Every Story Ever Told

Polonsky, Ami. Every Story Ever Told
October 29, 2024 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this generational sequel to World Made of Glass, we meet Iris' daughter, Stevie. Stevie is very interested in the 1980s, wearing Doc Marten's even though they give her a blister, and listening to 80s music. Iris is in charge of their small New Jersey community's Kickoff to Summer celebration, and she and Stevie's dad only give Stevie a little bit of a hard time when they all head off to the festivities and Stevie is wearing a crop top and eyeliner. They are just getting ready for the festival in town when there are gunshots. Stevie and her dad hide under a taco truck, having just said good bye to the mother. They are safe, but the mother has been shot and is unconscious. A friend takes Stevie home, and her elderly neighbor, Evelyn, stays with her until her grandmother, Sarah, and her husband, Bob, can take Stevie to New York. Stevie's friend Avi gives her an emotional support puppy, Raisin, even though Stevie's dad doesn't like dogs and the grandparents' apartment doesn't allow them. Iris will be okay, but Stevie's dad won't leave her side. Stevie feels faint, and has horrible flashbacks to the shooting. Her grandmother sends her on a mission to pick up Evelyn's Star of David necklace from the museum where it has been on display; Evelyn was a child during the Holocaust and was in Auschwitz. Since she feels better going out, her grandparents let her and Avi explore New York, including her mother's old school, and The Center, which helped Iris and her father Steven when he was I'll with AIDS. Stevie learns a lot of history about both the LGBTQIA+ movement as well as the Holocaust, as Evelyn shares her story about going into the camps with a twin who was experimented on and died. Stevie decides to go by her full name, Stevie Jane, in honor of her grandfather and his boyfriend, J.R., and gets therapy for the trauma she experienced. 

Strengths: The author was motivated to write this after the Highland Park Fourth of July shootings in 2022. This weaves together several different topics that are currently much discussed; stopping gun violence, LGBTQIA+ history, and the continuing struggles of the Jewish community. It's interesting to catch up with a character from another book, even if she's in a coma for most of it. Avi is a good friend, and I enjoyed the fact that Stevie was able to travel around New York City and learn some history. There is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book, and the description of the shooting at the community celebration is very circumspect. 
Weaknesses: I could have used more of an introduction to Stevie and her world before the shooting happened, but I didn't realize this was a sequel until the end. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who found the history in Weissman's A Length of String or Gino's Alice Austen Lived Here interesting.