I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a powerful memoir that offers a glimpse into Maya Angelou’s childhood and early life. She talks about her relationships with religion, family and the racial discrimination. She also talks about her trauma using a very eloquent script to talk about her life in general.
June Hayward was supposed to be a successful author, just like her best friend, Athena Liu. While Athena publishes book after book, June can’t sign a successful deal with a publishing company. So when Athena tragically passes away, June steals Athena’s newest novel; the rough draft for a book about the unseen work of Chinese laborers in World War I. So even when June decides to publish the book as her own, and even allows her publisher to rename her so she seems more ethnically-ambiguous, she still can’t escape Athena.
Twice as Hard by Jasmine Brown is a nonfiction book detailing the black female physicians of past and present. The book details how female doctors were not allowed to practice medicine until nearly the 1900’s, and black women trying to enter medical school were very uncommon. The book is written by detailing specific women's lives, showing the diversity they faced not only because they were black, but because they were women.
The Hate U Give is a novel that illustrates racial injustice in our world. Through the eyes of Starr Carter, we see what she experiences as a young black girl in her community. Specifically, when she witnesses a police officer shoot her best friend Khalil. She did everything in her power to gain justice for Khalil. Throughout the book, she faces many challenges as she tries to avenge Khalil and cause change in her community.
Athena Liu is everything that June Hayward wants to be. Beautiful, charismatic, and, most importantly, a successful author. After June’s debut novel fails spectacularly, she becomes jealous of Athena, who is extremely successful for her age. But when Athena invites June to her apartment to hang out, she chokes to death on uncooked pancake batter. June is terrified and she calls the police immediately. But before leaving the scene, she spots an unfinished manuscript for Athena’s upcoming novel, which she has told no one about yet.
In the spellbinding sequel to A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos, The Missing of Clairdelune, Opelia must yet again learn to survive in the harsh society of the pole. Only this time, she is deeper than ever in the dangerous power struggles and deceit of the pole. As she struggles to survive, she slowly begins to unravel a deep web of mystery that will soon change the world as she knows it.
Parachutes by Kelly Yang is a thought-provoking and inspiring book about determination and how using your voice even with setbacks, means more to others than staying silent. This book is about Dani and Claire. Claire is a Chinese teenager who her parents sent to the states to go to a better school and Dani is her housemate, a young girl who has the ambition to make it to a college competition for her debate team.
The Hate U Give is a powerful, thought-provoking novel that tackles issues of racism, police brutality, and activism. Told from the perspective of 16-year-old Starr Carter, who witnesses the shooting of her childhood friend Khalil by a police officer, the book explores racism and injustice in America. Starr must navigate two vastly different worlds - the poor, predominantly Black neighborhood where she lives, and the fancy suburban prep school she attends.
A valuable, necessary, and accessible book. Kiely has an easy-going manner and presents ideas that could be abstract, academic theory through relatable anecdotes and stories, more often than not about himself when he was a teenager. It reads quickly and directly addresses young white readers without confrontation or shaming, encouraging listening, empathy, and a sense of responsibility (instead of guilt). Highly recommended.
The Vanishing Half is set in the 20th century and follows the lives of twins--Desiree and Stella--born into a colorist town named Mallard. As the twins split ways, each to her own adventures, they both share their own unique stories and reveal the trauma involved with their youth. However, despite their differences and their split, they always manage to find each other. This book does a great job of showing aspects of internal discrimination within a community, whether it be race or gender.
