Ada Holloway's Had Enough
A determined girl comes of age against a backdrop of family struggles and book bans in the encouraging novel Ada Holloway’s Had Enough.
In Randi Smith’s touching coming-of-age novel Ada Holloway’s Had Enough, a girl makes a daring attempt to stop book bans at her local library.
Ada is a high school senior who gets good grades. She also does the homework of her school’s star athlete, the mayor’s son, and works on her English essay project about the town’s founder with the help of her best friend, David, who has connections at the public library. When the city threatens to ban a long list of books from the library, including the only biography of the town’s founder, Ada organizes her friends, library workers, and her rebellious cousin Molly to form a banned book club and challenge the city’s proposal.
Ada is developed in terms of her burgeoning moral courage, which sometimes puts her at odds with her family members. Her mother is temperamental and gives her the silent treatment for unknown reasons; she receives little support from her brother or father. She often feels alone. As the story progresses, though, she becomes more brave, sneaking out to fight the book ban and learning to speak up for what she believes.
Direct but embellished in spots with sensory descriptions, as of Ada’s “entire face” becoming “tomato red,” the prose focuses on the emotional stakes of Ada’s maturation. Her conversations with others are involving, as with her numerous, clear, and distinctive exchanges with David, who offers gentle encouragement and comedic relief each time Ada panics and reveals her doubts about changing the status quo.
Moving between action scenes, dialogue, and Ada’s instances of introspection, the novel ably balances concerns related to Ada’s inner turmoil with the issues facing her city. During a tense scene, Ada addresses her mother’s wrath and her own disobedience, and Ada and Molly forge a plan to sneak out and go to the library. But the book is also busy at times: These scenes are followed by those in which Ada, Molly, and David learn that a reporter from the local paper will be joining their book club. Still, the plot gains momentum as events force Ada to make riskier choices, like attending a protest. It moves with emotive vigor toward an ending in which change is celebrated—both Ada’s own changes and those to her community, which are fed by her personal strength.
In the dynamic coming-of-age novel Ada Holloway’s Had Enough, a bold girl is determined to stop a book ban.
Reviewed by
Jennifer Maveety
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
