Can't Take That Away

By Steven Salvatore

Book Overview

"A charming, inspired story about being true to who you are." - Phil Stamper, bestselling author of The Gravity of Us

An empowering and emotional debut about a genderqueer teen who finds the courage to stand up and speak out for equality when they are discriminated against by their high school administration.

Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. They can hit every note of all the top pop and Broadway hits. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother's spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice.

Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey's tormentor and others in the school. It's up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights--and they refuse to be silenced.

Told in alternating chapters with identifying pronouns, debut author Steven Salvatore's Can't Take That Away conducts a powerful, uplifting anthem, a swoony romance, and an affirmation of self-identity that will ignite the activist in all of us.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1547605308
• ISBN13: 9781547605309
• Release Date: March 2021
• Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.8" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher