Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical and poetic memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming, she tells the coming-of-age tale of a young girl whose tumultuous childhood is split between Ohio, South Carolina, and Brooklyn. All of theses places, people, and memories form to shape her identity. Each chapter reads like the essence of a passing memory, captured just in time before it's forgotten. Woodson is magical at creating these memories. In this story, she weaves together stories of her family, friends, beliefs, and the events that defined her. It's a powerful story everyone needs to read.

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Review: With the Fire on High

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After her unplanned pregnancy during her freshman year of high school, people view Emoni Santiago differently. It doesn't slow her down, though. With the help and encouragement of her 'Buela, who watches her daughter during the day, Emoni makes tough choices and struggles to persevere through high school. She uses her passion for cooking and drive to create a better life for her daughter to pursue her dreams. Will she continue to make the same mistakes? Will her creativity and love of food be enough to elevate her out of a difficult situation? With the Fire on High is a solid second novel from Elisabeth Acevedo and great or anyone who loved her first, The Poet X.

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Review: Another Brooklyn

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As August boards the train to venture back into the city after attending her father's funeral, she recognizes an old friend which sends her hurtling through her own childhood memories. Through these lyrical, dream-like memories we learn about August's silent fears and treasured hopes along the backdrop of 1970's Brooklyn, NY. Jacqueline Woodson's searing portrait of a young girl discovering herself through the memories of her mother, being lifted up through childhood friendships, and ultimately overcoming the pain and suffering of it all. We find an unforgettable narrator who weaves a heartbreaking, poignant, and beautiful tale of becoming her true self. It's an instant classic that needs to be read by young adults and adults alike.

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Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario

Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like many children in Latin America, Enrique experiences devastation with the news of his mother's leaving for more money and a better life in the States. She promises to call and send gifts but nothing quells the emptiness for Enrique. Over time, he becomes despondent, refuses to follow his grandmother's rules, and chooses to medicate himself with drugs and alcohol. He wants desperately to find his mother and decides to leave Honduras in search of the Rio Grande with only his mother's phone number on a piece of paper as his guide. What follows is Enrique's courageous and heartbreaking journey north. Can he possibly survive? Will he ever see his mother again?Will his mother's presence be enough to heal him? How far are we willing to go for the one's we love? This book will change the way we view immigrants and those wanting to make a better life for themselves within the United State. Enrique's Journey is a must-read for young adults and adults alike.

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Dig. by A.S. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Shoveler carries his shovel everywhere he goes ,constantly being the new kid, while his mother moves them from town to town. The Freak with the seeming ability to move through space and time. CanIHelpYou? sells marijuana through the drive thru window at Arby's. Loretta the Ringmistress conducts her flea circus within her double wide trailer. Malcolm would enjoy first-class seats to Jamaica more if it wasn't for his father's cancer. All of these teenagers have little in common, besides being the outcast, until Marla and Gottfried Hemmings, the product of generational Pennsylvania potato farmers, enter their lives.

In A.S. King's surreal, dark, and brilliant book, these teenagers are sent on a journey of self discovery. They begin to dig at their families' histories to discover pain, racism, neglect, but also hope and connectedness. Dig begs the questions: does my family history make me who I am today? Can we overcome the sins of our descendants? Do we have the courage to face those transgressions and work towards forgiveness and reconciliation?

Dig is an excellent read for adults and young adults alike.

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Review: Pet

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In a future set within a seemingly utopian society, Jam imagines what life had been like for her parents when monsters roamed the streets openly. Her parents' generation, with the help of angels, destroyed their society's monsters allowing Jam, the black and trans protagonist, and her friends to feel safe and accepted. That is until an otherworldly character arrives and reveals how their perfect society may not be as perfect as they thought.

Although there are many elements of fantasy in Emezi's Pet, Jam's world has many similarities to our own. These comparisons would provide an opportunity for in depth discussions around questions like: What are the monsters we currently have in our society? How can we grow to accept one another? Who would Pet represent in our society? How do we eliminate our own monsters?

I highly recommend Pet for teens and adults.

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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jason Reynolds' remix of the Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning challenges the history pushed by our nationalist fervor. As a society, we often lift our founders to extreme heights without realizing their faults, hatred, and shortcomings. Reynolds and Kendi expose the truth behind the ways the founding of our country was steeped in racism and hatred through a lens that is accessible to all readers. It truly is a must read for any and all over the age of 10 and would provide an excellent way for communities to discuss our shortcomings as a society. Also, the reading list at the end of the book allows curious readers to pursue a more in depth and fully realized history of our country.

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