The Taking of Jake Livingston

By Ryan Douglass,

Book cover of The Taking of Jake Livingston

Book description

An Instant New York Times Bestseller!

Get Out meets Holly Jackson in this YA social thriller where survival is not a guarantee.

Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Taking of Jake Livingston as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

There’s a lot to unpack with Jake Livingston. He’s a black, queer, introverted teen who sees ghosts, ghouls, auras, and death loops all day, every day. The story doesn’t explain why Jake got these and other abilities, just how living with them makes his life a constant challenge.

I enjoyed the story’s unapologetic complexity. Conversing with a potential date is tough when, over your crush’s shoulder, you’re watching a ghoul that nobody else can see! The ghost of a school shooter is stalking Jake, too.

Through journal entries, readers take a deep dive into the mass murderer’s psyche. Creepy and…

I love books where the dead are part of the storyline—where they reveal something about or to the living. In The Taking of Jake Livingston, Jake is a medium who witnesses ghosts caught in death loops, all while navigating life as one of the few Black kids at his private school. One particular ghost—a boy who shot and killed kids at his high school before taking his own life—starts to haunt Jake and try to take over his body. Buckle up for hair-crawling scenes as Jake comes to better understand himself and his power.

From Natalie's list on YA to give you chills.

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