“This is not a book about a tragedy. This is a book about survivors, and hope, and belief. I wish this book wasn’t necessary, but it is. Read it. And then pass it on.” —Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces
“A whip-smart and deeply felt story about reclaiming life from the rubble of guilt and trauma, Four, Three, Two, One glows brilliantly with heart, humanity, and hope.” —Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling coauthor of All American Boys and author of Tradition
Golden “Go” Jennings wasn’t supposed to be on Bus 21 the day it blew up in New York City. Neither was her boyfriend, Chandler. But they were. And so was Rudy, a cute stranger Go shared a connection with the night before. And Caroline, a girl whose silence ended up costing nineteen people their lives.
Though it’s been a year since the bombing, Go isn’t any closer to getting over what happened. With Chan completely closed off to even talking about it, Go makes an impulsive decision: round up the rest of the survivors and head to New York City. There they will board an art installation made of the charred remnants of Bus 21 and hopefully reach some sort of resolution.
But things are never easy when it comes to rehashing the past. Uniting the four stirs up conflicting feelings of anger and forgiveness, and shows them that, although they all survived, they may still need saving.
Four survivors, one bus, and a thousand painful secrets. Can they find a way to heal, or will the past tear them apart for good?
- YA Contemporary Fiction: A powerful, character-driven story about four teens navigating the aftermath of a public tragedy.
- A Difficult Healing Journey: Go, Chan, Rudy, and Caroline return to the site of the bombing to confront their past at a haunting art installation made from the bus itself.
- Complex Relationships: Faced with their shared history, the four must untangle intense feelings of anger and forgiveness—especially toward Caroline, whose silence haunts them all.
- Hope and Survival: An unflinching look at grief and PTSD that explores the bonds that can form in the rubble and asks what it truly means to survive.
Courtney “Court” Stevens grew up among rivers, cornfields, churches, and gossip in the small-town South. She is a former adjunct professor, youth minister, and Olympic torch bearer. She has a pet whale named Herman, a band saw named Rex, and several books with her name on the spine: Faking Normal, The Lies About Truth, Golden Kite Honor Book and Kirkus Best Book of the Year Dress Codes for Small Towns, and Four Three Two One. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee. You can visit her online at www.courtneycstevens.com.
