Survive the Dome

January 15, 2022
In the wake of the tragic police killing of Black single father Jerome Thomas, protests erupt all over Baltimore. Gay Black teen Jamal is heading to his first protest to take pictures that can bolster his college applications. Unfortunately, the governor sees the growing civil unrest as a different opportunity: She isolates the city under an experimental dome that blocks both physical movement and electronic communication and arms an already aggressive police force with weaponized bodysuits. First-person narrator Jamal, an aspiring photojournalist, must team up with tan-skinned, curly-haired Marco, a less-than-forthcoming teen hacker-turned-love interest, to somehow put a stop to this nefarious plan. Jamal initially approaches the protests as an extra-credit project but sees an opportunity to do more: "This is the chance of a lifetime. I can change the world and change my life." The book commits itself to mining a political subject embedded in contemporary issues of racial injustice for the purpose of spectacle. It's unclear what the Dome's technology offers in terms of hypersurveillance, militarized policing, state-sanctioned violence, and community isolation that isn't already prevalent in the real world, but this reimagining of the police state does accelerate Jamal and Marco's relationship in ways both rewarding and trite. Ultimately, this is a story about important relationships developed through hardship and tragedy. A speculative thriller about personal growth that deals with all-too-real traumas. (list of Black people killed by the police, sources, content warning) (Speculative fiction. 13-18)

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April 4, 2022
Amid civil unrest, the citizens of Baltimore are trapped within an experimental, impenetrable policing dome in Jackson’s (Yesterday Is History) page-turning novel. After the acquittal of a police officer for the murder of Black single father Jerome Thomas, aspiring journalist Jamal Lawson, 17, arrives to document the resulting Black Lives Matter protests, hoping to secure his place to study photojournalism at Columbia University. Declaring a state of emergency, Maryland’s governor and white chief of police, Ian Coles, erect the dome, which cuts off all communication to the world beyond it. Jamal is led to safety by Marco Gonzales, a tan-skinned, tight-lipped teenage hacker. As tensions run high and Coles begins using excessive force against anyone he deems “a problem,” Jamal and Marco devise a plan to reveal the atrocities within the dome to the outside world. In a first-person POV that’s both unafraid and unapologetic, Jackson brings a sci-fi twist to the reality of police brutality and the oftentimes literal silencing of marginalized peoples, putting queer people of color at the helm of effective change. Though the pace teeters near the end, this thrilling read will leave a lasting impression. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

Starred review from April 1, 2022

Gr 9 Up-"Journalists often ask questions to get to the truth." Jamal nervously and excitedly attends a protest against police brutality as a high school journalist, anticipating grabbing a few stellar photos for his college applications. Almost immediately, Jamal is put in an uncomfortable position with a cop at the event, where he meets an older student, Marco, who belongs to a secret society and has inside knowledge about the protest. Suddenly, the protest and surrounding city of Baltimore are cast under a mysterious dome that disables technology and traps the protestors. Orchestrated by the governor, the dome is intended to promote "law and order," though this approach may incite more violence than it prevents. Jamal and Marco now must fight for their freedom and lives. Combining contemporary and science fiction with a hint of the thriller genre, Jackson has created a stunning future United States in which technology is being used to control people and heighten racial tensions. Jackson brings together Black Lives Matter with an influence of the Hunger Games to ask questions such as: "Who deserves freedom?" and "Who is a criminal?" Teen readers will enjoy the social commentary and puzzling through those questions as they see representations of racial and LGBTQIA+ diversity. VERDICT This novel will keep readers on their toes, holding their breath, and hoping Jamal makes it out of the dome alive. A highly recommended, thrilling read.-Tracey S. Hodges

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2022
In this thriller set in an implied near-future, aspiring teen photojournalist Jamal (who is Black and gay) brings his camera to a protest in Baltimore following a police officer's acquittal in the shooting death of a Black man. What he ultimately captures on film is the emergence of the Dome, a force field ordered by the racist governor to separate the city (a "problem area") from the rest of the world. Isolated and surrounded by police, Jamal isn't sure he will survive the night. But with the help of two new friends (both BIPOC) -- Catherine, an AWOL soldier; and hacker Marco, who has ties to controversial activist group Nemesis -- Jamal makes a dangerous attempt to take the Dome out of commission. The fast-paced first-person narrative is perfectly suited to Jamal's journalistic nature as he doubles down to gain information from everyone he encounters. His account lends itself to a layered view not just of Nemesis but also of the cops; the police chief, he notes, is "capable of love and kindness and still chooses to look at people like me with nothing more than anger." From the lengthy (but by no means complete) opening list of unarmed Black and brown victims of police violence to the astonishing conclusion, this is a searing futuristic story of systemic racism, police brutality, and unchecked power. Eboni Njoku

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from March 15, 2022
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Jamal, 17, has a passion for journalism and exposing the truth, almost as much as he cares about doing the right thing. But when a government-imposed force preventing the transmission of digital media is activated in response to protests over the killing of a Black person by a police officer, his moral compass goes haywire. An impromptu crew of Jamal, hacker Marco, and former soldier Cat forms, and together they use their experiences, identities, and diverse areas of expertise to secure justice for the people of Baltimore. Reminiscent of Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give (2017), Jackson's too-close-to-home dystopian novel adds a level of thought-provoking complexity that will undoubtedly compel readers to grapple with the use and abuse of power by government entities. This is further bolstered through narrative exploration of what it means for people of color to support existing systems of law enforcement. Jamal, Marco, and Cat are a motley crew, but with their shared goal, there is balance to their trio that offers a glimpse into the beauty of justice-oriented allyship and organizing. Though the arc of friendship takes center stage here, a romantic subplot beautifully validates Black and brown LGBTQ+ identities. Fast-paced and action-packed, the story directly confronts the myriad deaths of Black people at the hands of police enforcement. Perfect for lovers of dystopian reads, Jackson's sophomore YA offering has a satisfying conclusion with room for more.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2022
In this thriller set in an implied near-future, aspiring teen photojournalist Jamal (who is Black and gay) brings his camera to a protest in Baltimore following a police officer's acquittal in the shooting death of a Black man. What he ultimately captures on film is the emergence of the Dome, a force field ordered by the racist governor to separate the city (a "problem area") from the rest of the world. Isolated and surrounded by police, Jamal isn't sure he will survive the night. But with the help of two new friends (both BIPOC) -- Catherine, an AWOL soldier; and hacker Marco, who has ties to controversial activist group Nemesis -- Jamal makes a dangerous attempt to take the Dome out of commission. The fast-paced first-person narrative is perfectly suited to Jamal's journalistic nature as he doubles down to gain information from everyone he encounters. His account lends itself to a layered view not just of Nemesis but also of the cops; the police chief, he notes, is "capable of love and kindness and still chooses to look at people like me with nothing more than anger." From the lengthy (but by no means complete) opening list of unarmed Black and brown victims of police violence to the astonishing conclusion, this is a searing futuristic story of systemic racism, police brutality, and unchecked power.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)