This Thing of Ours

The powerful and timely YA debut from two-time New York Times best-selling author Frederick Joseph is a deeply heartfelt story—and a rallying cry against book banning.

In an instant, Ossie Brown’s entire future is in jeopardy when a torn ACL ends his promising basketball career. Now that basketball is no longer a major part of his identity, Ossie—a Black teen who doesn’t come from wealth and privilege—must navigate his new place in the social and academic ecosystems of his affluent, predominantly white school. When a Black teacher encourages him to join her highly regarded writing program, Ossie begins to find a new purpose, buoyed by not only the rich works of literature by marginalized authors he’s now reading, but also by new friends who see him as something more than an asset to the sports program. Everything changes when some students’ viral “anti-woke” video puts the teacher’s job, the writing program, and even Ossie’s friends’ safety at risk—and Ossie must find his true voice. This unflinching novel confronts critical issues like racism and classism, the treatment of student athletes, homophobia, and book banning while weaving together a moving testament to family, romance, friendship, and the power of words.

Frederick Joseph is an author, activist, philanthropist, and marketing professional. Two of his nonfiction titles, The Black Friend and Patriarchy Blues, were instant New York Times bestsellers. He is the coauthor, with Porsche Joseph, of Better Than We Found It and the author of the picture book Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: The Courage to Dream, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith. A recipient of both the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award and the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Vanguard Award, Frederick Joseph was named to the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and was selected for the 2018 Root 100, an annual list of the most influential African Americans. He lives in New York City with his wife, Porsche, and their dog, Stokely.