Still Fighting – Book Review
I was very happy to get a review copy of this new release, Still Fighting, a YA, coming of age novel with a Latinx male protagonist that is full of hope and heart. It absolutely did not disappoint, and I’m excited to tell you more about it in this spoiler-free review.
First, a quick content advisory: This book contains mentions of family separation due to immigration issues and drug involvement, and focuses on grief and death.
Syianne Horne’s middle-grade book Still Fighting doesn’t back down from harsh realities, but it also doesn’t give up on hope.
This is fundamentally a coming-of-age tale about labels, self-worth, and the quiet, unwavering bravery required to think you can be more than what society expects of you. Torres is unable to change his reputation, one he did not choose for himself.
By the eighth grade, that reputation has solidified into something that accompanies him everywhere, influencing both his self-perception and how adults perceive him. That weight feels so genuine, which is what makes this story so powerful. Torres is not a parody of a “troubled kid.” He is still developing as a child and has uncertainties that seem excessively burdensome for someone his age.
Through this story, we navigate this journey with him.
The multi-POV structure also adds more emotional depth. We’re given different views on how friendship, mentorship, and the school environment all interact through Torres, his friends, Carlos and Arlin, and their teacher Ms. Jenkins.
The friendships seem genuine, full of dread, laughter, frustration, and loyalty – the kind of ties that children cling to when everything else seems to be against them. Long after the page is turned, Arlin’s plot, in particular, lends a delicate emotional dimension.
Ms. Jenkins is particularly noteworthy as a potent reminder of the influence one adult can have. She is portrayed as someone who repeatedly decides not to give up on a student that others have written off. It highlights what a difference it can make to have even just one person believing in you. The classroom scenes demonstrate how allowing children to be heard can have a subtle transforming effect, particularly those that focus on self-expression and storytelling.
Still Fighting’s honesty is what makes it so powerful. Without becoming dogmatic, the narrative recognizes societal presumptions, familial expectations, and structural forces. It offers something incredibly important – the notion that being seen, supported, and believed in can alter a person’s course in life – while also trusting the reader to sit with discomfort.
And there will be discomfort, but there’s a point to it all. It’s an emotional read, and one that you will be thinking about long after you put it down.
It is hopeful in a well-earned and grounded manner. It provides acknowledgment and comfort to readers in middle school and adolescence. It provides perspective and serves as a reminder to parents, teachers, and adult readers that even tiny acts of faith can have a significant impact on a child’s destiny. This is one that belongs in every young adult library.
Still Fighting is a significant debut that promotes empathy, introspection, and dialogue. It’s heartbreaking at times, but it’s worth seeing it through to the end. Definitely recommend!
A 5-star read for me.