Sophomore Cole Renner knows teamwork inside and out from running cross-country at his multi-ethnic Chicago public school. He knows about
braving the elements and not getting passed in the chute. What Cole doesn’t know is how much he’ll need all of his mental and physical skills when the heavy doors of Cook County Jail slam shut on his father, a community activist; when his English teacher catches Cole tagging the school with the F word and sentences him to write two poems a week, each on a word that starts with F; when his best friend Felipe Ramirez runs for class president against the girl who dumped him; and when the school bully prowls the halls looking for Cole and the principal seems more interested in punishing Cole than the bully. As much as Cole wants to win meets, what he wants even more is justice—for his father, for himself, for Felipe, and for his fellow students. Cole learns that actions matter, but so do words. He takes his write words (in both Spanish and English) and turns them into the right words to fight for justice.
" Barbara Gregorich has written dozens of books, many on women in baseball, including She’s on First and Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball. She has also written numerous middle-grades books such as Jack and Larry and Cookie the Cockatoo: Everything Changes, and more than 150 educational activity books. As a freelance editor/writer at School Zone Publishing she wrote 18 Start to Read books, developed and wrote the Read and Think series, and has written many BrainQuest cards for Workman Publishing. She hosts the high profile blog Much to Write About. Her first YA novel, The F Words, honors the important role that young people play in movements for social change. "
This powerful and diverse book will inspire young readers to stand up for what they believe in, to believe in themselves, and to fight for justice. Perfect for teens finding themselves—and tentatively writing poetry—during the era of Me Too and Black Lives Matter.
ISBN: 978-1-952536-26-7
8 reviews for The F Words
Rated 5 out of 5
Lisa J. Lickel –
“It is completely refreshing to read a book about a good kid making restitution for doing a bad thing while figuring out constructive ways to deal with injustice. Chicago high school sophomore Cole Renner come to grips with the fact that he is not going to change the world all at once, but that he can and should make a difference in his own environment.
Barbara Gregorich uses her experience as an activist and love of sports to create a marvelous cast of eclectic teachers, staff, students, and parents in this street-level view of precarious teen life in contemporary Chicago. Cole is beyond frustrated when his father receives jail time for leading a protest against closing a local public elementary school. “All this over a grade school,” Cole thinks. It’s one more event in a long list of frustrations over inequality, petty revenge, getting dumped by his girlfriend, and upside-down thinking he encounters in his life. Taking out his anger at the “system” by tagging the school with a vulgarity one night at the beginning of the school year, he’s caught in the act by his English teacher who happens to be in the neighborhood. Quick and creative thinking combine to form an unusual punishment. Cole shows his quality of character by taking to heart and learning from this unique assignment of creating at least two poems a week featuring a word that begins with the letter F for the remainder of the school year.
Cole’s journey of self-discovery involves applying cross-country running advice from an empathetic coach, the deep love of his parents, the experience of visiting his father in the Cook County jail, watching his mother learn how to cope with brief single parenting, and from his boss at his afterschool job at a greenhouse. During an event in which Cole supports his friend Felipe’s class presidency campaign, Cole observes that Felipe is breathing “like he’s in a race. Then I realize he is. Not an actual race, but a race to represent tenth graders. To argue for what he believes in.”
We eventually learn why Cole’s English teacher is willing to risk his career by misleading the school’s principal about who vandalized school property when Cole must trust him with another problem. Empathetic educators help Cole “switch on all the bright lights.” Cole is challenged by the principal who thinks but cannot prove he is the one who tagged the school, and continues to harbor a grudge for Cole’s actions the previous year of protesting standardized testing. Cole’s sense of social responsibility takes on new meaning when not only is his chance at a college scholarship threatened, but so are his friends when the realities of illegal immigration affect them all.
Later, Cole is asked about his poetry assignment and confesses the poems he writes “let me say how I’m feeling, and they make me think.”
The F Words is an enlightening book for middle and high school. While it does contain limited and mild appropriately situational cursing, I recommend it, especially to foment family discussions on social justice and youth activism.”
Rated 5 out of 5
Bradley –
“The F Words is a fantastic YA novel. The story, set in Chicago, follows Cole, a high school student, who’s having a hard time. His dad is in jail. He’s frustrated. In a moment of anger, he vandalizes the local school, painting the F word on the outside walls. His English teacher catches him, and instead of seeking suspension, the punishment is much more creative: Cole will have to write two poems (about other F words) each week. The novel sets off from here and goes on to tackle complex race and cultural issues. The cast is diverse. The plot is engaging throughout. The book feels timely and important, teaching about the power in and need for activism.
I appreciate how Gregorich uses poetry inside the novel. This adds another depth to the experience of the whole book.
The F Words isn’t just a good book, but it’s also an important one. High school teachers in particular should seek out this one for their classrooms. It’ll certainly be on my bookshelf—if students will put it down, that is.”
Rated 5 out of 5
Linda Loew –
“I loved this book! It kept me on my toes, looking around the next corner, waiting to hear the bullhorns and the sound of marching protestors approaching. If you’ve ever walked a picket line or carried a protest sign, pumped your fist in the air against injustice and for a better world, you’ll probably feel a surge like I did as the main character Cole, a 10th grader, and his friends & family navigate not just the halls of their high school, but the streets of their Chicago neighborhood.
Cole’s father is a political prisoner in Cook County jail, for his role in leading a struggle against school closures. Cole’s best friend Felipe runs for class president on a social justice platform, while ICE agents patrolling the streets are a constant worry to their classmates. Cole faces many challenges besides getting in trouble for tagging F Words on the school wall.
The F Words are not just what you might think…they’re a jumping off point for much more, from Fortitude to Fury, from Fist to Fire, from Fear to Fighting back…to Friendship.
Besides the physical action, from cross country running, to protest marches, there’s the mental action, the intellectual and cultural growth reflected in Cole’s poems. There’s a great deal more to identify with from tacos to home baked pies. Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or a high school student yourself, I highly recommend this YA novel to everyone, young and older “”youth.”” There’s something for all of us!”
Rated 5 out of 5
S. Katz –
“I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced YA novel. Pertinent for teens today but also good reading for an old fogey like myself.
The book has likeable, engaging characters who encounter the unfairness of life and figure out how to protest and deal with it.
The poetry Cole, the main character, writes as a “”punishment”” adds to the story. This book should give teens a lot to think about, whether they agree with it all or not. Hopefully it will spark some worthwhile conversations with others. 5 stars from me!”
Rated 5 out of 5
Redline –
I noticed the effortless way the author handles the mixture of Spanish and English when bilingual characters and their friends communicate. In a process called: “code switching,” Spanish words are often inserted into predominantly English dialogue especially when emphasis or emotion are needed. In fact, although the vocabulary of the entire novel is easily accessible, it always shows a reverence for words and their meanings.
Rated 4 out of 5
KIRKUS –
A boy, infuriated with injustices in his world and community, learns how to fight back.
Cole Renner is a White sophomore at August Mersy High School in Chicago. His principal has labeled him a troublemaker for daring to take action against injustices—just like his father, who is currently a prisoner in Cook County Jail after leading a protest to save a neighborhood public school. Struggling with his father’s recent sentencing, Cole lashes out and spray-paints the F-word multiple times on school property. Caught by Mr. Nachman, his English teacher, he is offered a choice: face suspension or clean it off and write two poems every week about other words starting with F. Choosing the latter option, Cole writes about the injustices that surround him and his schoolmates, who are of diverse cultural backgrounds. Despite his initial reluctance, he finds solace in poetry, and it becomes an outlet for each new wrong that Cole and those he cares about face. The teen characters’ discussions of issues such as deportation and racism may inspire young readers who are fed up with witnessing inequities, though this first-person novel tackles many concepts in its five-month timeline, causing events to be rushed and detracting from some of their impact. However, the author admirably showcases the power young people hold when they come together and speak out against a biased system.
Rated 5 out of 5
Carol Joann –
Realistic and inspiring
“The F Words” features a high-school boy who is wrestling with a lot of big issues. His activist father is in prison; his friends at school are in danger of deportation as undocumented immigrants; and Cole himself is in trouble for defacing school property.
This is a terrific book with realistic characters trying to work out for themselves how to do the right thing. It’s an excellent book to encourage conversation and debate about protest, civic duty, mass incarceration, and deportation of undocumented immigrants.
Rated 5 out of 5
Children’s Literature –
Cole is spraypainting crude language on his high school’s walls when he is caught by his English teacher, Mr. Nachman. Fortunately, the teacher is willing to strike a deal: If Cole cleans the paint from the walls and writes two poems about “F words” each week until the end of the school year, Mr. Nachman will not report the incident to the principal. He understands that Cole is angry because his father has been sent to prison for protesting the closing of a neighborhood school. That’s not all of the upheaval Cole is dealing with. His friend Felipe runs for tenth-grade class president against Cole’s former girlfriend Jillian. Jillian resents Cole’s support of Felipe and begins to cause him further frustration at school, even after Felipe wins. Then, some classmates who are immigrants are deported. Cole, Felipe, and their friends become involved in protests against the deportations. Finally, Felipe’s own family is threatened. Cole’s weekly poems provide strength to sort through all of the issues he faces. Readers will learn about various types of poetry and see ways of dealing with bullying at school. In turns serious and humorous, this book about making mistakes and standing up for one’s beliefs will resonate long after the final page.
Eleven-year-old Elinor Malcolm just wants to be normal. Lonely, she goes in search of her best self and a best friend.
In Elinormal, her bossy mom threatens to sue if Elinor is not granted a spot in a prestigious ballet academy. The problem is, Elinor has no interest in ballet. While sitting out the first class in an area park she meets Indira who helps her realize that she is a capable and kind individual. Elinor opens up and makes a friend at school who enjoys all the same things she does. The people in her life finally converge—secret identities are revealed, and Elinor has an epiphany about the nature of relationships and the power of love.
In the sequel, New Girl: The Further Adventures of Elinormal, Elinor is ready for the first day of seventh grade when a last-minute phone call turns her world upside down. She misses the first week of school and when she gets back she’s called “the new girl” even though she’s not. Elinor quickly learns that people are complicated and relationships take work. Lots of work. As she discovers who she is, who she wants to be, and what she wants most in life, she struggles to balance friendships, both old and new, while also unraveling her mother’s mysterious past.
Both of these delightful books explore the complexity of friendships, the reality of disappointments, and the trouble with secrets.
Follow the lives of John and Patrick Donahue as they grow up in the Old First Ward in Buffalo, New York during the mid-1800s. Orphaned as children, they are sent to live with their grandmother. While John finds work and helps support the family, Patrick becomes involved with a gang and runs wild. When the Civil War breaks out, the brothers join the Union army. Follow them through the deadly battles of Grant’s Virginia campaign to Appomattox, the difficulties they face holding jobs once the war is over, their relationships with wives, children, and one another, and Patrick’s lifelong battle with the bottle. A compelling tale of two Irish Catholic men, sons of immigrants, during a tumultuous period in our nation’s rich history.
In Sides’ tender, brilliantly-imagined collection, a young boy dreams of being a psychic like his grandmother, a desperate man turns to paper for a
miracle, a swarm of fireflies attempts the impossible, scarecrows and ghosts collide, a mother and child navigate a forest plagued by light-craving monsters, a boy’s talking dolls aid him in conquering a burning world, and a father and mother deal with the sudden emergence of wings on their son’s back. Bradley Sides is an exciting new voice in fiction. Brimming with our deepest fears and desires, his haunting debut collection of short stories examines the complexities of masculinity, home, transformation, and loss. Tenderness is illuminated by magic realism, providing rays of hope in the darkness and igniting imaginations.
Written by Jonathan Zimmerman, with cartoons by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Signe Wilkinson.
Across the political spectrum, Americans have demanded the suppression of ideas and images that allegedly threaten our nation. But the biggest danger to America comes not from speech but from censorship, which prevents us from freely governing ourselves.
In this brief but bracing book, historian Jonathan Zimmerman and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Signe Wilkinson tell the story of free speech in America: who established it, who has denounced it, and who has risen to its defense.
Meet Habiba, Aleksander, Malee, Elisa, and Dinesh. They have left everything they have ever known and arrived in a classroom in a new country. Meet Grace, Jaylyn, Cameron, Miguel, and Yu. They have never lived anywhere else. Hello! is the journey through the challenges that young refugees must navigate to find a sense of belonging in a new place. Flip it over and this two-books-in one also tells this story through the eyes of the students who receive them in the classroom. In this Welcoming Story, all discover the power of embracing differences. Young refugees have traversed the world, escaped violence, and yet still struggle with the sense of identity forged in the way they dress and the foods they eat. The youngsters in this book encourage each other to be their unique and authentic selves. It is powerful for children to imagine themselves on both sides of this shared experience. It will elicit complex and important conversations with students of any age. Share this diverse book with your children and grandchildren, with your students and their teachers, and with your new neighbors. Experience the joy of feeling accepted and remember the power of Hello!
The Story of a Kite-Flying Contest, the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge, and the Underground Railroad
Can a kite change history? Katie and Homan’s did.
When engineers were faced with the challenge of bridging the vast Niagara Gorge, the solution was a kite-flying contest. After Katie and Homan’s kite crosses the gorge and wins the contest, construction begins on the first suspension bridge to connect the United States and Canada. The two friends are there as it becomes an important link on the Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape to freedom.
Even as her parents try to shield her from the ugly existence of slavery and the dangers of the Underground Railroad, Katie discovers that the scary truth is closer to home than she could have imagined.
Kite to Freedom is an action-packed, fictionalized account of actual events that occurred during the construction of the Niagara Falls International Suspension Bridge, which still connects the United States and Canada at Niagara Falls.
Lisa J. Lickel –
“It is completely refreshing to read a book about a good kid making restitution for doing a bad thing while figuring out constructive ways to deal with injustice. Chicago high school sophomore Cole Renner come to grips with the fact that he is not going to change the world all at once, but that he can and should make a difference in his own environment.
Barbara Gregorich uses her experience as an activist and love of sports to create a marvelous cast of eclectic teachers, staff, students, and parents in this street-level view of precarious teen life in contemporary Chicago. Cole is beyond frustrated when his father receives jail time for leading a protest against closing a local public elementary school. “All this over a grade school,” Cole thinks. It’s one more event in a long list of frustrations over inequality, petty revenge, getting dumped by his girlfriend, and upside-down thinking he encounters in his life. Taking out his anger at the “system” by tagging the school with a vulgarity one night at the beginning of the school year, he’s caught in the act by his English teacher who happens to be in the neighborhood. Quick and creative thinking combine to form an unusual punishment. Cole shows his quality of character by taking to heart and learning from this unique assignment of creating at least two poems a week featuring a word that begins with the letter F for the remainder of the school year.
Cole’s journey of self-discovery involves applying cross-country running advice from an empathetic coach, the deep love of his parents, the experience of visiting his father in the Cook County jail, watching his mother learn how to cope with brief single parenting, and from his boss at his afterschool job at a greenhouse. During an event in which Cole supports his friend Felipe’s class presidency campaign, Cole observes that Felipe is breathing “like he’s in a race. Then I realize he is. Not an actual race, but a race to represent tenth graders. To argue for what he believes in.”
We eventually learn why Cole’s English teacher is willing to risk his career by misleading the school’s principal about who vandalized school property when Cole must trust him with another problem. Empathetic educators help Cole “switch on all the bright lights.” Cole is challenged by the principal who thinks but cannot prove he is the one who tagged the school, and continues to harbor a grudge for Cole’s actions the previous year of protesting standardized testing. Cole’s sense of social responsibility takes on new meaning when not only is his chance at a college scholarship threatened, but so are his friends when the realities of illegal immigration affect them all.
Later, Cole is asked about his poetry assignment and confesses the poems he writes “let me say how I’m feeling, and they make me think.”
The F Words is an enlightening book for middle and high school. While it does contain limited and mild appropriately situational cursing, I recommend it, especially to foment family discussions on social justice and youth activism.”
Bradley –
“The F Words is a fantastic YA novel. The story, set in Chicago, follows Cole, a high school student, who’s having a hard time. His dad is in jail. He’s frustrated. In a moment of anger, he vandalizes the local school, painting the F word on the outside walls. His English teacher catches him, and instead of seeking suspension, the punishment is much more creative: Cole will have to write two poems (about other F words) each week. The novel sets off from here and goes on to tackle complex race and cultural issues. The cast is diverse. The plot is engaging throughout. The book feels timely and important, teaching about the power in and need for activism.
I appreciate how Gregorich uses poetry inside the novel. This adds another depth to the experience of the whole book.
The F Words isn’t just a good book, but it’s also an important one. High school teachers in particular should seek out this one for their classrooms. It’ll certainly be on my bookshelf—if students will put it down, that is.”
Linda Loew –
“I loved this book! It kept me on my toes, looking around the next corner, waiting to hear the bullhorns and the sound of marching protestors approaching. If you’ve ever walked a picket line or carried a protest sign, pumped your fist in the air against injustice and for a better world, you’ll probably feel a surge like I did as the main character Cole, a 10th grader, and his friends & family navigate not just the halls of their high school, but the streets of their Chicago neighborhood.
Cole’s father is a political prisoner in Cook County jail, for his role in leading a struggle against school closures. Cole’s best friend Felipe runs for class president on a social justice platform, while ICE agents patrolling the streets are a constant worry to their classmates. Cole faces many challenges besides getting in trouble for tagging F Words on the school wall.
The F Words are not just what you might think…they’re a jumping off point for much more, from Fortitude to Fury, from Fist to Fire, from Fear to Fighting back…to Friendship.
Besides the physical action, from cross country running, to protest marches, there’s the mental action, the intellectual and cultural growth reflected in Cole’s poems. There’s a great deal more to identify with from tacos to home baked pies. Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or a high school student yourself, I highly recommend this YA novel to everyone, young and older “”youth.”” There’s something for all of us!”
S. Katz –
“I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced YA novel. Pertinent for teens today but also good reading for an old fogey like myself.
The book has likeable, engaging characters who encounter the unfairness of life and figure out how to protest and deal with it.
The poetry Cole, the main character, writes as a “”punishment”” adds to the story. This book should give teens a lot to think about, whether they agree with it all or not. Hopefully it will spark some worthwhile conversations with others. 5 stars from me!”
Redline –
I noticed the effortless way the author handles the mixture of Spanish and English when bilingual characters and their friends communicate. In a process called: “code switching,” Spanish words are often inserted into predominantly English dialogue especially when emphasis or emotion are needed. In fact, although the vocabulary of the entire novel is easily accessible, it always shows a reverence for words and their meanings.
KIRKUS –
A boy, infuriated with injustices in his world and community, learns how to fight back.
Cole Renner is a White sophomore at August Mersy High School in Chicago. His principal has labeled him a troublemaker for daring to take action against injustices—just like his father, who is currently a prisoner in Cook County Jail after leading a protest to save a neighborhood public school. Struggling with his father’s recent sentencing, Cole lashes out and spray-paints the F-word multiple times on school property. Caught by Mr. Nachman, his English teacher, he is offered a choice: face suspension or clean it off and write two poems every week about other words starting with F. Choosing the latter option, Cole writes about the injustices that surround him and his schoolmates, who are of diverse cultural backgrounds. Despite his initial reluctance, he finds solace in poetry, and it becomes an outlet for each new wrong that Cole and those he cares about face. The teen characters’ discussions of issues such as deportation and racism may inspire young readers who are fed up with witnessing inequities, though this first-person novel tackles many concepts in its five-month timeline, causing events to be rushed and detracting from some of their impact. However, the author admirably showcases the power young people hold when they come together and speak out against a biased system.
Carol Joann –
Realistic and inspiring
“The F Words” features a high-school boy who is wrestling with a lot of big issues. His activist father is in prison; his friends at school are in danger of deportation as undocumented immigrants; and Cole himself is in trouble for defacing school property.
This is a terrific book with realistic characters trying to work out for themselves how to do the right thing. It’s an excellent book to encourage conversation and debate about protest, civic duty, mass incarceration, and deportation of undocumented immigrants.
Children’s Literature –
Cole is spraypainting crude language on his high school’s walls when he is caught by his English teacher, Mr. Nachman. Fortunately, the teacher is willing to strike a deal: If Cole cleans the paint from the walls and writes two poems about “F words” each week until the end of the school year, Mr. Nachman will not report the incident to the principal. He understands that Cole is angry because his father has been sent to prison for protesting the closing of a neighborhood school. That’s not all of the upheaval Cole is dealing with. His friend Felipe runs for tenth-grade class president against Cole’s former girlfriend Jillian. Jillian resents Cole’s support of Felipe and begins to cause him further frustration at school, even after Felipe wins. Then, some classmates who are immigrants are deported. Cole, Felipe, and their friends become involved in protests against the deportations. Finally, Felipe’s own family is threatened. Cole’s weekly poems provide strength to sort through all of the issues he faces. Readers will learn about various types of poetry and see ways of dealing with bullying at school. In turns serious and humorous, this book about making mistakes and standing up for one’s beliefs will resonate long after the final page.