Personal Effects

Starred review from September 24, 2012
In an outstanding debut, Kokie tackles the tumultuous aftermath of a soldier's death, as seen through the eyes of a sibling left behind. Ever since 17-year-old Matt Foster's older brother, T.J., died in Iraq, Matt has been enragedâespecially with anyone who criticizes the war or his brother's role in itâand he doesn't hesitate to express himself with his fists. Meanwhile, his authoritative and physically intimidating ex-military father seems determined to erase every sign of his deceased son's presence. When Matt gets his hands on some of T.J.'s possessions, he discovers that T.J. had a life he never knew about, complete with girlfriend and potential child. Risking his father's wrath, Matt borrows a car and takes an impromptu road trip, hoping to reconnect with his brother's memory. Writing with grace and subtlety, Kokie depicts Matt's emotions as he uncovers the details of T.J's hidden life. Through raw moments and strikingly mature characterizations, Kokie explores loss, personal relationships, and the burden of preconceptions. Ages 14âup. Agent: Chris Richman, Upstart Crow Literary.

January 1, 2013

Gr 10 Up-In this gripping debut novel that doesn't pull punches, Matt, 17, is still reeling from the death of his brother, T.J., who was killed while serving in Iraq. He's getting into fights at school, his grades are falling, and he's becoming distant with his friend and crush, Shauna. When three trunks of T.J.'s belongings arrive on his doorstep, Matt discovers his brother's long-time relationship with Celia Carson by reading through stacks of letters. At the bottom of the trunk, still sealed and addressed in T.J.'s handwriting, is the last letter his brother wrote to Celia, but never got to send. An impromptu road trip from Pennsylvania to hand deliver the letter sounds like a great escape from final exams and his volatile and violent father. However, in Wisconsin, Matt discovers a side to his brother he never knew: T.J. was gay and had a long-term relationship with Celia's brother. Could this be the incentive Matt needs to break away from his father's blind insistence that he pursue a future in the military? Kokie beautifully crafts a story about the troubled relationships between an emotionally stunted father and his two sons. Both T.J. and Matt are forced to deal with their own pain in secret. A strong choice for reluctant readers and lovers of realistic fiction alike.-Richelle Roth, Boone County Public Library, KY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2012
"Embrace the suck," is Matt Foster's older brother T.J.'s advice to him, and he's got a whole lot of suck to embrace. Not only did T.J. leave Matt with their vicious, alcoholic father--their bipolar mother died years ago--when he enlisted and then deployed to the Middle East, now he is dead. Their father resolutely refuses to talk about T.J., and he's hidden the small bag of stuff the "uniforms" brought the Fosters when they notified them of T.J'.s death. Under suspension for fighting--and threat of "so help me..." if he doesn't get his ass back in gear--Matt finds an unexpected opportunity when more uniforms drop off his brother's remaining personal effects: trunks containing photographs of a beautiful black woman and her family and often-steamy letters from "C." With help from his lifelong friend Shauna, he plots an escape to Madison, Wisc., where he hopes to connect with his brother's memory. Matt tells his tale in an almost excruciatingly deliberate present-tense narration; Kokie grounds readers so thoroughly in Matt's misery that they will be as itchy to escape the brutal emptiness of life with his father as he is. Realistically, though the inevitable revelation and resolution bring peace to Matt, they do not heal his father; readers will just have to hope he can make it through. A fine addition to the literature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)

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October 15, 2012
Grades 9-12 Devastated after his beloved older brother, T.J., is killed on active duty in Iraq, Matt, 17, combs through T.J.'s personal items sent home by the army. After finding passionate love letters from someone called Celia, Matt travels to find her in Madison, where he is shocked to discover his brother's secret. Some of the characters are not fully developed. Matt's bullying father is completely demonic as he pushes Matt to be a man, not a fairy. In contrast, Matt's sexy girlfriend, Shauna, is too perfectly supportive and understanding. But Matt's first-person, present-tense narrative, with its fast, contemporary dialogue, will grab readers right from the opening scene, where enraged Matt gets in trouble at school for pummeling a self-righteous antiwar bully. At the core is the brothers' close bond, and most moving is Matt's coming to terms with his own prejudice and his guilt and anguish about T.J.: He never told me what was in his head. . . . And I didn't ask. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2013
Since his brother T.J. was killed in Iraq, Matt is laden with anger and pain. He lights out on a road trip to explore unknown pieces of T.J.'s life; he confronts unexpected truths but gains the friendship of others who loved T.J., too. Kokie's well-crafted debut depicts a military family with admirable complexity while tracing one young man's hard-fought coming of age.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2012
Seven months since his beloved brother T.J. was killed in Iraq, Matt is so laden with anger and pain that he is on the verge of exploding. A vocal pacifist classmate's antiwar slogans and graphic T-shirts push Matt over the edge: fists, blood, and Dad's words in his head -- "Wuss. Show him...Fight." Matt breaks the student's nose and smashes a glass trophy case. Stiff, bruised, and suspended for a week, he worries only about what his violence-prone father will do to him when he gets home. The author conveys Matt's grief over T.J. and his fear of his father so palpably that the reader's stomach tightens in empathy. His father, an ex-sergeant, refuses to discuss T.J.'s death or allow Matt any sign of sorrow, telling him only to "man up." Matt's best friend Shauna and her real concern help Matt get through the days, but even this one good thing contains tension: Matt longs for much more than friendship from Shauna but is awkwardly unclear about what signals she is sending. Kokie sets up a credible situation that builds to such intensity that something has to give, and when Matt discovers love letters among T.J's things, he lights out on a road trip to explore some unknown pieces of T.J.'s life. In the process, Matt confronts unexpected truths about who T.J. was but gains the friendship of others who loved him, too. Kokie's well-crafted debut novel depicts a military family with admirable complexity while tracing one young man's hard-fought coming of age. lauren adams

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)