The Cost of Knowing: A Heartbreaking Tale of Brothers

 

The Cost of Knowing (Goodreads)

Be prepared to get super attached to these characters. WARNING: I cried like a baby.


The Cost of Knowing focuses on two African American brothers struggling with the deaths of their parents. Not long after the car accident took their parents, Alex Rufus, a 16-year old ice cream shop employee, and big brother finds out that he has the power to see into the future. The catch; Alex has to touch the item and he can only see the futures of the things he touches. Most people would think this is an awesome superpower, but being forced to see the future every time he touches a person or item is distracting. At work, when he touches a scoop, he has a vision of himself scooping the ice cream. Things get intense when he touches his girlfriend's hand and sees the future where they are on the brink of breaking up. This power has a lot of drawbacks. Struggling through it, Alex thinks it is more of a curse than a gift and would love to get rid of it. This knowledge of what his touch causes makes him pull away from everyone he loves and extremely anxious. Alex thinks he has it under control until he touches a picture of his brother and sees his imminent death.


Now he is forced to embrace his visions in order to save his brother, Isaiah. As the two brothers struggle through their grief and discomfort of being the only black kids in the neighborhood, Alex must find a way to save Isaiah before it is too late. If he can't find a way, his vision might come true.

My Review:

This book was beautiful and heartbreaking. I am so glad I stumbled upon this book. The characters were real and really showed the struggle of young black men in America. As a teacher who has taught in a variety of situations, I struggled when it came to the characters. I instantly saw my students in them. Any teacher who has had a deep love for their students knows what I mean. This can make reading a book all that more difficult. I cannot even explain the number of students that I have had that shared many of the struggles these boys experienced. I am very excited to add this to my classroom library.

Many of my students who had read this book, upon my suggestion, have loved it. It was a great book to get your boys reading. *fist pump* As a teacher, my only thought was, “Heck yes! A book that finally got them reading” Middle school boys view reading almost like they view bathing. Safe to say, it is rough. Alex and Isaiah really give an honest look into the minds of 12-16-year-old boys. They have realistic worries and struggles. Throw in superpowers and you have a perfect storm. For anyone who experiences a teenage boy on a regular basis, you know that the hormones they have pumping through those little bodies are enough to drive them crazy. No teen needs special powers on top of that!

All in all, this book does a stellar job at talking about two other touchy topics: Racism and Grief. When a kid loses a parent, there are many different ways that they deal with it. This novel, by Brittney Morris, explores how teens deal with loss and the damage it does. Alex chooses to accept the situation but cuts himself off from everyone in his life under the impression that they would view his grief as a burden. Isaiah focuses more on the fear of losing others and never leaving the house. Both desperately need help, but refuse it repeatedly. In regards to racism, the book shares the ideas of “good black kids” vs “black thugs.” Alex and Isaiah are referred to by their white neighbors as “good black kids.” All of this comes to the surface as their Aunt Macky struggles to explain to the head of the neighborhood society that having a rap concert in the nearby park does not mean that it would bring in “black thugs” and drugs. Alex is fired up by the neighborhood’s perspective that all people who listen to rap must be drug-using, black criminals. He fights to end this stereotype and prove that no matter the color of your skin, you can be a bad person. Later, his opinions and ideas are proven to be correct.

Suggested Student Age: 14 and up (This is even a bit low)

Warnings: Sex (discussed), loss, racism, racial profiling, murder

***** Spoilers *****

In the whole book, I was praying that Isaiah would not die and that the future would change. I will admit that I cried when he did die. I cried like a dang baby when Alex realized he had failed. Maybe some of that comes from the fact that I myself am an older sibling, bent on protecting my sister, even as an adult. It also may be that I have lost students to senseless violence and seen the grief and trauma that follows. I knew the whole book that Alex had seen Isaiah’s death, but I refused to believe that this could possibly be the end for such a sweet 12-year-old boy. Nope, I was not going to accept it. I know that this is the reality of young boys of color and that destroys my soul. Imagine a poor teacher, crying in a ball, next to this book. An exaggeration, yes! A true representation of how devastating it was, you bet your butt it is! Definitely worth the read for someone who has never and will never experience this level of racial discrimination. Aunt Macky also acts as one heck of a parent to these boys. She is a strong, independent, successful black woman raising two boys and she is killing it the whole time. Not only that, but she too, is sifting through her own grief of losing a sibling. FINALLY, an accurate representation of black women. I am so sick and tired of Black parents being represented as absentee, drug addicts, or crazy. Is that the reality of some kids; heartbreakingly, yes. But I think that many people think that that is the only thing that they are. Very rarely do we see hard-working, devoted parents that want the best for their kids. It is time that we truly represent this long slept on group of people.


Books with Miss Bekkers gives this book 5 out of 5 stars. Bonus points for representation and a truly unique story idea.