Tag: fiction

#JusticeforGeorge Book List

~ rachelbenzine ~ 1 Comment

My first draft of this blog post started with a narrative of my journey to recognizing my white privilege, realizing that racism is still actively working in our country, and trying to learn more about the experiences of people of color. But then I deleted all of it, because here’s what it comes down to: we have to do better, y’all.

We need to dismantle the racist systems that continue to oppress people of color, and we also need to change as individuals. I’m a huge proponent of the concept that small individual changes add up to make larger change. May our collective sadness/frustration/anger at the death of George Floyd and so many other Black people at the hands of police last beyond this moment. May we take it upon ourselves to do all that we can to change our country for the better.

I watched a powerful video yesterday of George Floyd’s brother urging people to educate themselves. When I started on this journey several years ago of trying to open my eyes to the racism that’s so prevalent in our country, I turned to books. I want to share with you a reading list of some of the best books I’ve read that have helped me become more educated on this topic.

After I finished making the list, I realized it was huge. So I’m going to divide this into a few sections: first, I’ll tell you my if-you’re-only-going-to-read-a-few-read-these-ones list. I’ll have a longer list at the bottom if you’re wanting to dig in and do some more extensive reading. If you have any good recommendations for books you loved that I should check out, leave me a comment! Let’s walk on this journey together.

The following are some of my favorites that have helped me learn more about racism, oppression, and the lives of people of color. These ones are all written for adults.

Adult Nonfiction

  • I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
  • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
  • Motherhood So White by Nefertiti Austin
  • In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
  • Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow

Adult Fiction

  • Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
  • Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

And now, for the full list:

Adult Nonfiction

  • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
  • Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou
  • You Can’t Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson
  • Unashamed by Lecrae
  • In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
  • Motherhood So White by Nefertiti Austin
  • How Not to Get Shot by D. L. Hugely
  • Solito, Solita by Steven Mayers (editor)
  • Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow
  • I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
  • Free Cyntoia by Cyntoia Brown
  • Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
  • We Are Not Here to be Bystanders by Linda Sarsour
  • A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett
  • Love Thy Neighbor by Ayaz Virji
  • The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy B. Tyson

Adult Fiction

  • Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
  • American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings
  • Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

YA & Children’s Nonfiction

  • Reaching for the Stars by Katherine Johnson
  • Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
  • Proud by Ibtihaj Muhammad
  • The Real Story Behind U.S. Treaties with Native Americans by Sarah Machajewski
  • Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II by Albert Marrin

YA & Children’s Fiction

  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  • The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah
  • Devils Within by S. F. Henson
  • Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
  • Internment by Samira Ahmed
  • You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino
  • The Inside Battle by Melanie Subrow

#justiceforgeorge #pleaseicantbreathe #blacklivesmatter

The Unadoptables

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Milou, Egg, Lotta, Sem, and Fenna live together in Little Tulip Orphanage. All five of them were left at the orphanage the same summer, twelve years ago. Some are waiting for their birth families to come back to get them; others are waiting for new parents to bring them to a new home. But when a shady sea captain comes and offers to adopt all of them, they can sense that something is wrong with him. They decide to run away before he can get them – and so begins an epic adventure involving a windmill, puppets, and the chance to start a new family of their own.

Favorite Passage:

“Milou?” The voice seemed both familiar and new, raspy and quiet.
“Milou?” The next voice was more recognizable, sweet and soft.
“Milou?” The last voice was like home.
— Thirty
[This passage was quoted from an ARC; as such, it may change before final publication.]

What I Loved Most:

Tooke uses such an engaging and rich writing style in crafting this story. You can’t help but love each of the five main characters featured in this book. They have such strong bonds that they’ve formed in their time together in the orphanage. Each has their own strengths – Lotta is a mathematician and engineer, Sem is creative and great at sewing, Egg has geography and cartography skills, Fenna is kind, and Milou is imaginative. There’s a great balance of adventure and genuine friendships, so there’s something that every reader will find appealing in this book.

Read this book if you like:

Found families, overcoming adversity, low-key mysteries, strong relationships

Book Details:

  • Author: Hana Tooke
  • Publisher: Viking/Penguin Random House (Thank you for the ARC!)
  • Date of Publication: July 23, 2020
  • Age Recommendation: Grades 4-7
  • Look up The Unadoptables on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!

 

If These Wings Could Fly

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Home is supposed to be a refuge. For Leighton, it’s the center of the storm. Most of her peers are figuring out what college to attend when their senior year is finished. Leighton is trying to decide if she’s going to be able to escape her hometown, or if it’s more important for her to stay home continue to protect her mom and younger sisters from her dad’s rage.

While she’s navigating the murky waters of her last year of high school, thousands and thousands of crows are descending on her hometown. No one knows why the crows are lingering, or how to get rid of them. Between writing a column for her school newspaper about the crows, fighting her growing attachment to a great guy named Liam, and keeping her sisters safe in her room while her dad escalates in violence toward her mom, Leighton has to figure out how to chart a course forward.

Favorite Passage:

“I take Mom’s hand.
I see a fractured system, delicate and damaged, that could collapse right under our feet.
She sees home.”
— Chapter Fifty-One
[This passage was quoted from an ARC; as such, it may change before final publication.]

What I Loved Most:

Violence at home is such a real issue in our society. In the author’s note of the Advanced Reader’s Copy that I got from Katherine Tegen Books (thanks, friends!), Kyrie McCauley shares that she’s writing the book she wishes her sixteen-year-old self would have been able to read. If These Wings Could Fly is heart breaking and empowering and motivating. It calls attention to emotional abuse, as well as the way that domestic violence is cyclical and tends to escalate over time. Especially in this time of quarantine and staying-at-home, my heart has been drifting to those who home is not a safe place for. It’s crucial reading at any time, but seems extra important right now.

I want to put this here in case anyone needs it: the National Domestic Violence Hotline number is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), and you can also chat with an advocate on their website. If you need help, and can get to a place where it’s safe to reach out for help, please contact them. Also, I love you, and it’s not your fault, and you deserve to be safe.

Read this book if you like:

Strong female protagonists, magical realism, gut-wrenchingly real pain mixed with hopefulness

Book Details: