BIOS
A little bit…
DeAndra Davis is an award-winning, neurodivergent, Jamaican-American author whose books features main characters as messy as she is. She loves 100%’ing video games and reading worlds more interesting than her own. She has too many kids, dogs, and songs from Wicked on her phone. You can find her @deandrawrites on most socials.
The most…
DeAndra Davis is an award-wining neurodivergent, Jamaican-American author who lives somewhere in the mountains. Her debut ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE, a William C. Morris award winning debut, follows an autistic main character as messy as she is. While THE LOVERS, THE LIARS, AND ME follows an anxious perfectionist on a queer and cultural journey. When she isn't 100%’ing video games she's scaring herself with a thrilling tale or losing herself in worlds more interesting than the one she lives in. She has too many kids, dogs, and songs from Wicked on her phone. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Florida International University and is a creative writing professor. Her claim to fame is that her Florida man birthday headline features an alligator and a drive-thru and that is very much on brand for her. DeAndra can be found on most socials @deandrawrites
A little more…
DeAndra Davis is an award-wining neurodivergent, Jamaican-American author who lives somewhere in the mountains. Her books follow main characters as messy as she is. She loves 100%’ing video games and reading worlds more interesting than the one she lives in. She has too many kids, dogs, and songs from Wicked on her phone. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Florida International University and is a creative writing professor. Her claim to fame is that her Florida man birthday headline features an alligator and a drive-thru and that is very on brand. DeAndra can be found on most socials @deandrawrites
ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE
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All Aiden ever wanted to do was play football just like his star quarterback brother, Brandon. Unfortunately, due to Aiden’s autism, summer football tryouts did not go well when Aiden finds himself at the bottom of a pile-up resulting in an over-stimulation meltdown. But when the school year starts, a spot on the team opens urgently needing to be filled. Aiden finally gets his chance to play the game he loves most.
However, not every team member is happy about Aiden’s position on the team, wary of how his autism will present itself on game day. Tensions rise. A fight breaks out. Cops are called.
When Brandon tries to interfere on behalf of his brother, he is arrested by the very same cops who, just hours earlier, were chanting his name from the bleachers. When trumped up charges appear for felony assault on an officer, everything Brandon has worked for starts to slip away and the brothers’ relationship is tested. With Brandon’s trial inching closer, Aiden is desperate to find a way to clear his brother’s name while also trying to answer the one looming question plaguing his brain: what does it mean to be Black and autistic?
PRAISE
“An atmospheric gridiron tale that highlights the complexities of team sports, friendship, and bias.”
“A stellar debut about ignorance and privilege and the abuse of it that resonates beyond the final page.”
—School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] propulsive debut. Aiden’s intimate first-person perspective offers an organic portrayal of a Black autistic teen navigating social stigma and systemic racism. Writing nuanced and complexly rendered characters, family dynamics, and social commentary, Davis delivers a powerful portrayal of identity and siblinghood that’s as gripping as it is thoughtful.”
—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“A stunning debut that empathetically captures the nuances of being both Black and autistic with care and love. Aiden and Brandon’s relationship as brothers is complex and layered, and readers will root for both of them and hope they reconcile their differences. At its heart, this is a story about brotherhood, family, the fight against police brutality and the carceral system, racism and anti-Blackness, and ableism through the autistic experience—all in all, it is essential reading about activism and collective action. Aiden’s voice will linger long after you finish this riveting work.”
—Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
"Davis masterfully weaves a powerful story and elements of suspense with issues of race, social justice, and disability. Equal parts witty and heartbreaking, All The Noise at Once serves as a window into the Black autistic experience while also serving as a beacon of hope for those our justice system has forgotten and failed. Easily one of the best books I've read all year. "
—Jay Coles, author of Tyler Johnson Was Here and Things We Couldn’t Say
“In this winning debut, Davis tackles brotherhood, forgiveness, and unbreakable bonds with propulsive tension. Aiden is an unforgettable narrator whose sharp insight and wit will have readers rooting for him on and off the football field.”
—Jas Hammonds, award-winning author of We Deserve Monuments
"Somehow both heart-wrenchingly beautiful and cramp-your-abs hilarious, All the Noise at Once is the warm hug my inner teenage autistic self desperately needed."
—Sonora Reyes, National Book Award finalist of The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
The Lovers, the Liars, and Me
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Jaliya Powell has never had a real adventure, a real boyfriend, or spoken up for herself. She’s never even been kissed. Despite being valedictorian of her high school class, Jaliya is used to fading into the background.
But this summer will be different.
This summer, Jaliya is visiting her uncle and his family in Jamaica. Under the guise of one last vacation before college, she plans to find out more about her estranged mother, whose absence has remained an unspoken mystery. But things have changed in the seven years since Jaliya last visited. Her cousin has his own life and is reluctant to let Jaliya in, her childhood crush has only gotten hotter and more unavailable, and her aunt and uncle aren’t everything she remembered, either. Then she meets India, who’s vibrant, gorgeous, and free-spirited. And who makes Jaliya feel something she’s never felt before.
While searching for traces of her mother across the island, Jaliya finds herself entangled in complicated relationships, tricky secrets, and a passionate new love. As she navigates this perfectly complicated summer, Jaliya must choose between who she has always been or who she hopes to become.