Hello Everyone!
I know that there has been an increase in reported incidents of racial injustice and police brutality since 2020. The news of Black Lives Matter was all over the TV and internet last year.
I want to share with you two books written by two amazing black authors. In these books, they talk about Black Lives Matter, racial injustice, and the life of two middle-schoolers who are facing racism in their lives. I hope you will enjoy reading these books if you have a chance. I had a lot of fun reading these books. I learned a lot about the perspective of girls of color.
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee
Shayla is a twelve-year-old middle schooler who hates trouble. It always makes her hands itch. She doesn’t want to get into any trouble. Her older sister, Hana, is a Black Lives Matter protester, who is fighting for Black rights. She wants to fight for black people as she believes that black people have always been mistreated in this country and have been through a lot.
Shayla is currently in junior high and is going through issues at school. She isn’t alone as she has her two friends Julia and Isabella. Their group name is the United Nations as Julia is Japanese-American, Isabella is Purto Rican-American, and Shayla is African American. Shayla loves to follow the rules, and she doesn’t want to get in trouble ever. Will she find a cause worth breaking the rules? Will she find the courage to stand for something important- a good kind of trouble?
Additionally, she goes through friendship problems at school. Since there is an increase in BLM protests, she wants to support the protest. But she knows she could get into trouble. She starts wearing black armbands on her arm every day to show her solidarity. Will Shayla get to fight for black rights? Will she resolve her friend’s drama? Will she be able to get over her fear of trouble? Read this book to find out. One thing that I learned from this book is the reason why black lives matter and why it’s not called All Lives Matter. Shayla’s mother explains it by saying, “All lives do matter, but for example, if you break your arm, and the doctor says you need a full-body cast, that wouldn’t make any sense because you broke your arm, not your body”. Black Lives Matter and so do all other lives, but it does matter and needs attention when something wrong happens to vulnerable groups.
In addition to friendship and racism, this book covers themes of teamwork and courage. Of note, this is the first novel of the author.
Blended by Sharon M Draper
Isabella, an eleven-year-old, biracial girl is dealing with an identity crisis. Her mother is white whereas her father is Black. Her parents were divorced which meant she had two worlds. A mom week and a dad week which she calls a “Great Exchange.” After the divorce, Isabella is more aware of being a biracial kid. Her life is split between mom’s home and dad’s home. Isabella has both black and white friends at school. After a racist incident that happened to her friend, where a student puts a noose in her friend’s locker, Isabella realizes how cruel people can be. The story gets even more serious after the incident. Not to mention her parents are now engaged to other people which means more weddings and changes to come. Her parents are planning their weddings, and Isabella hopes that the four different people in her life will get along.
Also, Isabella loves to play the piano and is looking forward to a big recital. But on that day, something horrific happens which leads to another serious accident. Isabella becomes a victim of police brutality. What happens next? Will Isabella get over her crisis? Will she be able to get over the trauma of surviving racial profiling and her parents moving on with their new life partners? Read this book to find out.
What I liked about this book was the easy language. It was really easy to understand. It had many life lessons such as family, friendship, kindness, divorce, racism, moving on, and identity.
If you are interested in reading these books, please borrow these books from your local library, Amazon, or you can listen to them as an audiobook.
I would like to share a quote from the book A Good Kind of Trouble:
“Not everything that is faced can be changed,’” Daddy says, and then Hana cuts in and says, “’But nothing can be changed until it is faced.” “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.”