Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What Can’t Wait | 2011 | Ashley Hope Pérez | Buy |
| 2 | The Knife and the Butterfly | 2012 | Ashley Hope Pérez | Buy |
| 3 | Out of Darkness | 2016 | Ashley Hope Pérez | Buy |
Ashley Hope Perez’s three standalone YA novels each address questions of identity, belonging, and injustice. What Can’t Wait (2011) follows a Latina teenager navigating family expectations and college dreams. The Knife and the Butterfly (2012) explores gang violence and identity. Out of Darkness (2016) is set in 1930s Texas and tackles interracial love amid racial violence.
Out of Darkness has received both critical acclaim and controversy, winning the Americas Award while becoming one of the most frequently banned books in the United States.