On the Come Up ~Angie Thomas

"Who are you? of the millions and billions of people in the world, you're the only person who can answer that. Not people online, or at your school. I can't even answer that. You're the only one who can say who you are with authority. So who are you?" On the Come Up is the…

I’m Still Here -Austin Channing Brown

Per my mom's suggestion, when I read certain books I keep a pad of sticky notes inside to mark special quotes and passages. Austin Channing Brown's I'm Still Here held dozens of sticky notes peeking out from both ends: a testament to gorgeous prose holding deep thoughts. The rest of the title is "Black Dignity…

The Hate U Give ~Angie Thomas

"The truth casts a shadow over the kitchen -people like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice. I think we all wait for that one time though, that one time when it ends right." ~The Hate U Give I've been waiting for so long to read this book. It's one…

The Prize of Education// Up From Slavery Booker T. Washington

"From any point of view, I had rather be what I am, a member of the Negro race, than be able to claim membership with the most favoured of any other race." -Booker T. Washington Up From Slavery, the autobiography of Booker T. Washington, engrained itself in the list of classics, and in the list…

Humor, Culture, and Race// Open Mic by Mitali Perkins Review

Using humor as the common denominator, a multicultural cast of YA authors steps up to the mic to share stories touching on race. Listen in as ten YA authors -- some familiar, some new -- use their own brand of humor to share their stories about growing up between cultures. Henry Choi Lee discovers that…

The Struggle is Real: Representation of the Middle Passage in Literature

Every race, culture, and member of humanity has a struggle. And their struggles are what make stories, stories that are written on paper, stories that are published, that we pick up at our libraries and bookstores. These stories are the ones that we read, that expose us to new ideas, comfort us, and give us…