Review By: Anonymous
Published: 2021
Genres: YA Fiction, Sports, Realistic Fiction
Audience: Grades 9-12
Goodreads Link: Kneel
Content Warnings: Racism, Social Justice, Mild sexual references
Publisher’s Summary
The system is rigged.
For guys like Russell Boudreaux, football is the only way out of their small town. As the team’s varsity tight end, Rus has a singular goal: to get a scholarship and play on the national stage. But when his best friend is unfairly arrested and kicked off the team, Rus faces an impossible choice: speak up or live in fear.
“Please rise for the national anthem.”
Desperate for change, Rus kneels during the national anthem. In one instant, he falls from local stardom and becomes a target for hatred. But he’s not alone. With the help of his best friend and an unlikely ally, Rus will fight for his dreams, and for justice.
Review
Kneel tells the story of high school senior Rus and his final football season, but it goes well beyond being a typical sports novel. The story is set in a town rocked by an instance of police violence where a young man was murdered by officers who mistook candy for a gun. When the officer remains unpunished, a mysterious figure dubbed “Dante’s Shadow” begins demanding justice. The tension peaks when Rus’s best friend, Marion, is wrongly charged with resisting arrest after a field fight started by a white player who faces no consequences. In the spur of the moment, Rus decides to kneel for the national anthem, thrusting him into a world of political organizing he never expected.
One thing Kneel does exceptionally well is exploring the internal conflict of the character. Rus is faced with the difficult task of deciding between standing up for what is right and jeopardizing his own future. The novel explores this in a nuanced way, particularly how Rus’s choices are influenced by the long history of racism in his town and the pressures from his parents, who were denied the very opportunities he is now chasing.
While some plot points were predictable, the book has enough depth to appeal to a variety of young readers. Whether a student is interested in sports, social justice, or even a bit of romance (driven by Rus’s interactions with his crush, Gabby), there is something here for them.
