Other Side of the Tracks

October 17, 2022
The violent, racist shared history between largely white Bayside and predominantly Black Hamilton—two New York towns separated by train tracks—reverberates into three teens’ lives in Alyse’s stirring debut. Black siblings Capri and Justin, whose relationship became strained following their mother’s death, want to leave Hamilton to pursue their dreams: Capri as a dancer in N.Y.C. and Justin as a college basketball player. White musician Zach, a New Bayside resident and Philly native, is appalled by his neighbors’ overt racism toward a Black Bayside resident. While visiting Hamilton, Zach befriends Capri and they support each other in their endeavors; Zach accompanies Capri to a dance school audition, and she helps him secure an opportunity to open for a local jazz legend. Meanwhile, Justin’s athletic goals are derailed when he finds out that his longtime girlfriend is pregnant. The shooting of an unarmed Black Hamilton teen by a white Bayside police officer brings the towns’ existing tensions to a boiling point, triggering a fallout that imperils the trio’s futures. Through the characters’ distinct and lingering alternating perspectives, this emotionally raw volume juggles interracial dynamics and themes of appropriation, identity, and systemic racism. Ages 12–up. Agent: Marlo Berliner, Jennifer De Chiara Literary.