Something Like Right - by H D Hunter (Hardcover)

About the Book

A contemporary young adult novel about a biracial Black and white teen boy that shows a raw glimpse into the systemic inequality experienced by young people in racialized communities.

Book Synopsis

A contemporary young adult novel about one life-altering year of a biracial Black and white teen boy, showing a raw glimpse into the systemic inequality in racialized communities.

Zay's ma always said his mouth would get him in trouble. Sure enough, it got him into his first and only fight in his junior year of high school. Expelled from his district, Zay's only hope for redemption is to transfer to Broadlawn Alternative School and complete the year.

Zay isn't thrilled about the disgusting school lunch and classroom trailers at Broadlawn, and boarding with his aunt Mel and her live-in boyfriend isn't the greatest. But he'd rather be there than in the city dealing with his estranged father, his overbearing mother, and the fallout from his fight. Besides, Broadlawn has Feven, the beautiful new student Zay is starting to get to know--and fall for.

Still, first love is rarely a fairy tale, and as Zay's time in Broadlawn comes to an end, he learns that shaping yourself within a new place is a lot harder than letting it shape you.

A tender contemplation of first love, broken families, and healing generational trauma by an incredible voice in young adult fiction.

Review Quotes

Black Caucus of the American Library Association 2025 Children & Youth Literary Award

"An original setting for a highly relatable and memorable story about first love and second chances." -Kirkus

"Zay's candid and illuminating first-person narrative reveals a caring teen who makes bad decisions but who ultimately survives his junior year, making this a hopeful, uplifting story even during his darkest hours...will surely resonate with readers who love Elizabeth Acevedo's With the Fire on High (2019)." -Booklist

"Incredible heart, incredible voice, incredible story, H.D.'s Something Like Right has it all!" -Nick Brooks, author of Promise Boys

"Hunter is clearly an expert at illustrating how love, in all its different shades, are important to finding your way through. --Taylor Byas, author of I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times, coeditor of Poemhood: Our Black Revival

"Hunter manages to capture the intensity of young love with care while delicately weaving in social issues that ground the story in sometimes difficult truths." --Jamie Jo Hoang, author of My Father, the Panda Killer and Blue Sun, Yellow Sky

About the Author

Hugh "H. D." Hunter is a storyteller, teaching artist, and community organizer from Atlanta, Georgia. He's the author of two self-published books, the Futureland trilogy, and Something Like Right, as well as the winner of several indie book awards for multicultural fiction. Hugh is committed to stories about Black kids and their many expansive worlds.