Publishers Weekly
07/03/2023
A white and Jewish teen struggles to cultivate her own identity after her father is imprisoned in this striking verse memoir by Castle (All His Breakable Things, for adults). Thirteen-year-old Jiordan Castle’s father is arrested for involvement in “a conspiracy to defraud the United States” the summer before her freshman year of high school. Through lyrical text, Castle highlights the pain felt and challenges faced by her two older half sisters, her mother, and herself after the FBI raids her home searching for her father. Carefully worded poems depict Castle’s everyday insecurities—such as high school conflicts and difficulty navigating her first romantic relationship—alongside concerns about her father’s safety in prison (“In movies they say don’t drop the soap./ They say sleep with one eye open”). Though rendered primarily in verse, the novel features varied narrative formats, including redacted poems that emphasize the absences Castle feels in her life: “I’m trying to hide this story in plain sight. I’m trying to fill in the blanks.” This moving account is an intense meditation on mental health and the prison system, as observed by Castle, who, according to an author’s note, crafted this story “for the other children of prisoners.” Ages 12–up. Agent: Ashley Lopez, Waxman Literary. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year
A Missouri Association of School Librarians Dogwood Reading List Selection
“Compelling and accessible verse . . . In an author’s note, Castle describes her motivation for writing the book being in part about offering representation and reflection for the many children of incarcerated parents. In this, she’s a success, offering enough detail to be true to her story while still presenting the view of a child who does not know or understand the specifics of her parent’s crimes . . . Fans of Jennette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died (2022) will also appreciate this candid memoir of a parent-child relationship.” —Booklist, starred review
“[A] striking verse memoir . . . Carefully worded poems depict Castle’s everyday insecurities—such as high school conflicts and difficulty navigating her first romantic relationship—alongside concerns about her father’s safety in prison (‘In movies they say don’t drop the soap./ They say sleep with one eye open’) . . . This moving account is an intense meditation on mental health and the prison system, as observed by Castle, who, according to an author’s note, crafted this story ‘for the other children of prisoners.’” —Publishers Weekly
“The occasional use of blank lines in place of words asks readers to guess what [Castle] is trying to say, bringing them into the narrative in an interesting way. All in all, verse is an unusual and rewarding format for telling this story. Thoughtfully recounts the challenges of growing up with an incarcerated parent.” —Kirkus Reviews
“An interesting narrative about the impact of incarceration on a middle-class family as well as an examination of the author’s various relationships.” —School Library Journal
“Searingly honest and compulsively readable, Disappearing Act holds just the kind of poems—and story—I wish I'd had in hand when I was a young person.” —Sara Nović, New York Times bestselling author of True Biz
“This vivid memoir shines a light on the difficulty of navigating a complex family dynamic through a beautiful blend of prose and poetry.” —Robin Ha, New York Times bestselling author of Almost American Girl
“Disappearing Act is a gut-punch of a beautiful, honest book. As someone who has experienced watching a loved one navigate incarceration, this story spoke to me on so many levels. From Castle’s thoughtfully rendered moments of negative space and loud silence on the page, to the lyrical letters to her future self and the tender care with which she portrays a family in crisis, I could not put this book down. A stunning, heart-opening work of art.” —Mariama J. Lockington, Stonewall Honor Award-winning author of In the Key of Us and For Black Girls Like Me
“A gorgeous memoir-in-verse, Jiordan Castle’s Disappearing Act is a heart-wrenching look at the cognitive dissonance that occurs when trying to reconcile who someone is with who you want them to be. Coming of age amidst her father’s incarceration, Castle’s story is a testament to the strength it takes to navigate high school when everything is going wrong. A story of family, love, friendship, loss, and grief, this sharp and evocative memoir offers a personal look at mental illness and the power of friendship and family. Disappearing Act is a must-read.” —Ariel Henley, Schneider Family Honor-winning author of A Face for Picasso
“Disappearing Act is gorgeously written with heartbreaking honesty. Castle dispatches scenes from her teen self in a powerful exploration of trauma and hope. Castle’s debut memoir-in-verse picks up the pieces from her shattered world and illuminates each fragmented memory with razor-sharp precision. The result is a stunning mosaic of a teen girl who discovers clarity and strength on the other side of a familial catastrophe.” —Jennifer Moffett, author of Those Who Prey
School Library Journal
09/01/2023
Gr 8 Up—Castle's memoir in verse focuses on her father's incarceration for fraud. The narrative moves back and forth from the formation of her family to their current life. Of her father's bizarre and erratic behavior and its impact on her family, she writes, "For so long I've thought of my dad at the center of our home planet—navigating the rough realities of his moods and medications." Buoyed by her best friend, Maya, Castle navigates the changes to her family. Selling their home: "[A]nd my mom says simply, we can't afford to keep our house." Her father's suicide attempt: "There was no envelope left for my sisters or me." Even in prison, her father shadows her life with tense phone calls and prison visits, creating a constant low-level dread in the background of their lives. Castle feels jealous when Maya spends time with their mutual friends, fearful of losing her strongest advocate. When Castle starts dating Chris, this adds tension to her relationship with Maya. The text makes good use of white space. Some poems are written with blank lines in the sentences that readers can fill in with their own thoughts. The author's note provides more background on the timing of these events and why Castle wrote her story. VERDICT An interesting narrative about the impact of incarceration on a middle-class family as well as an examination of the author's various relationships. A good general purchase.—Tamara Saarinen
Kirkus Reviews
2023-06-21
Poet Castle’s father was first imprisoned for fraud when she was 12, leaving her burdened with a heavy secret.
Jiordan deals with the significant fallout of her father’s actions while also navigating the usual challenges of adolescence—starting high school, struggling with more advanced schoolwork, dating for the first time, and making sense of changing social dynamics. She must sell many of her most prized belongings when her family moves to a smaller house. Jiordan worries about her father’s physical safety and grapples with feelings of relief that she, her mother, and her older half sisters no longer have to contend with his pill-popping, suicidality, and cruelty. The author, who is white and Jewish, grew up on Long Island. She mentions in her author’s note that for years she sought books for kids whose parents were in prison but could not find them; she wrote this verse memoir to help fill that void. The abrupt ending will leave readers with many questions about Castle’s current relationship with her father, later pursuits, process of healing and making sense of her childhood, and more. However, her accessible poetry is appealing. The occasional use of blank lines in place of words asks readers to guess what she is trying to say, bringing them into the narrative in an interesting way. All in all, verse is an unusual and rewarding format for telling this story.
Thoughtfully recounts the challenges of growing up with an incarcerated parent. (Verse memoir. 12-18)
