Featured: I’M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT

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 I’M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT co-written by debut author Gilly Segal and former bookstore owner/director/screenwriter Kimberly Jones.

Campbell and Lena have very little in common other than that they’re both at their high school’s football game. Campbell, who is white, is a loner in her new school thanks to being forced to move from New England to Atlanta to live with her absentee dad when her mom decides to take a job in Venezuela. Lena, who is beautiful, popular, and black, is blessed with a job that allows her to put together outfits and accessories that show off her killer fashion style. She also has a boyfriend, Black, that she’s totally fixated on, even though his life choices make her family question their relationship.

When a fight breaks out at the game, Lena takes shelter in the concession stand where Campbell is working. Then shots ring out, and the two unlikely friends bond while trying to figure out how to get home from what is becoming a dangerous situation.

As the high school skirmish spills into the nearby neighborhood and escalates into a full-fledged crisis, police swarm the area and angry looters take to the streets. During the tension, Campbell and Lena meet up with Lena’s questionable boyfriend, Black. They soon realize they have different perspectives on what it’s going to take to survive the night of violence. Though the police might protect Campbell, Black and Lena must avoid them at all cost.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight’s #ownvoices dual-author narrative stands out, giving each Lena and Campbell distinctive voices in this story about chaos caused by violence and hate.

One of the lines in the story–– “when you push people to their breaking point, and they ain’t got no power, they’ll find a way to take it.” ––really stood out to me. No one fares well in a situation when we leave others powerless. It’s an instinct that’s true of everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion–– something we need to keep in mind as we develop policies and work with others.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight is fast-paced and timely, perfect for fans of Nic Stone and Angie Thomas. It makes a good discussion book about micro-aggressions, stereotypes, and racial problems and is available for preorder from your favorite independent bookstore or request at your library before its release on 8/6/19.

For more information about the story, here’s a chapter excerpt and here’s an article about how the debut authors tackled writing as a duo.