Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sweet novel of injured athlete finding purpose in writing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When THIS THING OF OURS begins, Ossie, a star high school basketball player, suffers a career-ending knee injury during a game. Soon after, his girlfriend, who was very invested in his potential for future fame and wealth, breaks up with him. A teacher invites Ossie to join a writing group, where he finds new friendships and a new sense of purpose. When an "anti-woke" video made by other students puts Ossie's writing group and the teacher's job at risk, he'll need to make use of his newfound passion to try to stop another thing he cares about from being ruined.
Is It Any Good?
This is an inspiring and hopeful story about the power of friendship and writing. In the bestselling novel This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph, the main characters illustrate the struggles that can follow "rising" in society, in particular, when people of color achieve wealth and professional status and then end up in predominately White environments where they are made to feel unwelcome. The topic of finding one's personal identity is also explored in the main character's journey from aspiring to emulate his dead father's basketball stardom through a career-ending injury to discovering himself through his writing.
In contrast to the main characters, whose problems and choices are nuanced and specific, the villains are pretty flat. Described as rich, White, good-looking, and so on, readers get little information about their personal motivations other than generic racism and classism. It's a missed opportunity for complexity in what's otherwise a powerful, worthy read.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the different levels of courage in This Thing of Ours. In your own life, what does everyday courage look like? What are some examples of heroic courage?
In This Thing of Ours teamwork helps with more than getting things done; it's a source of emotional support. Have you seen teamwork promote well-being? How did working together help people in their personal healing?
Do you think it's important for people to read books about other people who share their identities, e.g., race, gender, disabilities? Why or why not? How can diverse cultural representation in literature and other media help foster integrity and standing up for what's right?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Topics : Activism , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Integrity , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publication date : May 6, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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