Forever Is Now - Mariama J. Lockington

Schneider Family Book Award
 

I love reading novels in verse. Ever since I was originally introduced to them with Crank by Ellen Hopkins, I've found enjoyment in reading them. While I think this had some stiff competition with Long Way Down, I think this novel was deep and relatable in a different way. I think describing anxiety using poetry is a great way to try and describe the emotions and feelings of what it's like to live with anxiety. How I knew that this book had effective imagery is when it triggered my own anxieties when I was reading it. While, there are some parts of the character that I can't exactly identify with, for obvious reasons, I think that there are lines that stand out that most people would be able empathize with. I like that this book ends in a much happier note and a hopeful look towards the future, the other novels in verse that I've read recently have all be much more depressing. 

This novel strikes me as one of those books that I would try to pitch to a student with how short it is, and then they would reluctantly come back and tell me that they actually really enjoyed it. I think that this book would appeal to so many if they gave it a chance because of how little we really talk about how debilitating mental illnesses like anxiety can be. Plus, novels in verse are always great examples to pull from when teaching poetry. I could see this being grouped with other novels in verse that would be an excellent addition to any collection because, like I said before, a lot of the other novels in verse are really depressing. 

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