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It’s been a rough year for Alex Collins. In the past twelve months, he’s lost his best friend, become the target of the two biggest bullies at school, and been sentenced to community service. But on June 25, 2013, he gets a call for help from Cassie Ramirez, the prettiest girl in school. At last, he feels like his luck might be changing. Cassie is at the Texas State Capitol to protest Wendy Davis’s historic filibuster of the abortion bill HB2, and she’s rallying everyone she knows to join her. Until today, Alex didn’t know what a filibuster was, and he’d never given a moment’s thought to how he felt about abortion. But at the Capitol, he finds himself in the middle of a tense scene full of pro-life “blueshirts,” pro-choice “orangeshirts,” and blustering politicians playing political games as Wendy Davis tries to run out the clock at midnight. Alex may have entered the Capitol looking to spend time with Cassie, but the political gets personal when he runs into his ex-friend Shireen in an orange T-shirt and quickly realizes that when it comes to an issue like abortion, neutral isn’t an option. Over the next nineteen hours, Alex will struggle to figure out what side he’s on, knowing that whatever choice he makes will bring him face-to-face with his past mistakes.

Copyright: 2023
Page Count: 288
Trim Size: 5.5 x 8.5
Rights Territory: Worldwide
Lexile: 960L
Categories: 
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Coming of Age
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Activism & Social Justice
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / United States / 21st Century

Dan Solomon is a journalist based out of Austin, Texas. He’s a senior writer at Texas Monthly, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Details. He covered the HB2 filibuster for the Austin Chronicle, where his work was part of the alt-weekly’s AAN Award–nominated coverage.

Reviews and Awards

“A thoughtful and compelling personal story set amid larger societal issues.” — Kirkus Reviews

“What does a 15-year-old boy have to teach us about the complicated topic of abortion? A lot, it seems. Because in this instance, Alex brings an open mind and an open heart to a nuanced topic, allowing us to revisit the issue with a fresh perspective.” — Former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis

“The sensitive nature of the bill is handled with great care. . . . The Fight for Midnight is an emotional coming-of-age novel in which a heady political debate pushes a teenager to speak up when it matters.” — Foreword Reviews

“Writing a novel about abortion, much less from the perspective of a teen boy, is a tall order, but [The Fight for Midnight] makes a compelling case that fighting for everyone’s rights requires, well, everyone. It’s a smart and timely tale.” — Austin American-Statesman

“The Fight For Midnight by Dan Solomon deserves as wide as possible a readership among teens and young adults . . . [U]rgently and unreservedly recommended for middle school, high school, and community library YA Fiction collections.” — Midwest Book Review

2023 Moonbeam Awards Gold Medalist (Young Adult Fiction – Historical)

34th Annual Reading the West Book Award Shortlist – Young Adult

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