Some disappearances make headlines; some barely make a whisper, maybe even just a buzz… buzz… buzz. In Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, readers are pulled into waves of social injustice, guilt and trauma, neglect, and abuse, and, most importantly, friendship and loyalty.
The story follows Claudia, a middle school girl desperately searching for her best friend, Monday, who seems to have randomly turned into dust. As Claudia begins to realize that classmates, family members, staff members, and even authorities do not give one spike of thought or care about Monday’s absence, she refuses to ignore it. Through a heartbreaking and powerful mystery, the novel exposes deeper issues about disappearance and the way certain voices are silenced and forgotten.
This novel opened my eyes to possibilities that some people cannot even comprehend. It showed me how missing African American girls often receive little police attention and limited concern from the public. At the start of summer break, Monday gave Claudia a matching journal to go with her own. After that moment, Claudia never saw Mo nday again. They did everything together spent all day at school side by side, stayed together after school, and even spent time at each other’s homes. Claudia could not imagine her life without Monday.
When Monday never returned, Claudia was determined to find her. She never stopped searching. She went to houses, questioned people at school, and even spoke to her own mother, desperate for answers.
The one person who might have known the truth was Monday’s sister, April. As time went on, Claudia felt something was deeply wrong. After traveling hours away with someone important she mentioned during her journey, she went to see her father—where her mother claimed she had been. Her mother’s attitude was far from pleasant. Later that same day, sirens filled the air as crowds gathered around Monday’s home. They found her in the freezer.
As Claudia spent so much time trying to figure out where Monday was, all she could remember was that sound while sneaking into Monday’s house, buzz… buzz… buzz. Even after everything, that sound echoed in her mind. Claudia had been suffering from mental struggles, and the truth was that everything had happened years ago.
Monday’s Not Coming is not just another book. It is a painful reminder that some stories are ignored in real life. It forces readers to question who gets remembered and who gets forgotten.
