Black Crow White Lie by Candi Sary

Standalone. Casperian Books (2012) Author

I could feel tiny stars gather in my hands...

Carson Calley grew up living in Hollywood motels with his fortune-telling mother, who is full of stories about their lives together and prophesies about his future.

We were Indians - Californian Indians. This pale skin was once native brown. And these legs of yours were once big and strong so that you could run after deer and shoot them with your arrows, and then bring the meat back to me. You were destined to be the great medicine man, the great healer who would take away all the pain and disease and suffering of our people.

Believing his mother's yarns, Carson becomes a healer, with the people of Hollywood waiting in long lines to see him, but a purpose built on lies and exaggerations can't last...or can it?

Carson has grown up on stories of his past life, his hero father, his ability to heal, and the potential he has to become great. As a preteen he eats up his mother's tales as well as anyone else's that he comes across. He soaks up these stories and enthusiastically believes that he could truly be the greatest healer of his time. But, he knows that not everything that his mother says is true what with her obvious exaggerations once she has alcohol in her. She could be gone for days and when she is he feels this rage inside him that a healer like him should not have. As Carson branches out to heal people other than his mom he learns some things about himself that have him asking whether his life has any truth in it.

I liked stories. I liked the way they had the power to make sense of life. You could go through a chaotic experience and come out of it feeling confused, but once you tell it to someone as a story, somehow it starts making sense. And I liked watching people cross over to that place that made sense as they retold their tales. I felt like I had company in that safe place away from chaos.

Black Crow White Lie was definitely a very unique book since the protagonist believes he has powers. He heals his mother whenever she asks. He is drawn to light not only outside but inside of him. He uses these stars that gather in his hands to heal his mother and later others. It sounds very strange yet it fit perfectly with the message of the story.

You know how you are told all these things from your parents that you later find out aren't real? Or sometimes you are protected from the harsh realities of life then, at a certain age it all comes crashing down on you? You learn that the world isn't as magical as you thought it was. There is this growth and realization that Carson discovers in this story that we all have felt once before. There's this anger inside him because he knows something is wrong with his mother and his view of the world, he just doesn't understand it yet. 

I really like the growth I see inside of Carson. He is odd but, he is just a kid needing some direction. His friends try to give him that. Faris is an old tattoo artist that looks after him and listens to his stories from time to time; Casper is a head shop owner who sees his potential to help people. Both of these two see that Carson needs a little guidance so they try to help him out in their own way. I think Carson really needed these two male role figures even if they are also odd in themselves. Everyone is a bit different in this story which is what captured my attention most. Black Crow White Lie is a very unique and sweet story about a boy realizing that nothing and no one can change who he really is and who he wants to be.