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leakelley's review
5.0
I went to mark the pieces that I wanted to use in this collection, and ended up marking pretty much every piece.
tea_rex_love's review
4.0
These are fairly good short stories with some amazing ones in the mix. They are stories that recognize common stereotypes and denounce them. I have a few favorites in this bunch, one of them is called Brotherly Love, a story about a boy that doesn't quite feel himself, his brother helps him stay home from church. And then he has a conversation with his sister, and it's amazing how much that conversation gives away their daily life. That story made me smile, especially at the end.
alinaborger's review
An excellent collection of YA stories, every one of which I’d be willing to actually give to HS freshmen. Truly rare, completely lacking the super-weird supernatural elements that often get jammed into short stories, this book ROCKS. I’d order a class set if I could.
elisquared's review against another edition
5.0
I am making a pledge this year to read more diverse books, and participate in the 2017 Diverse Reads Book Challenge, so I started it off right by getting a hold of the audiobook of this gem of a collection. Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices edited by Mitali Perkins has the perfect mix of humor, a little heartache, and a whole lot of strength, capturing the reality of experiences of people trapped between cultures.
There is a mix of fiction and nonfiction; a mix of prose, verse, and graphic within the pages. But while each entry may be different, the underlaying purpose rings true. As Perkins writes in her introduction, the purpose is to "...to break down barriers and draw us together across borders.” And this collection succeeds. From the romantic, in Cherry Cheva's "Talent Show" to the empowering, in Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich's "Confessions of a Black Geek; from half-way across the world, in G. Neri's "Under Berlin", to one's own house, in Francisco X. Stork's "Brotherly Love" and everything in between the autobiographical feeling of being trapped between two cultures, and the journey to fight against racism and the expectations of each culture is clear.
The audiobook was excellently done, with multiple voice actors doing the readings (a majority of whom are POC as far as I could figure out). This made it much easier to differentiate between each entry right away, and also brought great character to the stories. I love that Mitali Perkins narrated her own story, which is about her life. It gave it just something special to hear her telling her story of being a boy-crazy Indian-American teenager trying to figure out how to "score some points" (read it to find out more!!!!).
I would love to see a Volume 2 come out in 2017, especially with the climate of America the way it is currently. Diverse books containing stories from the very people represented in them is necessary and so impactful. Each of these authors are amazing contributors to both the Young Adult and Middle Grade genres, but put them all together and is it amazing! A great addition to the #ownvoices movement (published ahead of its time) and a necessary book that helps bridge the gap in our country, shining a light on racism and multicultural issues through humor.
There is a mix of fiction and nonfiction; a mix of prose, verse, and graphic within the pages. But while each entry may be different, the underlaying purpose rings true. As Perkins writes in her introduction, the purpose is to "...to break down barriers and draw us together across borders.” And this collection succeeds. From the romantic, in Cherry Cheva's "Talent Show" to the empowering, in Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich's "Confessions of a Black Geek; from half-way across the world, in G. Neri's "Under Berlin", to one's own house, in Francisco X. Stork's "Brotherly Love" and everything in between the autobiographical feeling of being trapped between two cultures, and the journey to fight against racism and the expectations of each culture is clear.
The audiobook was excellently done, with multiple voice actors doing the readings (a majority of whom are POC as far as I could figure out). This made it much easier to differentiate between each entry right away, and also brought great character to the stories. I love that Mitali Perkins narrated her own story, which is about her life. It gave it just something special to hear her telling her story of being a boy-crazy Indian-American teenager trying to figure out how to "score some points" (read it to find out more!!!!).
I would love to see a Volume 2 come out in 2017, especially with the climate of America the way it is currently. Diverse books containing stories from the very people represented in them is necessary and so impactful. Each of these authors are amazing contributors to both the Young Adult and Middle Grade genres, but put them all together and is it amazing! A great addition to the #ownvoices movement (published ahead of its time) and a necessary book that helps bridge the gap in our country, shining a light on racism and multicultural issues through humor.
funfetti7's review
5.0
Blogged this review
I really wish I could hand this book to myself about 20 years ago. I found echoes of my own childhood experiences in every single one of these characters. I laughed, I cried, my heart went out to these kids and teens who were just figuring out who they were and whether they even liked themselves, never mind whether anyone else did. Mitali Perkins's foreword to the collection is spot on. Yes, I connected with some stories more than others, but I think that's natural with any story collection. This book will stay with me for some time.
(I may have to buy a 2nd copy since I bought this one to give away to a teenager in my family.)
I really wish I could hand this book to myself about 20 years ago. I found echoes of my own childhood experiences in every single one of these characters. I laughed, I cried, my heart went out to these kids and teens who were just figuring out who they were and whether they even liked themselves, never mind whether anyone else did. Mitali Perkins's foreword to the collection is spot on. Yes, I connected with some stories more than others, but I think that's natural with any story collection. This book will stay with me for some time.
(I may have to buy a 2nd copy since I bought this one to give away to a teenager in my family.)
ms_beaumaster's review
5.0
This is a collection of short stories
& narrative poetry (I think mostly memoir) about living in the space between two cultures.
& narrative poetry (I think mostly memoir) about living in the space between two cultures.
smonmaney's review against another edition
3.0
A quick compilation of short stories (including one graphic short) and poetry. After reading the intro, I expected a bit more humor. A few were possibly a bit too preachy.
super_librarian's review
4.0
Open Mic is a quick, humorous read in which ten different authors share how their cultural identity shaped their experiences growing up. It gives readers a chance to walk in someone else's shoes for a while and learn what it's like to grow up in a different culture. I enjoyed every piece, and I appreciated how several different formats were used to tell their stories. I tried to pick a favorite selection, but I think they were all fairly well-written and entertaining. I wish it had been longer and included even more voices! This would be a great addition to a K-12 school library or a public library YA collection.
lindsayb's review
4.0
The contributions from Gene Luen Yang, G. Neri, and Naomi Shihab Nye are particularly exemplary.