This powerful audiobook is a must-listen for every American who places critical value on social justice. Our first encounter with it comes when we learn that Moss is still traumatized from witnessing his father being murdered by the police when he was ten years old. It is central to the lives of several characters and plays a role in each of the key plot points. When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift. Police brutality is the most readily apparent of the novel’s themes. Despite their youth, the students decide to organize and push back against the administration. Constant intimidation and the Oakland Police Department stationed in their halls. Now, in his sophomore year of high school, Moss and his fellow classmates find themselves increasingly treated like criminals in their own school. Six years ago, Moss Jefferies father was murdered by an Oakland police. Along with losing a parent, the media's vilification of his father and lack of accountability has left Moss with near crippling panic attacks. Discussion Questions What emotions did you experience as you read Anger Is a Gift When a scene made you angry, were you able to imagine how those feelings could become a gift Which moments in the book made you feel hopeful Moss lives with panic attacks and other effects from the trauma of his father's violent death. A story of resilience and loss, love and family, Mark Oshiros Anger Is a Gift testifies to the vulnerability and strength of a community living within a system of oppression. Six years ago, Moss Jefferies' father was murdered by an Oakland police officer. The same is true of the fact that Moss has several techniques given to him by a therapist for dealing with them, including sorting through a “Rolodex” of happy memories of his father, without which he cannot get the sound of the gun or the sight of the blood out of his head. In this sense, Moss’s panic attacks are symbolically significant, highlighting the lasting effects of police brutality and the fact that victims of violence and murder by the police extend far beyond those actually killed or injured by them.A story of resilience and loss, love and family, Mark Oshiro's Anger Is a Gift testifies to the vulnerability and strength of a community living within a system of oppression. The fact that Esperanza is so used to them and so well-versed in how to respond helps to highlight both how regular they are and what a debilitating and significant effect they have on his life. Indeed, he collapses within the first chapters of the book after being triggered by a protest against the police murdering another unarmed person of color. Since witnessing his father’s murder six years earlier, Moss’s life has been marked by trauma, manifesting in anxiety, nightmares, and especially panic attacks.
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