Summer Book Binging: Important Books about Race

If you are looking to expand your mind this summer...

So far this summer I've read quite a few "important" books, books that I think contribute something important to the current cultural conversations we are having about racism, social media, and social activism.

The book I've most liked so far was Dear Martin by Nic Stone, one of the most recommended books of the year so far (along with The Hate U Give, which is still on my hold list for a at least a few more weeks). The premise is interesting: after an unfortunate run-in with the police, an innocent black teen begins writing letters to Martin Luther King Jr., trying to process the incident and what he can do about the racism that suddenly seems to be all around him. What I like is that this book approaches the topics of police brutality, the inescapability of the media (both the 24 hour mainstream media and social media), and equity through a variety of perspectives (though the narrator is consistently the not-so-subtly-named Justyce). This book felt ripped from the headlines, and it reminded me of the poem "When I Think of Tamir Rice While Driving", which my Honors English II class (who just graduated, *sniffle*) read in 2016.

The perspective in this story has such value for students precisely because it embraces so many perspectives. Because of interactions with white and black boys and girls of privilege through his private school, black boys from Justyce's own segregated and impoverished neighborhood, and even adults like parents and teachers, Justyce shows the reader the complexity of race relations and realities in America, and gives insight to readers who might not otherwise have exposure to these perspectives in a logical and interesting way. The School Library Journal agrees:

 "The length and pace of this well-written story make it a perfect read for reluctant and sophisticated readers alike. The main characters are well balanced and will resonate with teens. However, the voice of African American women is largely absent from the narrative. The characterizations of Justyce’s mother and his girlfriend are one-dimensional compared to some of the other protagonists."

While the SLJ has a valid point that there are some voices underrepresented in this story, I think the value of this story is that it provides a variety of perspectives. (In fact, the SLJ recommendation is that it be read in conjunction with the book below...though it also doesn't provide as much representation to women!)

Based on the recommendation of a student this year, I then read the audiobook All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. I also picked up the e-book, so that I could switch back and forth during nap time and driving in the car/making food (because, you know, that's what moms do the most of during the summer), and I fell in love with the dual-narrators.

This made me think all the way back to the George Zimmerman case of 2013 (in which a man in Florida was acquitted of shooting an unarmed black teenager who had the audacity to be wearing a hooded sweatshirt), as Rashad (voice #1), a JROTC member and artist--who happens to be black-- is beaten into the hospital by a police officer after a white woman trips over him in a convenience store. Now, this book could easily just follow this story, but instead, the book switches to the voice of Quinn, a white teen who is a top basketball player and son of a fallen soldier, who witnesses the beating in his walk to the convenience store (trying to score some beer for a party, btw!). When it is revealed that the officer involved was his best friend's brother, a man who was like a second father to Quinn, Quinn must decide which is stronger: his conscience or his loyalty to his family and white community. This second perspective helps to show the factors that complicate the story, which feels like it should be an open-and-shut case, and how race invariably matters.

One elements I really liked was the way the students acted to make a difference, and the teens had to make difficult choices. The bold act of civil disobedience (or vandalism, if you look at it from another perspective) of spray-painting "Rashad is absent again today" leads to a twitter movement reminiscent of #blacklivesmatter that shows the power of social media AND activists for organizing. I also liked the "uncertainty" of the ending; I know that this frustrated the student who recommended the book, but I think given the real-life lack of resolution surrounding these situations, the way the story ended (no spoilers) was appropriate. There were several twists in the story that complicated matters, preventing the story from being an oh-so-obvious black vs. white conflict, and making it more of a nuanced examination of society--and what teenagers today can do to shape the world around them. Although some have criticized the quality of the writing, I appreciated the authenticity of the voices, which felt all the more authentic because of the wonderful job the audiobook readers did with the two voices; when I switched to the e-book, it wasn't quite as captivating, but the plot of the story was a winner.

Pernille Ripp led me to my next book, Love, Hate, and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed, which was chosen as a Global Read Aloud book for YA. This reminded me of another book I read, When Dimple Met Rishi, which looks at the struggles of a second-generation immigrant girl as she tries to live her American dream and please her parents, who still have old-world expectations.

This book followed Maya Aziz, an Indian-American Muslim teen who just wants to make movies. The story begins with her at a big Indian wedding, trying to avoid her mother's match-making efforts by taking wedding video.  Maya is in many ways a typical, sarcastic teen girl who feels insecure, wants to date, and wants to strike out on her own. She shares, “One thing I’ve learned: people love a camera, and when I’m filming, they see it, not me, so whenever I need to, I can quietly disappear behind my trusty shield.” We quickly learn that she secretly applied to the NYU film program--and got in--and now that it is May and the deadline for payment is looming, she has to find a way to tell/convince her parents, who want her to stay local so they can watch over her, to let her go. How will she convince her well-meaning and practical dentist parents to let her live a life more like her graphic designer aunt?

The book could easily just be about this fairly common teen issue (how do I get my parents to accept my choices whilst not disappointing them), but from the beginning there is also this other weird voice. At the end of each chapter, we see a short snippet from someone else, a person who remains unnamed but who is obviously not our narrator. About 1/3 of the way through the book, a horrific event occurs that connects the snippets to Maya and turns her world upside down. BTW--the fact that terrorism and xenophobia become issues here, in a book about a Muslim teen, is not unexpected. It could be cliche--but it feels right, likely because of the care the author took to establish the narrator's voice and the cast of minor characters surrounding her, who would otherwise be one-dimensional (i.e. the supportive friend, the racist, the rebel, the mean girls, etc.). For example, Maya's friend Kareem adds levity and perspective  outside of Maya's small town; while his voice isn't especially memorable, it provides ample opportunity for Ahmed to showcase Maya's wit:

“I wish getting a Big Mac was still my biggest concern when I pass through customs these days,” Kareem mutters. “What is it, fries?” I joke. “More like hoping I don’t get chosen for the special Secondary Security Screening lottery.” 

This book is important in that the protagonist is not a white Christian character, but a character who is American all the same. This fiction helps normalize Maya, showing how a "brown, Muslim girl" is just a girl, and defying many stereotypes whilest not pretending that issues surrounding immigration and cultural incongruities don't exist. It also asks important questions about how we decide when to make a stand, when to take action because it is the right thing to do, and how much personal risk we are willing to assume to follow our hearts. I also like how the media is used sparingly in this story, showing how it both hurts and helps our understandings of "others"--especially in light of the current debates surrounding immigration at the Southern border, which came to a head when video of children crying out for their parents led to public outcry and a reversal of family separation policy.

This also seems relevant in light of the conflicts over the "Muslim Ban" that spent over a year in the courts. This book provides another look at how our society handles immigration and religious freedom without stereotyping or demonizing.

Heady stuff, I know, but really wonderful reads!