We’ll Fly Away
Byran Bliss
Zahra, 10
4/5
“We’ll Fly Away” is a story about Luke and Toby. They are seniors in highschool and have been best friends since childhood. Both characters live with thoughtless and abusive families, so they create a plan to move on. Luke having a careless Mother and her boyfriend, lead Luke to often take care of his younger twin-brothers. Toby deals with his alcoholic father, who often beats him. Their escape plan is with Luke having a scholarship at a University to wrestle, and Toby’s plan to go to the same school in Iowa. Even though Toby hasn’t quite figured out how he will pay for his tuition. Only in the end, to find themselves making lifelong decisions that will end in catastrophe.
I was deeply engaged in the book. It isn’t something you can “enjoy”, with only having respect for the story and the characters and the life they lived. I find that it is a book everyone should read. It is definitely a difficult book to read, from start to finish. But, it gives you a different perspective on a variety of opinions. I enjoyed the overall snapshot of life. In particular, Luke’s and Toby’s. It may not provide details of the beginning of life, but with the given details, you can paint an image in your head. I also like the individual stories of each character. With Luke wrestling phenom and Toby’s challenges with his father. It shows the difficulty of living in poverty and in an abusive family. The daily struggles and challenges they have to face. The story also captures friendship at best, providing the anger and love they have for each other.
I believe that teens and young adults will enjoy the book the most. I would definitely recommend this book. It provides a different perspective on life and what people could be going through without you knowing. If you like to read emotional and heavy books, this is more of a reason to read it.