Books to Borrow Martinsburg Public Library Recommends

This has been a difficult year for most of us. Everyone has experienced loss in some form. Some have lost dearly loved family and friends; others have lost time that could have been spent with loved ones making treasured memories.

Young people have lost a season of participation in athletic events, dramatic productions, or musical performances. Though we could go on about what we have lost due to the pandemic, after reading "Before the Ever After" by Jacqueline Woodson, you will gain some insight into the ways people cope with loss.

Jacqueline Woodson is an award-winning author of books written for young people. In "Before the Ever After," she explores the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) on a professional football player and his family. CTE is a degenerative brain disease suffered by persons who have received repeated blows to the head, such as football players and boxers. Symptoms include headaches, confusion, depression, and memory loss.

This story, written in verse, will draw the reader into the life of twelve-year-old ZJ whose famous professional football player father begins to suffer symptoms of CTE. ZJ, his mom, and closest friends (his "boys") are saddened and bewildered by what is happening to his fun-loving, kind, and supportive dad. Through his memories, his music, and his "boys," ZJ finds strength to go on when he realizes there may not be a "happily ever after".

"Before the Ever After" is a young adult fiction book that explores the mind of a twelve-year-old boy who loves his dad while trying to understand the changes in his personality. Even though this book is written for young adults, it contains many insights about how to cope with loss that people of all ages will find helpful in these difficult times.