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A review by elisquared
Open Mic: Ten Authors Riff on Growing Up Between Cultures by Mitali Perkins
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.