All American Boys by Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely

I cried a lot when reading this book...fair warning.


I read about Jason Reynolds in a review of his newest book Long Way Down. I knew this was an author I needed to introduce my son to and that I would need to read along with him. So for his birthday a week ago I got him this one. I just finished it and my face is still damp from the tears and I can still feel the sobs in my body as I type this. My son is a few pages behind me so he will finish today too. I will post a review by him when he can put together the words to do it, I expect he will be as wrecked as I am. But as painful as this is, we have had some amazing conversations. He is a true social justice champion and this is an area of social justice we as a family are passionate about. And only partly because I am the proud (white) mother of a proud young black man. My son is a proud young (white) man who loves and worries over his older brother, a brother he knows he could lose for no other reason than the color of his skin. My 12 year old is too aware of the fact that he has a different set of rules to live by when he walks out of our home should he ever be confronted by a police officer.
 Ok...so my review of this book: Bottom line READ IT!!! NOW!!!

all american boys is told in two voices, Rashad and Quinn. Both are high school students. Both are on the school basketball team. Both are a little girl crazy. And that is where the similarities end. Because Quinn is White and Rashad is Black.

Rashad opens the story telling us who he is and how he ended up a statistic. Rashad is brutalized by a police officer for no reason...other than he is prejudged to have done something wrong.

Quinn tells us who he is and how he ended up seeing Rashad become a statistic. Quinn sees the officer beating up Rashad while Rashad is on the ground in handcuffs.

Quinn knows the officer. The officer is a family friend who has an important role in Quinn's life. Quinn is scared and angry and now woke.

Rashad is scared and angry and feels changed and helpless.

The story is powerful and well told. And an important read. The suggested age on the lower end of the books description is 12. But it depends on your child's age, reading ability, and the content being something they can deal with and talk about.  There are some mentions of kissing, drinking, shoplifting, death of a parent, violence. Nothing is majorly descriptive other than Rashad's attack. While this is a "teen" read I think as an adult it was not too simple or young and everyone should be reading this and talking about this.

A quote that has stuck with me and I will share with you sums up perfectly why I will continue to say "BlackLivesMatter" and mot "all" and why it is more important than ever for White people to say this:
"Look, if there are people who are scared of the police every day of their lives, I am going to live in fear for them"

And let me also say, I know not every cop is doing this, and many are speaking out about it...but it happens too many times and it has to stop.

(Finished November 22, 2017)

The Queen of Attolia (The Queen's Thief #2) by Megan Whalen Turner

As I ended Book 1 feeling, I love that this is a book I can share with my son. Also as was the case with Book 1 thing here aren't always what they seem.

I enjoyed spending time with Gen and Eddis again. It was nice to have Magus back too. I wish Sophos had made an appearance but I think he comes back next book.

Gen, who says and proves he can steal anything, really sets his sights on a huge take this time....amid a three way war involving Eddis, Attolia, and Sounis. Add in some intrigue and sneaky plans by the Mead ambassador and what you end up with a story of war and mystery and excitement.

There is some reference to love and romance, battles and death during war, and shady characters but never in a way that is too graphic. This is classified as children's literature but it is so smartly written and doesn't talk down to the reader so is enjoyable for adults even while being age appropriate to its target audience which starts at 12. The characters are interesting and the story is engaging.  


(Finished November 19, 2017)

The Thief (The Queen's Thief #1) by Megan Whalen Turner

My sweet husband won an Amazon gift card and work and gave it to me and I had a nice book-shopping-spree that included this and Book2. After a couple of really heavy reads I picked this up to catch my breath before picking up my next memoir or social justice read. But...I am thinking I need to read book 2 right away since I have it.

I enjoyed the mystery, the adventure, and the story. It was clearly a set up for more books so there is a lot of back story, questions without answers, intrigue left unresolved, and room for new story lines. I liked the charter Gen/Eugenides and I hope he has more page time with Sophos in Book 2 because I enjoyed their budding friendship. I even grew to really like Magus. No one was what they first appeared to be and there was more to them as we got to know them...well except for Ambiades, he starts out a shit and stays a shit. 

When Gen brags openly that he can step anything (being such a master thief and all) and then gets arrested for stealing the King's seal and showing it off to prove his masterfulness he sits in prison for months until Magus comes to get him and offers him his freedom for stealing something for him. Off on a journey they go to steal a mythical stone (Hamaithes's Gift) that will allow King Sounis to claim the country of Eddis. But things aren't as cut and dry as they seem, and the task is not as easy as just walking in and taking this stone.  

Something else I am loving about this is that is the perfect read to share with my almost 12 year old adventure story loving kid!! Books we can both read are always a plus!! 


 (Finished November 6, 2017)

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates

When I read Between The World And Me I knew Coates was someone who I would read any and everything by.
We Were Eight Years In Power confirmed my feelings.


Over the 8 years of the Obama Administration in his job writing for The Atlantic Coates wrote the essays he includes in this book. Before each one he includes a note about where he is now, where he was then, what he thinks he did well and what he could have done better and his opinion on how each essay has held up. And then he gives us an incredible epilogue. You may not agree with his analysis on every point, I found myself seldom if at all disagreeing with him, but his work is well thought out, documented, and defended.

He writes so well and so powerfully, with lines like "To Trump whiteness is neither notional no symbolic but is the very core of his power. In this, Trump is not singular. But whereas his forebears carried whiteness like and ancestral talisman, Trump cracked the glowing amulet open, releasing its eldritch energies."
If for you like it does for me reading Coates brings to mind Baldwin I don't think he would mind the comparison.


P.S. Coates has also authored new Marvel Black Panther comics and they are really good too!!

(Finished November 3, 2017)