Purchase to Support Our Program

“Via a deliberately plotted, nonlinear timeline, this potent speculative thriller from Oshiro builds a harrowing image of a queer adoptee navigating religious trauma while combatting white saviorism. …While retaining space for authentic representations of faith and spirituality, this breathtaking indictment of corrupted religion’s consequences presents a standout, deeply felt portrait of a teenager’s longing for connection.”

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Into the Light

Written by Mark Oshiro
Published by Tor Teen

When you’re like me, you have to lie.

It’s been one year since Manny was cast out of his family and driven into the wilderness of the American Southwest. Since then, Manny lives by self-taught rules that keep him moving—and keep him alive. Now, he’s taking a chance on a traveling situation with the Varela family, whose attractive but surly son, Carlos, seems to promise a new future.

I can’t let anyone down.

Eli abides by the rules of his family, living in a secluded community that raised him to believe his obedience will be rewarded. But an unsettling question slowly eats away at Eli’s once unwavering faith in Reconciliation: Why can’t he remember his past?

What am I supposed to do?

But the reported discovery of an unidentified body found in the hills of Idyllwild, California, will draw both of these young men into facing their biggest fears and confronting their own identity—and who they are allowed to be.

Find the truth.

Primary ISBN: 9781250812254
Publication Date: March 2023
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 13 or older

Community Represented: ,

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (California)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.