The Fight for Midnight
| Modern Age |
|---|
 The Fight for Midnight
|
| Content Warning |
|---|
| abortion, drug overdose, death |
American History > Modern Age > Women's History
It’s been a rough year for Alex Collins. In the past twelve months, he’s lost his best friend, become the target of the two biggest bullies at school, and been sentenced to community service. But on June 25, 2013, he gets a call for help from Cassie Ramirez, the prettiest girl in school. At last, he feels like his luck might be changing. Cassie is at the Texas State Capitol to protest Wendy Davis’s historic filibuster of the abortion bill HB2, and she’s rallying everyone she knows to join her. Until today, Alex didn’t know what a filibuster was, and he’d never given a moment’s thought to how he felt about abortion. But at the Capitol, he finds himself in the middle of a tense scene full of pro-life “blueshirts,” pro-choice “orangeshirts,” and blustering politicians playing political games as Wendy Davis tries to run out the clock at midnight. Alex may have entered the Capitol looking to spend time with Cassie, but the political gets personal when he runs into his ex-friend Shireen in an orange T-shirt and quickly realizes that when it comes to an issue like abortion, neutral isn’t an option. Over the next nineteen hours, Alex will struggle to figure out what side he’s on, knowing that whatever choice he makes will bring him face-to-face with his past mistakes.
Emily's Review
I'll admit, I struggled through the first half of this book, because I found Alex to be a pretty tedious and unlikeable character. I questioned why the author chose this particular character to be the protagonist of this story, but by the end, I understood. It came together for me about 2/3 of the way into the story, which is why I only gave this a 4-star rating rather than 5.
I loved the message of this book - be open to learning about different perspectives, and be able to find the truth in the midst of that. Standing up for rights and understanding that winning a battle isn't winning a war and that the fight continues...I loved all of that.
Alex is going through a lot in this story, and while I still didn't like him as a protagonist, I can appreciate that there are kids out there who will see themselves in him. And I hope that they take his epiphany to heart and join the fight too.
Other Similar Books
Other suggestions on the subject of Reproductive Rights.
- Jane Against the World (by: Blumenthal, Karen, YA, A)
- The Fight for Midnight (by: Solomon, Dan, YA)
- Looking for Jane (by: Marshall, Heather, A)
- Take My Hand (by: Perkins-Valdez, Dolen, A)