Review: If I Tell

If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Jasmine is bi-racial, born to a 17 year old mother, raised by her very loving grandparents. Jasmine’s father hasn’t had anything to do with her, except for setting up a trust fund for her on the condition she never try to contact him…NICE! This, she feels, sets her apart and she’s never made friends because it was easier to hang with her Grandfather and her guitar.

One night at a party, Jasmine sees something she wishes she hadn’t and it shakes her to the core. Once she decides to tell her Mom what she saw, her mother reveals she is pregnant. Now what is Jasmine to do?

I thought Janet did a fantastic job of tackling the feelings of being bi-racial in a primarily Caucasian environment. A lot of the things Janet wrote about were the same feelings many bi-racial friends have shared with me that they experienced growing up, only my friends were growing up in large urban areas with their family unit intact, unlike Jasmine.

I felt tremendous sympathy for Jasmine all the way around. I loved that Jaz spent a lot of time in self-reflection and did finally find two people who were willing to climb the wall Jas had erected to separate herself from her schoolmates. I also loved the honesty with which Jackson carried himself. I appreciated that he’d made his mistakes, done his time, and was doing everything he could to stay on the straight and narrow. I loved the potential influence he would have had on Jasmine and the growth I believe she would have experienced with him in her life.

I so enjoyed this book that I finished it in one sitting. I am adding Janet Gurtler to my list of authors I want to read more from.




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