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Review: Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc

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Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc cover shows a forest of leaves with a cabin poking through. A disembodied ear, hand, and a crutch sit on top of the leaves.

Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space
Amanda Leduc
Coach House Books
Published March 3, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Disfigured

In fairy tales, happy endings are the norm—as long as you’re beautiful and walk on two legs. After all, the ogre never gets the princess. And since fairy tales are the foundational myths of our culture, how can a girl with a disability ever think she’ll have a happy ending?

By examining the ways that fairy tales have shaped our expectations of disability, DISFIGURED will point the way toward a new world where disability is no longer a punishment or impediment but operates, instead, as a way of centering a protagonist and helping them to cement their own place in a story, and from there, the world. Through the book, Leduc ruminates on the connections we make between fairy tale archetypes—the beautiful princess, the glass slipper, the maiden with long hair lost in the tower—and tries to make sense of them through a twenty-first-century disablist lens.

From examinations of disability in tales from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen through to modern interpretations ranging from Disney to Angela Carter, and the fight for disabled representation in today’s media, Leduc connects the fight for disability justice to the growth of modern, magical stories, and argues for increased awareness and acceptance of that which is other—helping us to see and celebrate the magic inherent in different bodies.

My Review

I heard about this book years ago from booktuber Jesse on YouTube, who read and recommended it. Sadly, it took me a long time to actually read the book myself, but I finally have! And I’m so glad I did.

This book explores fairytales through the lens of what it’s like to read them as a person with disabilities. The author not only shares her own experience as a girl with cerebral palsy, but she also quotes and shares stories of other writers and activists with disabilities as they share their own experiences as well.

One of the things I found the most impactful about DISFIGURED was seeing different fairytale characters and stories from this perspective. There were many things I hadn’t considered or was unaware of. It helped to break things down into tropes and themes and look at what those ideas say about the value or morality of those characters and through the characters the people represented.

For example, the author talks about how often in fairytales, characters with disabilities fall into two categories. Either they are noble characters whose disabilities become reversed because they were pure of heart or brave or noble. Or the disability is supposed to be evidence of an internal evil that remains a static part of the character’s nature.

There’s also some commentary about the differences in the roles of women versus men in fairytales, too. I enjoyed that a lot.

All in all, DISFIGURED is a really thoughtful book that explores familiar fairytales, where they came from, and what they teach us about who we are and what society should be. And asks whether we agree with those lessons and, if not, what we will do about it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The author has Cerebral Palsy. She quotes other disabled writers and activists.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Very infrequent extreme profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to fairytale romance/weddings. Leduc recounts an early version of what became the Sleeping Beauty fairytale in which a maiden pricks her finger on a flax seed and falls into a magical sleep. A traveling king sees her and is so overcome with lust that he rapes her (not described in any detail). The author points out that the story never addresses the king’s behavior as problematic, wrong, or illegal.

The author references an essay written by a man with disabilities who openly talks about hiring sex workers to meet his personal needs. (No details beyond this.)

Spiritual Content
Discusses the origins of the fairy godmother/fairies in fairytales. Examines the Christian (Calvinist, in the case of the Grimm Brothers) roots or edits to many fairytales in subsequent editions. Mentions of magic in stories.

In one tale, the devil tricks a man into promising his daughter to him. The girl thwarts the bargain several times.

Violent Content
References to some gory elements of especially early fairytales. Cinderella’s stepsisters mutilate their feet to fit into her shoe. The evil queen in Snow White is forced to dance in red-hot metal shoes until she dies at the tale’s end. See romantic content.

The author also discusses the changeling myths and how people would leave their babies or young children in the snow to die of exposure if they believed the baby was a changeling. She briefly tells a story about a man who burned his wife to death. He claimed she’d been replaced by a changeling after an illness.

Drug Content
Mentions of magical potions or poisoned fruit.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything but help support this blog.

Review: Clementine and Danny Save the World (and Each Other) by Livia Blackburne

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Clementine and Danny Save the World (and Each Other)
Livia Blackburne
Quill Tree Books
Published July 18, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Clementine and Danny Save the World (and Each Other)

You’ve Got Mail gets a YA twist in this rom-com that spotlights the power of activism and community organizing in the face of gentrification.

Clementine Chan believes in the power of the written word. Under the pseudonym Hibiscus, she runs a popular blog reviewing tea shops and discussing larger issues within her Chinatown community. She has a loyal, kind following, save for this one sour grape named BobaBoy888.

Danny Mok is allergic to change, and the gentrification seeping into Chinatown breaks his heart. He channels his frustration into his internet alter ego, BobaBoy888, bickering with local blogger Hibiscus over all things Chinatown and tea.

When a major corporation reveals plans that threaten to shut down the Mok’s beloved tea shop, Clementine and Danny find themselves working together in real life to save this community they both love. But as they fall hard for this cause—and each other—they have no clue that their online personas have been fighting for years.

When the truth comes to light, can Danny and Clementine still find their happily-ever-after?

My Review

This is such a cute story, and yet, I’m hesitating to call it cute because I feel like that undersells the deeper, more thought-provoking parts of the story. The internet-enemies-to-lovers part of the story is super cute. The exploration of what it means to celebrate Chinatown, Chinese heritage, and how to do that in an authentic yet modern way was very cool. I loved that we got to see both Clementine’s heart as a blogger writing about tea shops in Chinatown and also how some of the thoughts in those posts made Danny, the son of tea shop owners, feel.

Having both Clementine’s and Danny’s perspectives added complexity and nuance. It allowed us to see both the good in their intentions and the harm in their flaws. I’m sure that was not easy to write in such a natural, genuine way, but Livia Blackburne really succeeded at that.

The descriptions of tea and all that Danny and his dad would do in order to find the right suppliers, to store, prepare and serve tea in a traditional way… I loved learning about that. And the descriptions of the tea also made me really want to try things. (Okay, maybe not the Mocha Iced Oolong Cinnamon Latte, but some of the other things!)

I think readers who enjoyed THE CHARMED LIST by Julie Abe or middle graders who liked IT’S BOBA TIME FOR PEARL LI and are ready to age up into young adult books should add this one to their lists!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Clementine and Danny are Chinese American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some references to internet trolls saying cruel, racist, and hurtful things.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of CLEMENTINE AND DANNY SAVE THE WORLD (AND EACH OTHER) in exchange for my honest review.

Review: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Historical, Memoir, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , , ,

They Called Us Enemy
George Takei
Justin Eisinger
Steven Scott
Illustrated by Harmony Becker
Top Shelf Productions
Published July 16, 2019

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About They Called Us Enemy

A graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei’s childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon — and America itself.

Long before George Takei braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father’s — and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future.

In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten “relocation centers,” hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard.

They Called Us Enemy is Takei’s firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother’s hard choices, his father’s faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

My Review

I’d heard of this book before, but it was mentioned again in George Takei’s biography in MORE AWESOME ASIAN AMERICANS, a book featuring 20 biographies of Asian Americans. I discovered my library had an electronic copy, so I checked it out and read it in one sitting.

The illustrator, Harmony Becker, did an amazing job focusing each panel in on the most critical elements. There are lots of panels that at first glance seemed very simple, but as I looked at them longer, I noticed how the illustrations often drew my eye to important features.

I also thought the balance between the illustrations and the stories was expertly done. The combination felt much larger than the sum of its parts. I found so many moments deeply moving.

The story bounces back and forth between Takei’s childhood, showing his experiences with his family, and then a more present-day version of himself, reflecting back on those days or speaking to an audience about his experiences.

The story also does a great job delivering personal moments as well as the historical events that impacted George Takei and his family. I loved the way that he spoke about his father throughout the book. I loved his admiration for his dad and the treasure of the lessons he learned from him.

All that is not to say the book is without shocking or hard moments. The reality of what he and 160,000 others endured was and is terrible. I think the authors did a wonderful job speaking truth in an engaging way, great for a young audience. I found the story deeply moving and inspiring, perfect for late elementary or middle school readers.

Content Notes for They Called Us Enemy

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Major characters are Japanese American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used a couple times.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to marriage.

Spiritual Content
Reference to a Buddhist faith leader being incarcerated.

Violent Content
References to and descriptions of racist behavior toward Japanese Americans. Some panels show soldiers carrying guns.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: The Antiracist Kid by Tiffany Jewell

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The Antiracist Kid: A Book About Identity, Justice, and Activism
Tiffany Jewell
Versify
Published October 4, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Antiracist Kid: A Book About Identity, Justice, and Activism

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of THIS BOOK IS ANTI-RACIST, Tiffany Jewell, with art by Eisner-nominated illustrator Nicole Miles, THE ANTIRACIST KID is the essential illustrated chapter book guide to antiracism for empowering the young readers in your life!

What is racism? What is antiracism? Why are both important to learn about? In this book, systemic racism and the antiracist tools to fight it are easily accessible to the youngest readers.

In three sections, this must-have guide explains:

– Identity: What it is and how it applies to you
– Justice: What it is, what racism has to do with it, and how to address injustice
– Activism: A how-to with resources to be the best antiracist kid you can be

This book teaches younger children the words, language, and methods to recognize racism and injustice—and what to do when they encounter it at home, at school, and in the media they watch, play, and read.

My Review

I liked the way this book is divided into sections. Each section spends some time defining terms, which builds a great foundation for conversations about diversity, racism and prejudice. We communicate best when we agree on what terms mean and how they’re used. So I like that the book is careful to establish important terms at the beginning of each section.

I also like that the book gives specific examples showing social situations that might involve prejudice or racism. Even though the title specifically labels the book to be about antiracism, the book actually addresses other identities in which people could face persecution or prejudice.

The book also gives a brief timeline of how and when the construct of race emerged and how it has impacted our culture. I think that overview timeline is particularly well done. It’s succinct but identifies critical moments in history in a way that’s easy for kids to understand.

All in all, I think THE ANTIRACIST KID would make a great foundational book to both define different terms in the conversation about race and diversity as well as inviting kids into the discussion. I read and enjoyed THIS BOOK IS ANTI-RACIST by Tiffany Jewell, which is for slightly older readers, but has the same straightforward, open, conversational style. I recommend both.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
The book uses examples about three kids: Shawn who is Black and has two moms, Dani who is nonbinary and Puerto Rican, and Ruby who is biracial.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Reference to holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE ANTIRACIST KID in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Year Without a Summer by Arlene Mark

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , , ,

The Year Without a Summer
Arlene Mark
Sparkpress
Published August 16, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Year Without a Summer

Explosive volcanic eruptions are cool, really, cool. They inject ash into the stratosphere and deflect the sun’s rays. When eighth grader Jamie Fulton learns that snow fell in June in his hometown because of an eruption on the other side of the world, he’s psyched! He could have snowboarded if he’d lived back in 1815 during the year without a summer.

Clara Montalvo, who recently arrived at Jamie’s school after surviving Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, has a different take all this. She is astounded–and disturbed–by Jamie’s frenzied enthusiasm for what she considers an obvious disaster. The teens’ battling arguments cause science class disruption and create academic trouble: Jamie’s headed for a failing grade in science, and may not even graduate from eighth grade; Clara’s scholarship hopes are dashed.

And school isn’t the only place where Jamie and Clara are facing hardship: as they quarrel whether natural disasters can be beneficial, their home lives are also unraveling. Uncertainty about Jamie’s wounded brother returning from Afghanistan and Clara’s unreachable father back in Puerto Rico forces the two vulnerable teens to share their worries and sadness. As their focus shifts from natural disasters to personal calamities to man-made climate changes, the teens take surprising steps that astonish them. Ultimately, through hard work and growing empathy for each other, as well as for their classmates’ distress over the climate change affecting their lives, Jamie and Clara empower themselves and the people they touch.

My Review

In reading THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER, the thing that stands out to me most is the way it models activism among youth. As Clara and Jamie learn more about natural disasters, what causes them, and as their family members experience the fallout from these disasters, they begin to wonder what they can do to help others in need. They ask questions. Do online research. Ask their friends and family members for help. I loved the way that journey is explored within the story.

I also loved that the story tied in real natural disasters, from Hurricane Maria to Tambora, the volcanic eruption in 1815. And that it explored what how people were resilient in spite of those disasters. It made for an interesting exploration of those topics.

On the whole, the only thing that disrupted my reading sometimes is that in a couple of scenes, Clara’s assessment of a complex emotional situation seemed possibly too mature. Like, I believe that her experiences would have made her grow up faster than her classmates in some ways. But there were a couple of instances where I found myself pulled out of the book because I wasn’t sure if even a mature eighth grader would think the way she did.

Other than that, though, I enjoyed the story and am really glad I read it. I love that it tackled issues but also centered the story on friendships and community.

Content Notes for The Year Without a Summer

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Clara is Puerto Rican. Jamie is white. His brother serves in the military.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Thoughts about kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Brief descriptions of the war in Afghanistan. Brief descriptions of devastation caused by a hurricane, earthquake and volcanic eruptions.

Drug Content
One character takes powerful pain meds for injuries. Jamie wonders if it’s okay for the injured person to take so many pills.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Vote!: Women’s Fight for Access to the Ballot Box by Coral Celeste Frazer

Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Vote!: Women’s Fight for Access to the Ballot Box
Coral Celeste Frazer
Twenty-first Century Books
Published August 6, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Vote!: Women’s Fight for Access to the Ballot Box

August 18, 2020, marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibited states and the US government from denying citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex. See how the 70-year-long fight for women’s suffrage was hard won by leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Carrie Chapman Catt and others.

Learn how their success led into the civil rights and feminist movements of the mid- and late twentieth century, as well as today’s #MeToo, #YesAllWomen, and Black Lives Matter movements. In the face of voter ID laws, voter purges, gerrymandering, and other restrictions, Americans continue to fight for equality in voting rights.

My Review

Reading this book, right now, as Federal officers are deployed in Portland and potentially other places (I am writing this a few weeks before it goes live, so things may have changed) was really strange.

I didn’t know a lot about the fight for women to vote before I’d read this book. Here are some of the things I learned that stood out most:

  • Women’s rights and Black rights activists sometimes worked together and sometimes worked against each other. I want to know a lot more about the dialogue between the two groups and people who devoted themselves to one cause at the expense of the other or in opposition to the other.
  • Police attacked women’s rights protestors. I don’t know what I imagined those protests looked like, but there was violence.
  • The book also points out and spends several chapters talking about the rights of Black and POC women and the fight for their right to vote as well. I hadn’t deeply thought of those as two separate battles before, which really just points up more of my ignorance, honestly.

One of the things I love about this book is that it’s packed with personal stories of the women involved in women’s rights activism. I loved learning the names and approaches of these women. Lucy Stone and Fannie Lou Hamer stand out to me the most. I’d love to learn more about both of them.

August 18 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. If you don’t know a lot about the struggle that preceded it, I recommend this book as a great introduction to the topic.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
Follows the stories of women’s rights and civil rights activists.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
References to Christian faith as a motivator for some activists.

Violent Content
References to lynchings. Descriptions of police brutality against protestors. Descriptions of force-feeding prisoners who were on hunger strikes.

Drug Content
References to women’s rights groups that also opposed drinking alcohol and protested in front of bars and saloons.

Note: I received a free copy of VOTE!: WOMEN’S FIGHT FOR ACCESS TO THE BALLOT BOX in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.