Genre: Young Adult Fiction / African American Fiction

Talk about an emotional rollercoaster! The Cost of Knowing is just that. When reading this book, I was reminded of some of my favorite movies, Premonition, sadly combined with the social injustices that plague our African American communities. Heavy right? But all of this is from the perspective of an African American teenager, Alex Rufus.

All Alex wants is to be a typical teen with the the heavy weight of is “gift.” After a tragic accident, Alex gains a special power that restricts his ability to live a normal teenage life. He is constantly being thrown into what transpires in the future with a simple touch. He touches a business card and sees him throwing it into the trash. He touches the ice cream scoop and sees him scooping ice cream before he actually scoops it. He touches his girlfriend, Talia, he sees their ultimate breakup. All of this seems innocent, right? That is until he touches a photo of his brother and sees his brother, Isaiah’s untimely death which sends him on a rase against time doing for his brother what he failed to do for Talia’s brother, his best friend.

This is a very good read. I experienced so many highs and lows reading this book. I definitely recommend this book for you and your teenager. Read it along with them. It can provide great conversation around the implications of implicit bias that drives a persons is interactions with minorities. It can also be a great conversation around fate and the inability to change it, so we should seize the day and make the most out of every moment. Grab your tissues because it’s going to be an emotional ride.

Upcoming Review! When by Victoria Laurie