We Deserve Monuments

By Jas Hammonds

Family secrets and a town's dark past challenge a teen's quest for truth.

4.3/5 Goodreads · 11,242 ratings

384 pages· 86,654 words· Est. 8 hour read

$18.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Avery Anderson's senior year takes an unexpected turn when she's uprooted to her grandmother's tense household in Bardell, Georgia. As family secrets simmer and a local murder mystery lingers, Avery finds solace in new friendships, including a budding romance with her neighbor, Simone. But as the town's racist history intertwines with her family's past, Avery must decide if uncovering the truth is worth risking the fragile bonds she's formed. Will she choose peace or revelation in a town where the past refuses to stay buried?

From the publisher

“An absolute must read.” –Buzzfeed “A gripping portrayal of the South’s inherent racism and a love story for queer Black girls.” –Teen Vogue Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery collide in We Deserve Monuments, the award-winning debut novel from Jas Hammonds exploring the ways racial violence can ripple down through generations. What’s more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace? Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she’s uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two. While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family–whose mother’s murder remains unsolved. As the three girls grow closer–Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance–the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty’s health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she’s built in Bardell–or if some things are better left buried.