November Blues

November Blues is a 2007 young adult novel by American writer Sharon M. Draper. The second book in the Jericho Trilogy, it focuses on African-American students at Frederick Douglass High School. The novel’s events unfold in the aftermath of Josh Prescott’s death from a fall from a second-story window during a pledge stunt. As his friends and family begin to cope with their grief, they look for their own ways to overcome their emotional pain. Jericho, Josh’s cousin and best friend, battles not only with the grief but also with feelings of guilt. However, no one is more affected than Josh’s girlfriend, November Nelson, as she finds out she’s pregnant shortly after Josh’s death. Now she must decide how to move forward, as she tries to find a way to be a mother while still being in high school. Exploring themes of grief, self-forgiveness, teenage pregnancy, and friendship, November Blues was followed by the final book in the series, Just Another Hero, which deals with a school shooting. The trilogy is among Draper’s most acclaimed novels, with November Blues being named a 2008 Coretta Scott King Honor Book, as well as being a Young Adult Choice Book from the International Reading Association.