Book Review: Be

One of Lieberman’s strengths lies in her ability to develop characters. By the end of the book, I felt as if I knew these characters inside and out. I understood their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes and fears. In Ari, we find a girl with a hard exterior and a tender heart that loves and cares deeply for those she values. In Henry, we see a boy living with pain and trauma, who still puts the needs of others before his own. Their stories intertwine to tell a tale that demonstrates how families can be torn apart and still be healed.

Lieberman also weaves various valuable life lessons through the story that might be especially helpful for a young adult reader. For example, she explores how a person’s past shapes who they are in the present and even how they might be in the future. This ties in nicely with whether a person can change who they are at their core or if they even want to. She also explores thoughts about the cost of freedom and what it means to love others so much that you are willing to sacrifice everything for them.