The Usual Suspects by Maurice Broaddus
Thelonius Mitchell and Nehemiah Jones are used to people thinking they’re up to something:, for one, they’re Black boys in USAmerica; for another, they spend most of their time at school in the Special Ed room for not being “normal”; and, well, they usually are up to something. In fact, the two best friends are always playing pranks and raising havoc in combination catharsis for their boredom, frustration, and other feelings. But when the principal calls the entire Special Ed class to her office and tells them that a gun was found in the park near the school, Thelonius knows something has gone too far—that he and his classmates are suspected of committing this crime merely because they are “the usual suspects” and not because there’s any real evidence to suggest they were the ones responsible. So, he sets out to find some evidence about who really was.
While this book is working in the same vein as Jason Reynolds’ Ghost, The Usual Suspects isn’t quite as effectively realized. Both books show a supportive mother-son relationship shining through a less-supportive environment. Both books tackle questions of morality and doing the right thing. Both books attempt to explore the effects of childhood trauma from the viewpoint of a middle schooler. Broaddus’ book is certainly an impressive debut middle grade novel, funny and engrossing and ambitious in taking on big themes like prejudice and the failures of systems, but it never quite reaches its stride. There are certainly profound portions, and the book is innovative stylistically, with some interesting flashbacks and moments where the narrative slows down and expands, but in other ways the book isn’t the tight school mystery it hopes to be. The book doesn’t strike the right rhythm of home scenes and school scenes, for one, showing a few powerfully-drawn portraits of Thelonius’ family life which then fall away entirely in the latter half of the book; nor does it effectively build up the sense of an investigation or whodunnit in a truly satisfying way. The book doesn’t strike the right rhythm of home scenes and school scenes, for one, showing a few powerfully-drawn portraits of Thelonius’ family life which then fall away entirely in the latter half of the book. The concluding message is ambivalent, suggesting that it’s okay to frame someone for something they didn’t do so long as they’re not a nice person. And while the book alludes to childhood traumas, Broaddus doesn’t explicitly, sensitively name or explore these dynamics as Reynolds so transparently did in Ghost.
The Usual Suspects is a solid but not outstanding addition to the middle grade bookshelf. The book shows the brilliance and innovation of kids who are shuffled off into the Special Ed room because they don’t fit in to a “regular” classroom and presents a hopeful look at how adults can treat children with more respect. I’m excited to see what Broaddus writes next.