaf community, being black in America, police brutality, microaggressions.
My big takeaway that will hopefully resonate with kids (and adults): it’s okay to make mistakes. Once you realize you’re wrong, try to turn it into a right by listening and supporting those you may have hurt.
The author’s note: Alex speaks with so much heart about the struggle in writing this book. But I completely agree with Alex. White parents and kids are the key to solving problems with racism and microaggressions toward the black community. Our silence is loud. Families should talk about the complexity of these problems so that our kids will grow up with a better handle on finding solutions. Do not forget to read the author’s note!
Some might complain that the book is a bit didactic, but I would offer that this very carefully crafted story is far more important than those concerns. This is a story that will strike great discussions. We need this book.

YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING, JILLY P! is available at bookstores and libraries everywhere. Please make plans to read it and discuss it with friends and family.

Info from Alex’s website:

Alex Gino loves glitter, ice cream, gardening, awe-ful puns, and stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of being alive. George was Alex’s first novel. George won the Children’s Stonewall Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Children’s Choice Book Awards, and others. Alex’s pronoun is they.

Born and raised on Staten Island, NY, Alex has lived in Philadelphia, PA; Brooklyn, NY; Astoria (Queens), NY; Northampton, MA; and Oakland, CA. In 2016, they took an 18-month road trip through 44 state in the US. Alex has been an activist and advocate for LGBTQ+ communities since 1997, when they became co-chair of what was then called the LGBA at the University of Pennsylvania. Alex is a member of We Need Diverse Books, PEN America, and SCBWI. For more about Alex, please visit alexgino.com or connect with they on Twitter.