January 2017

At a media luncheon over the summer, I heard Lindsey Lee Johnson speak about her debut novel, THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE ON EARTH. It was the first book that I read when I got home as she completely set up the story for me as a “read me now.” It’s set in privileged Marin County, CA, and told through the eyes of a group of high school students and their young teacher. It’s a laser-focused look into the lives of teens today told from the varied points of view of a group of students and their teacher. The book is set in three time frames: eighth grade, junior year and senior year. There’s a story bubbling up that happened when these kids were in middle school that is haunting them and is alluded to before it’s divulged.

What’s interesting is that, while we think high school is so different today, there are many of the same types of people and not-so-fun experiences that many of us far away in age from those school days will recall. But now these experiences are augmented by social media and instant connections everywhere, making me so glad that I'm not in high school now!

Lindsey brings a smart lens to her storytelling as she tutored and taught writing to teens in Marin County. She’s been on the inside, so she can tell their stories with authenticity. She nails their voices and mood swings, and you can tell that she had the coveted role of confidant for many of them through the years.

It would make for an interesting choice for book groups to discuss and also has crossover appeal to YA readers, especially millennials, who are not that far removed in age from the characters in the book.