The YA Book Log

LIE by Caroline Bock

“Everybody knows. Nobody’s talking,” runs the mantra among the Long Island high-school crowd that knows full well Jimmy beats up Latinos every Saturday night. LIE is a book about group mentality and how they protect their hero and deny their own moral touchstones to defend their friend.
LIE is told through the point of view of ten different voices. This is not a fun and easy book to read. Much of the book you will find yourself screaming at the characters wanting them to stand up and do what you believe they know to be right.
What makes LIE such an important book is that it depicts the thought process of everyday kids, kids who do well in school and who are involved in sports and after school activities. It is so scary because it reveals how they can so easily be convinced to go along with the crowd and do what they know to be wrong. The fact that LIE is a fictionalized story inspired by a brutal attack that took place in Suffolk County in 2008 makes this book all that more essential of a read for teens here. It is perhaps only Long Islanders who will get that LIE stands for our famous Long Island Expressway.
I recommend LIE for teens in grades 9-12.
Mrs. Sayan
Young Adult Librarian
East Meadow Public Library