If My Words Had Wings - Danielle Jawando

Tyrell has been serving time in Rycroft Young Offenders Prison for armed robbery, and after eighteen months he is being released on probation.  Determined never to set foot in prison again, he takes inspiration from a poet whose class he enjoyed inside to help him through. But rehabilitating himself is much harder than he first thought and he finds that adjusting to life at home won't be as straightforward as he expected. 

I finished reading If My Words Had Wings about half an hour ago and I've just been sitting here since closing the book, trying to absorb everything I've just read. To say that this book is a powerful read is an understatement. It's a book that hits hard and is raw in its portrayal of prison life for young offenders and shows readers just exactly how difficult life is for them, both when in prison as well as when they are relased.  Not only does Ty have to cope the restrictions imposed on him as part of his licence conditions, but he has to deal with being back home, coping with the adjustment and the mental strain of his time in prison, as well as what he is going to do next with his life. Nothing is straightforward or easy. 

Mental health, PTSD, family, friendships, self harm, joint enterprise - all are covered in this book and show what young offenders have to deal with. Danielle does this brilliantly with characters who feel truly real. I have no first-hand experience of what Ty is going through, but the way Danielle writes him as a character makes it feel very real. Not only Ty, but Dadir and Ty's mum and brothers too; they give you an honest insight into all sides of the story.

This is the first of Danielle's books that I've read but it certainly won't be the last. Emotional, hard-hitting, honest and important in the messages it shares, If My Words Had Wings should be in every secondary school library in the country.