English 5+ Immigration Military Occupation Poetry CW: Violence, gunfire, occupation summary I’ve always lived in the same country, but that’s certainly not everyone’s experience. It’s not even all of my family’s experience. I have two books for you today that pay homage to the international refugee experience. With all of the abominable happenings in Afghanistan,…
Tag: violence
Blood Like Magic
English YA Fantasy Magic Witches Black Culture & Identity Community CW: Blood, Sacrifice, Violence Liselle Sambury summary When you see this title, know that blood is very prevalent within the book. It’s the root of all magic, and used with intent for spells. It also denotes when a witch can be Called by ancestors and…
The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History
English YA & Up Black Culture & Identity Historical Figures Politics Violence Racism Police Brutality Government Interference Sabotage David Walker & Marcus Kwame Anderson Summary: Social justice and the Black Panthers go hand in hand. Inspired by the free food programs that the organization is known for, I searched online for information about what they…
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
English 8-12 years Carole Boston Weatherford & Floyd Cooper How many of you have heard of Black Wall Street (Tulsa’s or Durham’s)? Or even about the event that this book explores? I personally didn’t learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre until graduate school, when a friend of mine wrote a paper about journalists Walter White…
Freedom Summer for Young People: The Violent Season That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy
Written By: Bruce Watson Adapted by: Rebecca Stefoff For Ages: YA Language: English Topics Covered: Modern Black Freedom Struggle, History, Politics, Racism, Segregation, Civil Rights, Activism, Voting, White Supremacy. Summary: This book is powerful, and it relies heavily on first-person accounts of events, which is ideal for a text that aims to discuss events of…
Black Heroes of the Wild West
Written By: James Otis Smith Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson For Ages: 7 years & Up Language: English Topics Covered: History, Black Historical Figures, Wild West, Colonization, Violence, Alcohol, Summary: This graphic novel is SO cool! It’s broken into 3 chapters, each covering a Black historical figure that lived out in the west. First, we learn…
Ritu Weds Chandni
Written & Illustrated by: Ameya Narvankar For Ages: 4 years and up Language: English & Hindi (with glossary in back) Topics Covered: LGBTQ Rights, Marriage Equality, Family, Love, Protest, Homophobia, Violence. Summary: This book…this book is so meaningful to the LGBTQ community, and specifically the South Asian LGBTQ community. Our main character Ayesha’s cousin Ritu…
No Voice Too Small
Edited by: Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, Jeanette Bradley Illustrated by: Jeanette Bradley For ages: 5-9 years Language: English Topics Covered: Activism, Youth Activists, Poetry, Own Voices, Environmental Activism, Violence, Indigenous Voices, American Citizens, LGBTQ, Education, Muslim Activist, Community. Summary: Y’all need to buckle up for this book. These are the type of books I started this website for. No Voice…
Internment
Written by: Samira Ahmed Cover Art by: art by Dana Ledl, design by Karina Granda For ages: YA 12 years and up Language: English, some Arabic. Topics Covered: Islamophobia, Internment, Violence, Military Action, Oppression, History, Subversion, Independent Thought, Activism, Friendship, Love, Growing Up, Relationships. Summary: For #sweetsandsocialjustice I wanted to make a pairing where the food was reminiscent of the…
Ghost
Written by: Jason Reynolds Cover Art by: We couldn’t find this, but if you know please contact us! For ages: YA Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Family, Love, Sports, Growing Up, Young Adult Lit, Violence, Self-Esteem, Friendship. Summary: Castle, also known as Ghost (well not until he decides it’s his nickname) doesn’t really like school, and gets in a lot of…