Check out our interview with Kristen McCallum, the author of "Free Girls."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
Honestly it started with going back to my former detention center — I gave a talk there a few years ago and something about being in that space just stayed with me in a way I didn't expect. And I couldn't stop thinking about it after. That's really where Jasmine came from, trying to work through what that feeling actually is.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
Reading Rainbow to me means a reader picking up a book and trusting that their story deserves to be on the page, that who they are is worth exploring, worth seeing. That kind of pride is something you have to protect because it's what lets you trust your own voice in this really overwhelming world. And when a book really lands, that's what's happening. A reader sees themselves and something just clicks. That's everything I hoped for with FREE GIRLS.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
I can't speak for everyone but for me it matters that my work reflects the world around me in the ways that I can and the ways that work for the story. Not seeing myself in books early on was actually one of the reasons I questioned whether there was anything interesting or important to say about myself at all. So I take that seriously. This book was actually easy to do with because there are so many settings and so many kinds of people moving through them, and I really got to have fun with who I brought into the story.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
Like I mentioned earlier, the why really shaped the what! The book follows Jasmine, who's just come home after twelve months at a detention center and is trying to figure out who she is now. Everything around her has changed and she's doing her best to keep up, but the past has a way of catching up. I wanted to write about that tension between who you've been and who you're trying to become, and what it actually costs to hold both of those things at the same time.
What can fans expect from your book?
They can expect a roller coaster honestly! There are characters you'll want to write off completely and then find yourself forgiving by the end. You might yell at Jasmine a little. But the relationships in this book really travel and I think that's where a lot of the emotion lives. I really hope readers come away feeling like they got to grow alongside Jasmine and that figuring things out with her was worth it.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
Honestly I'm just hoping to figure out if FREE GIRLS has another book in her, write a thriller that keeps me up at night, and keep showing up for FREE GIRLS readers. The conversations I've been having with people about the book and about writing have been everything. I'm not ready for that to stop.
