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Crosshairs

Review

Crosshairs

CROSSHAIRS by acclaimed author Catherine Hernandez is set in a dystopia where minorities are labeled as Others.

The bottom of the social scene, the Others are members of the disabled, LGBTQ+ and people of color communities. In an effort to improve the country, the government unveils the Renovation, a work camp program for the Others enforced by a paramilitary group called The Boots. However, this product of the fascist regime is really a thinly veiled concentration camp and mass genocide of the minority communities.

From this ominous setting emerges Kay, a queer Black performer. Hidden in a white woman's basement, he spends his waking hours thinking about his long-lost lover, Evan. When he is forced to leave, he finds himself involved in a plan to stop the Renovation. Kay joins the resistance, along with a reluctant transmasculine refugee, Bahadur, and a stubborn social worker, Firuzeh. Together with a few white allies, they organize an insurrection against the genocidal government.

"CROSSHAIRS is a compelling cautionary tale about minorities and discrimination. This chilling dystopia provides a snapshot of a potential future for our world, which makes the book all the more harrowing."

As the story progresses and we follow these characters on their journey to revolution, Hernandez intersperses flashbacks throughout. The development of Kay from a shy and awkward child to a proud drag queen was invigorating. I enjoyed Kay and Evan's great love story, along with a glimpse of normal life before the Renovation. Since readers know the future to which these flashbacks lead, they are more attuned to warning signs for the oncoming racial oppression.

Hernandez does a masterful job of depicting the varied responses to these injustices. My favorite details in CROSSHAIRS were the people of color who salvaged the tiniest bit of power and rights, and the price they paid. There was a Boot of Iranian heritage who otherwise would have been sent to a work camp herself. A group of Asian women managed a work camp so they could stay with their children, choosing to perpetuate a fascist regime for their own survival. War is messy, a concept that Hernandez captures in nuanced but touching ways.

I appreciated how allies had to constantly unlearn their white supremacist mindset. Beck, who houses three Others, once served in the Army, where he watched and contributed to a fire that forced indigenous people to evacuate. Having gone rogue, he now performs a daily series of chants and movements to reemphasize his commitment to the resistance. This unlearning is a reminder to move past white guilt and focus on fighting for equality.

While I loved how Hernandez depicted the buildup and nuances of the Renovation, I thought the ending was too abrupt and idealistic. It left me slightly unsatisfied, and I wish she had elaborated more.

Still, CROSSHAIRS is a compelling cautionary tale about minorities and discrimination. This chilling dystopia provides a snapshot of a potential future for our world, which makes the book all the more harrowing. I recommend it to those who enjoyed THE HATE U GIVE, as well as to anyone who wants to learn more about racism, queerphobia and ableism.

Reviewed by Alison Lee on January 15, 2021

Crosshairs
by Catherine Hernandez

  • Publication Date: August 17, 2021
  • Genres: Dystopian, Fiction
  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Atria Books
  • ISBN-10: 1982146036
  • ISBN-13: 9781982146030