Tag: high school

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

In 1982, a Chinese American man named Vincent Chen was beaten to death by two white men. Off-duty police officers witnessed the murder. The men pled guilty to manslaughter, had to pay a $3,000 fine, were placed on probation for three years, and served no jail time. From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is the story of how this terrible tragedy sparked the Asian American movement. I listened to the audiobook, and would highly recommend it in this format.

What I loved most:

Y’all, there’s just so much history that I don’t know about. I’ve been trying to intentionally expand my knowledge base over the last few years, and I have so much to learn. Paula Yoo did a great job in From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry of not only discussing the murder of Vincent Chen, but giving the bigger picture of the general culture at the time. Especially with the rise in hate crimes against Asian American people over the last year… this is a crucial read. Check it out.

Read this book if you like:

Know My Name by Chanel Miller, social justice, #BlackLivesMatter, narrative nonfiction

Book details:

  • Author: Paula Yoo
  • Publisher: Norton Young Readers
  • Date of Publication: April 20, 2021
  • Interest Level: High school students – Adults

Never Caught

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

We all know of George Washington. He’s an American hero. What we don’t talk about as often is the fact that he owned hundreds of slaves. Ona Judge was technically the property of his wife, Martha Washington. When George and Martha moved to Philadelphia to begin their reign as America’s first family, Ona was one of the slaves they took with them. And at age 20, she successfully escaped from the Washington household. Never Caught is the story of the Washingtons, their human property, and their pursuit of one woman determined to live in freedom.

What I loved most:

American history is messy. George Washington helped found this country that is built on the concepts of freedom and all people being equal – and he also owned hundreds of slaves. Both of these things are true. This is the kind of history that you’re not taught in school (or at least the kind of history that I wasn’t taught in school), but if we’re truly committed to loving America and making this country the best that it can be, we absolutely have to explore our history in its entirety. Ignoring the evil in our past doesn’t make it any less real. Never Caught shares an eye-opening, brutal story that I’ll forever be mad about. This is an important read, y’all.

Read this book if you like:

History, biographies, unlearning and relearning, Black history month

Book details:

  • Author: Erica Armstrong Dunbar
  • Publisher: 37 Ink
  • Date of Publication: February 17, 2017
  • Interest Level: High schoolers and adults

Concrete Rose

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Maverick is seventeen years old. His dad is in prison, but the gang he joined gives him the protection he needs. Dealing drugs allows him to help his mom make ends meet. Life’s not perfect, but he’s managing well… until he finds out he’s a father. And now he’s supposed to juggle school, caring for his kid, helping his mom, and staying alive. Concrete Rose is the prequel to Thomas’s smash hit, The Hate U Give. You wouldn’t need to read that one first, but you should absolutely read both of these amazing books ASAP. Move them to the top of your TBR list.

What I loved most:

Books featuring teenage parents are rare… but books featuring teenage single dads?! Concrete Rose is basically a unicorn. I loved seeing the way Mav rose to the challenge of fatherhood. Thomas doesn’t glamorize teenage parenthood in any way… being a parent is hard, and Mav struggles with it. But the growth we see throughout the book just WARMS MY HEART, y’all. Absolutely beautiful.

And because I loved too much about this book to contain it to one paragraph… this book does a fantastic job of digging into generational cycles that continue to last. Mav’s dad dealt drugs and ran a gang, so it’s the only life that Mav knows. He joined the gang when he was young, and leaving isn’t an option if he wants to stay alive. Dealing drugs keeps the water bill paid and the electricity on. When Mav does try to stop dealing, and gets a job as a cashier, he can’t afford to help his mom pay the bills, plus buy the things his son needs. He sees dealing as the only feasible way to keep his head above water. It’s absolutely impossible to read this book and judge the choices that Mav makes. Bottom line: read this book.

Read this book if you like:

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (obvi), deep dives into personal development, not judging on surface level characteristics but actually taking time to get to know someone, social and emotional learning, social justice, the #WNDB movement

Book details:

  • Author: Angie Thomas
  • Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  • Date of Publication: January 12, 2021
  • Interest Level: High school and up