The Chandler Legacies
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Chandler Legacies, by Abdi Nazemian (Like a Love Story), tells the story of five teens at an elite boarding school on the East Coast. Beth, Sarah, Ramin, Freddy, and Spence are admitted to an exclusive, secretive writing group and learn a lot about each other and themselves in the course of learning to "write their truths." The story depicts violent hazing, verbal bullying, racism, homophobia, and sexual molestation. Income disparity and the associated status difference between wealthy and scholarship students also is explored. The main teen characters develop empathy and bravery throughout the book. They break rules a few times, such as sneaking off campus and drinking alcohol at a party, but these are exceptions to their behavior. There's some infrequent strong language ("f--k," "s--t," "a--hole). The book offers discussion opportunities around the way institutions cover up bad behavior by those in power instead of protecting those in their care. Families can also discuss qualities like empathy and how we can never know what other people are going through.
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Challenging themes
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What's the Story?
In THE CHANDLER LEGACIES, five teens from vastly different backgrounds come together in a selective writing group at their elite boarding school. The students end up learning a lot about themselves and each other, as well as secrets held for years at their school. Their mentor in the writing group urges the students to mine their deepest truths as part of the creative process. These exercises force the kids to confront personal issues and traumas. They learn that you can never guess what kind of heartbreak, anxiety, and trauma people are going through. Each chapter is from the point of view of one of the students, which provides the reader with a broad look at the boarding school experience. How the kids experience their time at Chandler is dependent on their wealth, background, and sexuality. Some experience violent hazing, sexual molestation, homophobia, and bullying. As they work through these discoveries together, the kids wonder whether they can change things at school and challenge Chandler's history of protecting its legacy and profits at the expense of young lives.
Is It Any Good?
This touching look at the experiences of five teens at an elite boarding school explores privilege, homosexuality, bullying, and sexual abuse. The Chandler Legacies also has important messages regarding who powerful institutions choose to protect and who ends up paying the price. The story is at its best when it shows how the five students have extremely different experiences at the school, depending on their status and where they come from. With each chapter rotating between each kid's point of view, the reader gets an in-depth look at how each teen is affected by their treatment at the hands of staff and other students. This is a good story for highlighting that everyone has their own struggles, no matter how perfect their lives may seem on the outside.
The story is missing a little plot tension in that it unfolds slowly but resolves quickly. The downside of showing five points of view is that the story takes until the halfway point to really get rolling. The dialogue doesn't feel fully authentic. The author's heart is in the right place with the important messages, but the dialogue comes out sounding forced and like an adult therapist is putting words in the characters' mouths. These are minor issues, though. The book is an emotional read that will give readers much to think about. The author's personal note at the end is heartfelt and helpful, and the resources he provides could help many kids who need a safe place to go for help.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about speaking up when something bad or unjust happens. Some of the kids in The Chandler Legacies either witness or are victims of bullying or sexual violence. Do you understand why it is hard for people to speak up when those things happen? Do you know there are resources to get help if you're too scared or worried to deal with an issue on your own?
What do you think about hazing? In many teams, clubs, and other groups, hazing is a ritual to put kids through a rough time to make them one of the group. When is it fun teasing, and when does it cross a line? Are there other, less traumatic ways for new members to bond with established groups?
Have you ever thought about racism and tokenism in books, television, and movies? Have you seen or read stories where there's the one friend of color or the one gay side character? How do you think media and entertainment can be more inclusive?
Book Details
- Author: Abdi Nazemian
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Balzar+Bray
- Publication date: February 15, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 18
- Number of pages: 336
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: April 1, 2022
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