Review: Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry

Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry by Susan Vaught
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes that one book comes around that inadvertently hits upon a bunch of things you like reading about or can relate to. History, family secrets, the whole package. To distill Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry to only its base components, however, does it a disservice, as this book is really one of the best books for this age group I've read in some time and is a book with weight and importance for all readers.

Dani's grandmother has Alzheimer's, and gives Dani a key to open... something. Dani isn't sure what, but she thinks it could be related to why her grandmother doesn't speak with her old friend anymore and a book on some race riots from the 1960s. The book explores Dani and her friends looking into the key, the riots, and the family mysteries surrounding them.

I'll generally always be on board with kids researching history way above their heads. What I found really interesting is how well the book balanced a very, very heavy topic with the sort of necessary storytelling and appropriateness that comes with navigating this space. Dani's devotion to her grandmother shines through, the racial politics are addressed without being preachy or heavy-handed, the race riots central to the story are described matter-of-factly, and there's a great celebration of research and the proper historical record that is put in play throughout. It's basically pitch-perfect, and I can't think of a negative about this book at all.

Grab a copy of this one. Put it on your shelf, in your library, in your classroom. It deserves a lot of attention for being so solid.

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