James' need to escape from home has reached its breaking point. Physically, he couldn't go far, but his imagination allowed him to travel miles away. He escapes through every stroke of the pen into his notebook. His writing gives him the ability to be an escape artist. In his every changing life, one day he's being abused and the next day he's caring for his abuser. Change can happen in the snap of a finger or a slip of a word.
Vying for a position in life that seems normal, James' trajectory for life becomes unstable. South Shore is taking a trip to the Northern Lights and he is trying to figure his life out. He battles acceptance, anxiety, and depression on his way to discovering who he really is. The constant battle between cloudy skies and clear vision taints James' mindset as he navigates through life as an African American teenager in Wisconsin. Juggling a myriad of emotions, he must figure out where he belongs en route to Alaska. Loyalty is tested, love is stretched, and forgiveness is a mystery as he is challenged within his own consciousness.
“Northern Lights” is about an African American teenager who is trying to manage life as a foster child living in a bad neighborhood while attending a private high school. This is a coming-of-age story that captures the depth of the traumas that young people suffer through daily. Abuse, sexuality, racism, friendship, and spirituality are concepts that are confronted in “Northern Lights.” The poetic flow from the main character James displays the creativity and the value that any teen has that seemingly gets lost within the mundane and complicated trials of life. Reading “Northern Lights” takes you on a journey that can be felt through each word while the spirit of empathy, defeat, triumph, and joy is felt throughout the story.
