Written by: Adam Silvera, Samira Ahmed, Michelle Ruiz Keil, Danielle Paige, Eric Smith, Sangu Mandanna, Elsie Chapman, Anna-Marie McLemore, Lauren Gibaldi, Kelly Zekas & Tarun Shanker, Lori M. Lee, Caroline Tung Richmond, Karuna Riazi, L.L. McKinney, Tara Sim, Lydia Kang
Edited by: Sangu Mandanna
For ages: YA
Language: English predominantly
Topics Covered: LGBTQ, LGBTQ Relationships, Growing Up, POC-Centric Narratives, Love, Family, Supernatural, Interracial Dating, Family, Black Culture & Identity, Activism, Asian-American Experience, Culture & Traditions.
Summary: This book is AMAZING. The short story anthology focuses on LGBTQ and/or interracial relationships, and truly there is nothing like it that I’ve read ever. These underrepresented voices are compiled into one beautiful book that spans both genres and time itself.
All of the stories in the book are great, but there were a few that were enjoyed most of all. Death and the Maiden is a breathtaking tale, retelling the story of Hades and Persephone but with a twist. It’s one of the longer stories (which is still only about 20 pages) and I was hooked from beginning to end! Giving Up the Ghost was another story that fascinated me. In the story, people are matched up with a ghostly ancestor from their family at the age of 9. This is such a creative concept for world-building, and it left me wanting both more to the story and my own family ghost!
This is a book that amplifies marginalized voices in a powerful way. It makes differences in humanity front and center, and honestly it’s very emotional to open a book knowing that so many lived experiences that are often oppressed or ignored will be written on the pages. We highly recommend this book!
About the Authors & the Editor:
Sangu Mandanna was four years old when an elephant chased her down a forest road and she decided to write her first story about it. Seventeen years and many, many manuscripts later, she signed her first book deal. Sangu now lives in Norwich, a city in the east of England, with her husband and kids.
These images with author information were taken from the back of the book:
