How to Make Friends with the Dark

Grace “Tiger” Tolliver is a teenage girl, suddenly orphaned due to her mother’s death. This story follows Tiger as she confronts this tragedy while navigating foster care and struggling to redefine herself through gritty, unfair, and hopeless situations. Tiger’s story emphasizes the complexities of surviving trauma, especially as a young adult. In a senior-level classroom, this story lends itself well for a book club, small-group reading, or as an independent reading choice. Its themes of identity, friendship, family, trust, and resilience are explored with maturity and a unique point of view and may inspire profoundly personal and creative responses.