All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Sawyerr, Hannah V. All the Fighting Parts. Amulet/Abrams, 2023 [400p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781419762611 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781647007249 $15.54 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 8-12 Despite her church-going father's emphasis on obedience and compliance, sixteen-year-old Amina takes more after her activist mother, moving through the world unapologetically as a Black teen girl who knows what she wants and what she won't put up with. That confidence, however, is utterly shattered when she's sexually assaulted by her church pastor—her father's idol—and she falls silent under the weight of the secret. When another victim comes forward, however, she decides to tell her father and go to the police; thankfully, she's believed by the cops and her dad. She still must reckon with a terrible trauma, though, and when her efforts to talk to the other victim are rebuffed, she feels herself flailing even more. Sawyerr utilizes poetic form to great effect: the first half of the novel, before the assault, is anchored in solid free verse, with Amina's voice shining through with rich authenticity and a bit of swagger. After the assault, however, the text becomes more unpredictable in its movement, quite literally, as words are shaped into tears or drift along the edges with a staccato, uneven beat. While Amina's experience is centered, secondary characters have nuanced depth, especially her father; driven to the church by his wife's death, his believing Amina means he gives up a source of comfort in exchange for a grieving, traumatized girl who needs him in ways neither can quite articulate. Amina's will to fight sees her trial to a gratifying conclusion, but the road isn't easy, and Sawyerr puts a glaring light on the extraordinary bravery that assault survivors—especially Black survivors—have to muster to gain any sense of justice. [End Page 69] Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois