Tag Archives: family

Review: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

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All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto
George M. Johnson
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Published April 28, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About All Boys Aren’t Blue

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.

Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, ALL BOYS AREN’T BLUE covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson’s emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.

My Review

George M. Johnson’s writing style definitely drew me in. He has this ability to dive into places in the human soul that I think we are often afraid to travel openly. He said things that challenged me but also things that resonated with me so deeply that I still feel their echoes.

The book is divided up into four parts, each part made up of chapters about different topics. He describes family connections and the way that his family consistently pulled together to love one another, acknowledging their imperfections, but recognizing the gift those relationships have been to him.

He also shares some vulnerable experiences in order to talk about how little information he had and how that affected choices he made. Some of the descriptions of these events are graphic. I really liked that he offered the context for his decision to include those stories, though, and his desire to help foster better education for the generation coming after him.

All in all, this is a poignant, brave, and articulate memoir that has a lot to offer its readers in terms of identity, culture, and masculinity.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
George is Black and queer. Some of his family members and friends also identify as LGBTQIA+

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently. The author also uses racist and homophobic slurs at times in the book. He explains his choices in an opening letter to readers.

Romance/Sexual Content
George describes a night when he was 13 and an older cousin molested him.

George also describes sexual experiences he had in college in one chapter.

Spiritual Content
George attended a Catholic high school.

Violent Content
Descriptions of a fight between boys in which two boys held George down while another kicked his front teeth in. Later, he references a cousin who was killed in a fight on the street.

Drug Content
Brief description of kids sneaking liquor from their parents’ cabinet. In college, George drank alcohol and smoked marijuana. He talks about how his smoking habit impacted his college attendance and grades.

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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.

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Review: Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin

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Ain’t Burned All the Bright
Jason Reynolds
Illustrated by Jason Griffin
Atheneum
Published January 11, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Ain’t Burned All the Bright

Prepare yourself for something unlike anything: A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. Written by #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds.

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop. In about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW.

So, for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.

My Review

This is another book that totally blew my mind. The story is very simple, but even that is part of its power. The illustrations are so illuminating. I know the story is about oxygen, about breathing, about a flame catching, but that is also what reading this book feels like. It’s that perfect blend of a spark, oxygen, and fuel that creates a burst of flame.

I’ve had this book on my reading list since it came out. I noticed it recently on a Publisher’s Weekly list of best books of 2022, and decided it was time to just read it.

It’s the kind of book that you could read in an hour, less probably, but that you’ll want to take your time with instead. I found that as I read, I wanted to just sit with each illustration and let the words sink in.

I feel like I keep coming back to the fact that at its core, AIN’T BURNED UP THE BRIGHT is a simple story, yet it’s so much more. Maybe that’s what makes it so incredible.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. I loved it, and I can’t think of anything else like it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
The artwork shows a Black family. The story is from the perspective of a Black boy.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to news stories. The words stop short of specifically talking about police violence, but it’s clear that some of the news stories the narrator refers to are those stories. Some of the artwork shows fire.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Running for Shelter by Suzette Sheft

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

Running for Shelter
Suzette Sheft
Amsterdam
Published November 9, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Running for Shelter

Vienna, late 1930s. Bright, red-headed Inge Eisenger leads a privileged life with her glamorous, distant mother. When forced to flee from Nazi-occupied Austria to Switzerland, Inge sees her young life turned upside down. She hopes to finally connect with her mother during their escape, but her mother soon abandons her. Vulnerable and alone, Inge makes her way to Paris before reuniting with her grandmother in Central France. But even there, Inge endures one hardship after another—all while her grandmother keeps a family secret that, if revealed, could result in their whole family’s demise.

RUNNING FOR SHELTER is written by Inge’s 15-year-old granddaughter, Suzette Sheft. The gripping, true story offers a window through which young adult readers can witness the challenges of growing up during the Holocaust. As this important chapter of history fades from living memory, Inge’s tale offers hope to a new generation who must also cultivate courage and determination in the face of personal and political challenges.

My Review

I love that the author chose this way to honor her dad, who passed away when she was thirteen, but whose interest in family history inspired her own. And to honor her grandmother, whose life story this book is based upon. What a cool tribute to them both.

Each chapter begins with a date, helping to anchor the reader in the timeline of not only the story, but also in history. The story begins in 1937 and ends in 1946, so it covers almost a decade, which is pretty much half of Inge’s life at that point.

So many people were part of Inge’s journey through the war. It was cool seeing the way communities pulled together and/or went into survival mode as war threatened them. Some scenes felt really filled out, and it was easy to imagine myself in them. Others seemed to move more quickly and left me with questions.

I was a little bit confused by the marketing of the book. It didn’t read like a nonfiction title or list sources in the way I would have expected, but the subtitle flags the story as true. The publisher lists it as a novel based on a true story, which is what it felt like reading it.

On the whole, I thought this was an intense story about a young Jewish girl’s struggle for survival in Europe during World War II. I hadn’t read anything deeply similar to Inge’s experience, so I’m glad to have broadened my understanding of that period of history.

Content Notes for Running for Shelter

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Inge Eisenger is Jewish and Austrian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A man hired to transport Inge to France rapes her. It’s not described on scene, but the lead up is pretty harrowing.

Spiritual Content
For a long time, Inge does not know she’s Jewish as she was raised by a nonpracticing mother.

Violent Content
See sexual content. Inge learns a friend was killed by a German bomb.

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 RUNNING FOR SHELTER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Heartstopper: Volume Four by Alice Oseman

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Heartstopper: Volume Four
Alice Oseman
Graphix
Published January 4, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Heartstopper: Volume Four

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fourth volume of HEARTSTOPPER, for fans of THE ART OF BEING NORMAL, Holly Bourne and LOVE, SIMON.

Charlie didn’t think Nick could ever like him back, but now they’re officially boyfriends. Charlie’s beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you.

Nick’s been feeling the same, but he’s got a lot on his mind – not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder.

As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means.

HEARTSTOPPER is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

This is the fourth volume of HEARTSTOPPER, which has now been optioned for television by See-Saw Films.

My Review

The absolutely adorable romance between Charlie and Nick continues in the fourth volume of the series. All the books have been really quick reads, and all had me smiling at different moments. Sometimes I teared up, too. I love that while the story celebrates so many different loving relationships, it also gives space to talk about heavier issues.

In HEARTSTOPPER: VOLUME FOUR, the heavier issue explored is Charlie’s disordered eating. It’s mentioned in an earlier book, but Nick continues to be concerned and isn’t sure what to do to help his boyfriend through it. He has a couple long conversations with his mom and some panels show him doing internet research.

Ultimately, the story follows both Nick and Charlie through figuring out how to balance the intensity of their relationship and still maintain connections with others as well as figuring out how to have healthy support and boundaries with each other.

There are a couple of long passages that are journal entries from either Nick or Charlie. I thought those were a cool idea, but I wish more of the story was told in real time. Actual scenes unfolding in front of us.

I liked the attention to how to support– not save– someone who has an eating disorder, but I wonder if some readers will feel like the romance of the earlier volumes gets lost in the issue in this one.

I’m happy that I read it, and I will definitely read volume five.

Content Notes

Content warning for eating disorder, mentions of self-harm, and brief homophobic bullying.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Charlie is gay. Nick is bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. Kissing between boy and girl, and kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some brief instances of bullying and homophobia.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho

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

Salt and Sugar
Rebecca Carvalho
Inkyard Press
November 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Salt and Sugar

The grandchildren of two rival Brazilian bakeries fall in love despite their families’ feud.

Trust neither thin-bottomed frying pans nor Molinas.

Lari Ramires has always known this to be true. In Olinda, Brazil, her family’s bakery, Salt, has been at war with the Molinas’ bakery across the street, Sugar, for generations. But Lari’s world turns upside down when her beloved grandmother passes away. On top of that, a big supermarket chain has moved to town, forcing many of the small businesses to close.

Determined to protect her home, Lari does the unthinkable—she works together with Pedro Molina to save both of their bakeries. Lari realizes she might not know Pedro as well as she thought—and she maybe even likes what she learns—but the question remains: Can a Ramires and a Molina truly trust one another?

My Review

This book made me want baked goods so badly. The descriptions of the process of baking were absolutely tantalizing. Everything seemed like it would be absolutely delicious.

My favorite thing, though, were the Romeo and Juliet themes or references. I loved that there was so much more to the feud than fighting between the families. I also loved the pacing of the romance between Pedro and Larissa. They were adorable and sweet, and I loved rooting for them to figure out their feelings and finally get together.

In the story, Larissa has just lost her grandmother, a super important person in her life. Her grief felt so real and palpable. There’s a scene in which she visits her grandmother’s graveside, and I cried through the whole scene. It really struck me and made me remember those feelings about my grandma’s death, too. A good grandma is a really tough loss.

I also loved that the story is set in Brazil. The food, the culture and celebrations were all so present in the story.

All in all, it wasn’t love at first sight with this one for me– it took me a few chapters to really get into the book. Once Larissa gets talked into joining the cooking club, I was pretty much hooked, though, and that happens really early on.

I think readers who enjoyed WE CAN’T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS by Rachel Lynn Solomon would enjoy this fun, sweet romantic book.

Content Notes for Salt and Sugar

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
All characters are Brazilian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

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 SALT AND SUGAR in exchange for my honest review.