This was one of those, "Oh no, this book is making me cry on public transit" books.

What an astounding story, hitting real, hard issues through the perspective of a realistically written teenaged, American boy.

When John's father comes home with a baby orangutan, ten year-old John gets not only a friend and companion but a brother. John and Raja grow up together, crafting a unique understanding and sign language between them - until a vicious accident pulls them apart. Years later, John must travel back to his father's house to say goodbye, as Raja is being sent to a zoo. But things unravel quickly as John learns more about the zoo, the conditions animals must endure in many institutions, and many other truths about animal trafficking. Now, John must figure out what the best steps are to do right by Raja.

What I loved in this book - well, okay, I loved a lot of things. But I loved the realism of John's emotions, and the complexity there. So much of his actions are driven by guilt, rather than say, altruism. He DIDN'T handle everything well, and he even knew it - he was being driven by blind emotions, and even when I didn't agree with him, wow could I empathize with him.

And of course, Schrefer managed to pack in a ton of crazy important, crazy upsetting information in a very accessible, absorbable way. If anything, my only problem with this book was that it was TOO upsetting/tough sometimes and I had to keep putting it down for a breather. At least, until the last third/forth which I inhaled, tears pouring down my face. Yeah.