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Works of Radical Imagination

Book cover for Tell It True
Book cover for Tell It True

One of Kirkus Reviews' Best YA Books of 2021

An unlikely high school newspaper editor fights to cover a local murder case and learns what is most important in friendship, in journalism, and in life.

Lisa Rives had higher expectations for sophomore year. Her beauty queen mom wonders why she can't be more like other 15-year-old girls in their small Alabama town. Lisa's Dad, well, she suspects he's having an affair with a colleague at his top-secret job. Her friend Preethy seems to be drifting away, and Lisa spends her schooldays dodging creepy boys and waiting to graduate. Then she finds herself in charge of her high school newspaper, which is the last thing she wanted—school newspapers are for popular kids and club-joiners, not outcasts like her, and besides, the stories are never about anything you actually want to know. But after accidentally tipping the scales in the school election, then deciding to cover a "real" story—the upcoming execution of a local man charged with murder—and becoming a surprise news story herself, Lisa learns some hard lessons about friendship and truth-telling. As Lisa navigates the dilemmas, challenges, and unintended consequences of journalism, she finds her life—and her convictions—changing in ways she couldn't have imagined. Tell It True is a sometimes hilarious, sometimes devastating, always relatable coming-of-age story about the importance of speaking the truth in a world of denial and fake news.

Book cover for Tell It True
Book cover for Tell It True

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“Through the act of bearing witness, Lisa evolves from a reluctant student editor to a budding journalist. She leaves the death chamber observation room changed, and readers are likely to turn the final page of her story with new perspectives as well.”

“A 15-year-old journalist gets a schooling in the power—and responsibility—of the press. Setting up and then deftly tweaking expectations the way he did in his debut, Atty at Law (2020), Lockette pitches self-styled “brainy rebel” Lisa Rives into a whirl of hard choices and gut checks after she takes over editorship of her school’s paper as, mostly, a favor to her bestie (and the paper’s only other employee), Preethy Narend. Her first (but far from last) lesson in journalism’s hazards and rewards comes after she asks the two candidates for class president to identify with a political party. Her question recasts the election as a contest between a dedicated do-gooder focused on sexual equality in school sports and a Donald Trump mini-me—who, this being red-state Alabama—wins in a landslide. But Lisa has much bigger fish to fry after discovering that state law seemingly gives her the right to attend a convicted killer’s upcoming execution. Could she go? Should she? The blowback both in and beyond school when news of her formal request gets out includes national attention, a quick suspension, and, toughest of all, conflict with Preethy. But Lisa finds some unexpected allies, notably her mom, who turns out to be far more than the shallow stereotype her Southern belle persona suggests. The cast defaults to White, excepting Preethy’s Indian family and a minor Black character. Wry, engrossing, even occasionally funny—right up to a gut-wrenching capper.

“Tell it True is a compelling look at what it means to seek the truth, no matter where it will lead. Its bold, clear-eyed heroine goes on a journey from cynical high school outsider to ‘real’ journalist, and her hard-won wisdom will stay with you.”

“Like the best journalism, Tim Lockette’s novel, Tell it True pulls no punches. It refuses to sugar coat the realities of being a teenager—family struggles, friendship, the feeling that you don’t belong—while also challenging readers to think about what it means to have integrity in a world that often rewards looking the other way. Laugh-out-loud funny and painfully real, Tell it True asks you to see the world differently—to give a damn.”

“Her lovely house, beauty queen–turned–realtor mom, and engineer dad paint a picture-perfect life in Beachside, AL. But the truth is that her parents are always arguing about a mysterious person named Denice, and her mother is concerned that Lisa is antisocial. An introvert who prefers journalism over friends, Lisa doesn’t dress or carry herself in a way that pleases her Southern social butterfly mom; Lisa dons dark baggy clothes year-round and hides behind her long black hair. Her best friend Preethy is the only one who seems to understand. Wanting to promote truth and honesty in a world of skewed realities, Lisa becomes the editor of her high school newspaper, but she has no idea what she’s in for: She nearly ruins the outcome for her school election and appears on CNN as the youngest member of the press to have witnessed a modern-day prison execution. Peppered with a diverse cast of characters, this novel tackles sexual harassment, the death sentence vs. life without parole, and the reliability of social and news media. VERDICT Fans of thrillers and truth-seeking protagonists will enjoy this fast-paced coming-of-age read, which lends a voice to the call for a more conscious society.”

“Stop the presses! Fifteen-year-old Lisa Rives has become editor of her school newspaper, The Beachside Bulletin; that would be the same Lisa Rives who has said, “What’s more fake, I ask you, than a school newspaper?” So why, then, has she become its editor? In part because her BFF, Preethy, has twisted her arm; in larger part, though, because, as she has also said, “I want to know the truth.” For strong-minded Lisa, the quotidian stuff of high-school life is not news; she wants to report on the truth of a larger world, and when she learns of the impending execution of a local murderer, she’s determined to cover it despite the resistance of the school’s vice principal. As her efforts become more strenuous, they capture the attention of the media, even the good, gray New York Times. Himself a journalist, Lockette has done an excellent job of infusing his compelling story with verisimilitude and clear writing. Let’s hope that his readers will share Lisa’s passion for the press.”

“Fifteen-year-old Lisa Rives seems to want for nothing. Her lovely house, beauty-queen-turned-realtor mom, and engineer dad paint a picture-perfect life in Beachside, AL. But the truth is that her parents are always arguing about a mysterious person named Denice, and her mother is concerned that Lisa is antisocial. An introvert who prefers journalism over friends, Lisa doesn't dress or carry herself in a way that pleases her Southern social butterfly mom; Lisa dons dark baggy clothes year-round and hides behind her long black hair. Her best friend Preethy is the only one who seems to understand. Wanting to promote truth and honesty in a world of skewed realities, Lisa becomes the editor of her high school newspaper, but she has no idea what she's in for. She nearly ruins the outcome for her school election and appears on CNN as the youngest member of the press to have witnessed a modern-day prison execution. Peppered with a diverse cast of characters, this novel tackles sexual harassment, the death sentence vs. life without parole, and the reliability of social and news media. VERDICT: Fans of thrillers and truth-seeking protagonists will enjoy this fast-paced coming-of-age read, which lends a voice to the call for a more conscious society.

“A novel so assured in its intentions that it turns out to be a book every serious reader will want to experience... It is at times very warm, and it is at times deeply serious. It is about locating truth and reporting it honestly. It is about identifying the factual and presenting the 'real' story. It is about what it means to be human. And it is gripping from start to finish.

“In some ways, “Tell It True” is a story that could only happen in Alabama. Its plot reflects the realities of the Yellowhammer State in a way that allows Lockette’s intimate knowledge of Southern life to shine through... When it comes to the story’s heaviest subject, an execution of a condemned inmate, Lockette’s attention to detail is at its finest.”

blog — September 30

"You Have to Actually Write" — An Interview with Tim Lockette, author of "Tell It True" and "Atty at Law"

To celebrate the publication of Tell It True by Tim Lockette, we're proud to share a short Q/A with Lockette about the book, which Lindsey Klingele, author of The Truth Lies Here, calls "a compelling look at what it means to seek the truth, no matter where it will lead."

A story of journalistic freedom, press transparency, and the ethics of the death penalty, Tim Lockette's latest novel for young adults, Tell It True, follows a teenage reporter who fights to cover for her school paper the upcoming execution of a man imprisoned on death row. As she navigates the dilemmas, challenges, and unintended consequences of journalism, she finds her life—and her convictions—changing in ways she couldn't have imagined.

The publication of Tell It True unexpectedly coincides with the imminent execution of Willie B. Smith, an Alabaman man imprisoned on death row whose contentious upcoming execution gained national attention when Alabama limited press access to the execution to only one reporter.

Our Tell It True Discussion Guide is available to download here.

Why do you write so often in the voice of girls and young women?

I’ve been trying to write children’s and YA books for some time now, and I’ve always been interested in challenging gender stereotypes in my work. I spent a long time writing male characters who in one way or another resist some of the male roles that are presented to them. That work never seemed to appeal to anybody, perhaps because I was too close to the material. I noticed that moms and girls and female teachers were increasingly emerging in my books as the most active, likable characters. At some point, I decided to just go with that. I don’t know how long I’ll continue or why it seems to work, for now. 

The death penalty plays a big role in the book. What’s your experience with that topic?

Many years ago, I moved to Gainesville, Fla. to cover the University of Florida for the local newspaper. The state prison near Starke isn’t far from Gainesville, and it’s where Florida houses its death row. I started covering events related to executions there, largely to fill in for our prison reporter when she wasn’t available. This was 20 years ago, and machismo was perhaps a bigger part of the newsroom at the time. It seemed like a difficult assignment, and I wanted to take it precisely because of that. My editors were careful to offer time off afterward and all that, but generally I didn’t feel traumatized by this in the way they expected. For me, it’s more of a time-release thing. 

More than a decade later, I was living in Montgomery, Ala., covering the state legislature. Going back to the execution chamber was the last thing on my mind. I had a habit of sitting in on legislative committee meetings, even when I wasn’t writing about them, just to find out what was going on. I was in an early-morning meeting one day when officials from the state prison system came forward with a bill that would keep the state from releasing the names of companies that supply drugs to the state for executions by lethal injection. Those prison officials said there was nothing in current state law that prevented them from releasing that information if someone requested it.

Of course, I requested the information. And they refused to give it to me, even though no bill had been passed. That led to a couple of years of digging through the public records that were available, to try and figure out why there was such a concern about secrecy.

What was the big secret?

I’m still not sure who the drug supplier is. But I know that for ethical reasons, drug companies tend to frown on the use of their drugs to kill people. A lot of our drugs come from companies in Europe, where there’s much more opposition to the death penalty. I did find a few times when state officials would drop the names of drug companies in court documents, though it wasn’t always clear whether the companies that were named were the source of the state’s drugs. Typically when companies find out they’re linked in some way to executions, they’ll respond by releasing a statement or policy that this isn’t an approved use of their product. 

What are you trying to say, in “Tell It True,” about the death penalty?

For me, the biggest take-home is that capital punishment isn’t what many people think it is. The most vociferous supporters of the death penalty seem to see it as an eye-for-an-eye punishment, something that has a satisfying sort of symmetry. In reality it takes a long time to execute someone, largely because it’s important to review the case and make sure you’re not killing an innocent person. The process itself is strange and medicalized and emotionally traumatic for just about everyone involved. 

I think it’s worthwhile to look at the death penalty, as it is, and ask ourselves if this is worth doing. A number of American states and most of our peer countries don’t execute people. The alternative to death isn’t to let people go, it’s to put them in prison for life. What do we get out of the death penalty, and is it worth the effort we put into it?

Is Lisa based on a particular person?

If anybody in the book is based on an actual person, it’s Blanderson. I didn’t intend to base her on one of my own teachers, but when I finished the manuscript and began editing, I saw how much of her advice mirrored things that were said to me by Jerry Chandler, an instructor in the communications department at my alma mater, Jacksonville State University. 

I guess that means that to a certain extent I’m Lisa, particularly where Lisa’s shown in conflict with Blanderson. But the real story is that Lisa is an amalgam of a number of young reporters I’ve worked with — the best of whom have a bit of wildness in them that has to be channeled toward a good use. She’s entitled and cocky sometimes, but she’s smart and sensitive enough to learn when people tell her something she didn’t know, something she never considered. 

What advice do you have for young writers?

First, you have to actually write. You can’t just sit around dreaming about the novel you’re going to write one day. Sit down and write, every day, even if you don’t feel inspired. 

That’s the only thing you must do. Personally, I find that it’s good to have a routine, writing at the same time of day in the same place. And here’s something that works for me and might work for you: when you finish a scene or a section, leave yourself a note about what you expect to happen in the next scene, or leave yourself a section of dialogue you expect to happen in that scene. Getting started every day is hard, so if you leave yourself a note you’ll have an idea to work with or to push back on.

An unlikely high school newspaper editor fights to cover a local murder case and learns what is most important in friendship, in journalism, and in life.

Lisa Rives had higher expectations for sophomore year. Her beauty queen mom wonders why she can't be more like other 15-year-old girls in their small Alabama town. Lisa's Dad, well, she suspects he's having an affair with a colleague at his top-secret job. Her friend Preethy seems to be drifting away, and Lisa spends her schooldays dodging creepy boys and waiting to graduate. Then she finds herself in charge of her high school newspaper, which is the last thing she wanted—school newspapers are for popular kids and club-joiners, not outcasts like her, and besides, the stories are never about anything you actually want to know. But after accidentally tipping the scales in the school election, then deciding to cover a "real" story—the upcoming execution of a local man charged with murder—and becoming a surprise news story herself, Lisa learns some hard lessons about friendship and truth-telling. As Lisa navigates the dilemmas, challenges, and unintended consequences of journalism, she finds her life—and her convictions—changing in ways she couldn't have imagined. Tell It True is a sometimes hilarious, sometimes devastating, always relatable coming-of-age story about the importance of speaking the truth in a world of denial and fake news.

“Through the act of bearing witness, Lisa evolves from a reluctant student editor to a budding journalist. She leaves the death chamber observation room changed, and readers are likely to turn the final page of her story with new perspectives as well.”
—Kate Messner, The New York Times Book Review

“Setting up and then deftly tweaking expectations the way he did in his debut, Atty at Law, Lockette pitches self-styled “brainy rebel” Lisa Rives into a whirl of hard choices and gut checks after she takes over editorship of her school’s paper... Wry, engrossing, even occasionally funnyright up to a gut-wrenching capper.
Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

Tell it True is a compelling look at what it means to seek the truth, no matter where it will lead. Its bold, clear-eyed heroine goes on a journey from cynical high school outsider to ‘real’ journalist, and her hard-won wisdom will stay with you.”
Lindsey Klingele, author of The Truth Lies Here

“Like the best journalism, Tim Lockette’s novel, Tell it True pulls no punches. It refuses to sugar coat the realities of being a teenager—family struggles, friendship, the feeling that you don’t belong—while also challenging readers to think about what it means to have integrity in a world that often rewards looking the other way. Laugh-out-loud funny and painfully real, Tell it True asks you to see the world differently—to give a damn.”
Bryan Bliss, National Book Award Long-Listed Author of We’ll Fly Away

Tim Lockette

Tim Lockette is a teacher, writer, and former journalist who lives in Jacksonville, Alabama. His first novel, Atty at Law, was called “A double-must-read for all animal lovers” in a starred review from Kirkus. His most recent novel, Tell It True, won the Whippoorwill Book Award, which honors books that dispel stereotypes about young people in rural areas and small towns.