What YA' Reading: Juneteenth
Happy reading friends!
One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite
Kezi Smith is passionate, popular and a good student. She has a whole trip planned with her family’s segregation-era Greenbook for Negro Motorists for summer break. Then there is a protest where Kezi is mistakenly arrested. She doesn’t come out alive. Kezi's face is splashed all over the media. It’s a tragedy, she was one of the good ones. Kezi's sisters, Genny and Happi, are struggling with grief, guilt and anger in their own ways. The story follows their perspectives as the sisters, Happi begrudgingly and Genny eagerly, take Kezi’s planned trip with Kezi’s best friend to honor her memory. Along the way they find out they didn’t know her as well as they thought they did, or each other for that matter. Through the highs and lows, they find themselves and their lost sister in ways they never expected. One of the Good Ones tells the story of a family through generations. It weaves its tale through timelines and perspectives allowing you to come along for the ride. You are left to decide just what makes a person “0ne of the good ones” and why being a human isn’t enough. This story is one you are going to need your tissues for. Prepare yourself for triggers in the realm of race, religion and LGBTQ issues.
Kneel by Candace Buford
What can you do to protest a profound injustice when you feel trapped? Rus, our protagonist, chose to kneel. This simple act changed his life. The town this story takes place in is rife with racial tension. The racial unrest stems from the recent shooting of a young Black man by a white police officer who has yet to face consequences. Adding to this Rus’s best friend Marion is suspended from the football team after being accused of something he didn’t do. Rus is feeling powerless and decides to take back his voice and power through the act of kneeling during the National Anthem at the game. This escalates matters and makes Rus a lightning rod for the racist hate and frustration the rest of the town has accumulated. He struggles with his own family who just want him to be safe, which they equate with silence. The challenges the Rus and the town face are real and this is a difficult book to read, but it is worth the time. Buford’s writing is inspired by headlines and tackles more issues than racism. It also dealswith poverty, food deserts, bullying and child neglect. This book can be a triggering read so prepare yourself and be ready for the strong emotions it brings.
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
In this story a young man named Justyce experiences anything but justice. This story broke my heart, but it is so beautifully written and is such an important story that I couldn't leave it out. Justyce McAllister is incredible. Brilliant. Hardworking. Ivy-league bound. But none of that mattered to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. His black skin and hoodie meant he was doing something criminal, right? Following this encounter with racial profiling, Justyce struggles with his identity. To work through this, he begins writing letters in a journal to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This helps him process his thoughts about being Black and dealing with racism, toxic masculinity and police brutality. Justyce and his friend Manny have serious discussions about racism and other issues that are really well written and rewarding to read. They both share the experience of an elite education, which causes friction in their neighborhood with their other friends. It also makes them the target of microaggressions and jokes at their school. Justyce’s story is one of being Black in America and finding a place in the world. This book contains explicit verbal and physical violence and brutality committed by police. So please be prepared for that. It also contains strong themes of overt racism. I want to add in a disclaimer that as a white person, I cannot begin to understand what it is to experience racism in all of its forms. That being said, I recommend reading these books as well as this list I have assembled. Happy Juneteenth, y’all!
