Written & Illustrated By: KaeLyn Rich
For Ages: YA Middle grades & up
Language: English
Topics Covered: Feminism, Activism, Community Organizing, Education, Critical Thinking, Growing Up, Social-Emotional Learning, Grassroots Change.
Summary:
Spoiler: this book is AMAZING! It was perfect for this week’s edition of #sweetsandsocialjustice for which I made apple berry galette. Why, do you ask? Because I’m a creep and dm’d KaeLyn Rich herself to ask what her favorite dessert is. She loves anything with apple filling, but I only had 2 so I combined them with some berries I foraged from the woods near my house! KaeLyn is the brilliant force behind this book that every every every young girl needs to read!
Helpfully broken down into chapters that cover every aspect of taking a passion and turning it into tangible results, the book is jam-packed with vocabulary and examples of identifying oppression and working to change it. At the end of each chapter are takeaways and I love how KaeLyn speaks directly to the reader, adding sass and humor to this comprehensive and empowering book. Sprinkled throughout the chapters are illustrations, lists, even a rating scale for specific tactics, and strategies for making a budget. The beautiful thing about this book is the way that it takes young people seriously. It doesn’t stop at suggesting volunteer opportunities or assisting other established endeavors (which are both still fantastic ways to spend one’s time!). No, this book gives point by point instructions for starting your own movement. Media talking points, press release samples, with tried and true ground rules for conducting a productive meeting are all inside this book. Upon finishing it, I’m basically ready to kick down a door (or at least find a megaphone) and begin furiously scribbling ideas. Another section of the book that I’m so glad KaeLyn added was about talking to parents, with especially helpful advice about what to do if they don’t support your cause. This is a very real situation that a lot of young people are going up against, and it can be so comforting just to hear that you’re not alone in having experienced this. In case I haven’t been clear enough, this book is a critical addition to the world of social justice education and it needs to get into the hands of today’s young people as soon as possible. I would continue to wax poetic but that would waste precious time that could be spent securing your own copy. Go. Read. This.
This book was kindly sent by Quirk Books, but all opinions are my own!
Recipe: Apple Berry Galette
Ingredients:
Pie crust:
Pie crust: (our favorite recipe comes from Alana Chernila’s book The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making)
Crust:
2 1/4c all purpose flour (if I’m using Bob’s Red Mill GF flour, I usually just use 2c)
2 sticks butter (the colder the better)
2t apple cider vinegar (I’ve also used white vinegar if I’m out of apple cider)
1/3c water
pinch salt
To make dough: put water salt and vinegar together and into the freezer for 10 minutes. Cut the butter into small chunks and mix into the flour until it looks cut in. Slowly stream in the water. Once all the water is in, mix until it forms a dough but only until just then. Split into two disks and put in the fridge for at least an hour (will also keep up to three days there).
Filling:
I use equal amounts diced apples and berries. In a pot, mix the fruit, a splash of citrus (I used 2 old clementines this time), a bit of sugar (this varies depending on how sweet the fruit is, and how sweet you like your filling), and a couple tablespoons of water. Cook over low heat until it is the desired consistency. For this one in particular, I took a spoonful of cornstarch and made a slurry with water to slowly mix in for thickening. Let cool.
To Make:
Roll out one disk of the dough into the size desired. If using GF dough, I flour liberally and handle it much more delicately than glutinous dough. Put onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and add filling. fold up edges of dough, leaving some filling exposed. Egg wash (sometimes I add raw sugar sprinkled on top) and bake at 375 until golden brown and baked. In my oven this takes around 15-20 minutes.
KaeLyn Rich (she/her) is a queer feminist, a direct action organizer, a nonprofit leader, a word wrangler, and a professional speaker. Her community organizing experience dates back to stuffing folders for her parents’ union meetings around the dining room table. She’s an adoptee immigrant from South Korea, a comfort food foodie, and a persistent devotee of the Oxford comma. She lives in Rochester, NY with her spouse, a baby T. rex, a xenophobic cat, and a rascally rabbit.