Disrupted

Capturing extraordinary moments that propel reader imaginations back to a time and place within the context of personalities and spaces forever remembered is a finely tuned skill brought to the reader by author B. Lynn Goodwin in her 2024 novel Disrupted.
In this book, a small group of theater students press forward in spite of numerous obstacles—a 7.1 Richter Scale earthquake and tremors, a missing father, a family member blown to bits in Afghanistan, school closing, homelessness, and more—hoping to present to the community their spring play, “Our Town” by Thorton Wilder, at San Ramos High School in Northern California.

Pulling this together with limited resources is no small feat for stage manager, senior Sandee Mason. Her life has been disrupted by the death of her brother Bri and her own trauma of being shaken atop a tall ladder on stage while changing out a light bulb at the exact moment the quake hit. A newscaster at her home reports that “The scientists at UC Berkely’s Seismology Lab area as puzzled as the rest of us. No one understands why aftershocks keep rolling along California’s fault lines or why the wind picks up when the fault lines rumble. A few scientists theorize that the earth is fighting back against global warming.” These experiences unsettle her as well as the reader, who begins to sense a tragic undercurrent of instability as San Ramos High School is shut down for repairs and the town itself is forever changed.

“I missed Ms. G. I even missed Bowen—well, not really…but I missed the kids that mouthed off in her class. They kept us entertained. I never thought I’d miss the jerks and goof-offs…I miss Diego and rehearsals and feeling needed.” In addition to the horrifying physical upheaval that this community endured, the reader is privy to emotional glimpses of a world reverberating inside the narrator, Sandee’s, head. Typical for someone her age, love interests complicate the work she pursues. “At least Pete is still here. Too bad I can’t find him anywhere. When we’re together, he holds my hand or puts his arm around my shoulder, and the kids we walk past look at me like I’m a cheerleader.” High school aspirations are always important.

So many contemporary topics contribute to the believability of the story, but the real power of Goodwin’s work lies in the mastery with which she conveys the determination and resilience of characters who, we are reminded, are still high schoolers with all the emotions and relationship-building that go hand in hand with that period. Whether chiseled from recollections of Goodwin’s former students or crafted with intention to inspire today’s generation, these characters come across as delightful, realistic, encouraging, and almost always hopeful. She presents a model for leadership in her main character, Sandee, whose efforts at mobilizing support to raise money for co-curricular activities (whenever San Ramos High opens again) do not go unnoticed by her community.

Disrupted is comprised of three parts, each representing a period of time. Almost all of the thirty-four chapters begin with dates and location information to keep the reader on track. Nicely tucked in the back are discussion questions for students. They are, after all, the perfect audience for a book like this and would have so much to say in talking about it. I highly recommend this book for young adult book clubs or small high school reading groups.