Review: Accountable

I remember when this story first made the news. I paid attention to it because I’m a high school teacher, I know people who live in Albany, and I worked in the neighboring school district for 20 years. What was on the news was only the tip of the iceberg.

“Accountable” is a well-written, compelling account of the discovery of a racist Instagram account started by a student at Albany High School and the lives in that school community that were irrevocably changed in the aftermath of the discovery. At nearly 500 pages, the story follows the perpetrators and victims, while providing important additional background information on racism in America, psychology, and other related issues. I found Dashka Slater’s style to be engaging throughout. Slater clearly spent a lot of time getting to know the students (and, to some extent, their families) involved. 

This is not an “oh, everything will turn out just fine” type of story. There are no neat endings tied up with a pretty bow. NOTHING was the same for any of the students involved, even those who came to some sort of resolution or had some sort of reconciliation. This is a difficult story, but you need to read it anyway.

This book should be read by all teens and the adults who work with them. “Accountable” comes out August 22.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. All thoughts and opinions are my own.