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591 reviews
A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff
14-year-old protagonist A (chose name still to be chosen) isn't self-hating, nor are his friends, despite how their bodies and lives are controlled by their parents who drag them to a group called Save Our Sons and Daughters SOSAD. SOSAD has ties to a conversion therapy establishment. While A and his buddies aren't self-hating, that doesn't mean they aren't as depressed, desperate, and suicidal as trans kids are all over the US.
After their friend Yarrow is sent for conversion, A and Sal, a 16-year-old trans girl
(Kyle is so funny and clever, isn't he? That description of Sal and A's reaction to it are so relatable.)
(Here's where I should disclaim that I am friendquaintances with Kyle and jokingly think of myself as his biographer because I wrote his Wikipedia entry)
A is so upset about Yarrow's disappearance that he tries to find Yarrow by going to Yarrow's house (Yarrow is a no-pronouns/use-my-name person). He almost gets caught by Yarrow's dad and is saved by a sudden wind chucking trash at Yarrow's dad. It turns out that wind is a golem-identified supernatural force that is in Seattle specifically to help A Save the World. (Here's where I understand and possibly disagree with the book's title, A World Worth Saving. Is this world worth saving? Especially the US?) Anyway, A is skeptical about the golem and his role in any kind of world saving struggle.
That's kind of an incredible take on times of struggle and transition, isn't it, especially in the context of young teenhood, which I'd call the hardest life stage I've experienced so far. I suspect the only time that will be harder is the end of life transition--going from knowing to not knowing, self-control to dependence, etc.
Having been Chosen (kind of like many Jewish people consider themselves to be--I think there are some anti-Zionist themes in the book), A fancies himself special, a hero, a person who has sidekicks. His relationship with Sal, his partner in being a teen runaway, does not benefit from this attitude, and A finds himself alone. While there is a theme of good vs. evil in the novel, the main thrust of the hero's struggle isn't about his own tribulations, or it is in that A learns he cannot save the world on his own. And he has to listen. A talks to Sal about vanquishing Joanna from SOSAD and saving Yarrow.
A's take on "be day do crime"
Maybe I've already given away too much. The main thing is that A and Sal and their friends are fighting evil, which takes the shape of transphobia and bigotry. If they fight together, they might just make the world a better place, at least a little. Making the world better is more mitzvah than mandate, but everyone needs to at least try.
Also, it's wild how rare it feels to read a book where Jewish rituals and mythology are legible, even dominant the way Christianity typically is. (I remember a scene in the 1979 vampire romantic comedy where Richard Benjamin tries to stop George Hamilton's Dracula, but he pulls out a Star of David instead of a cross, and it does nothing.)
adventurous
funny
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Before we even get into his novel, Lukoff gives us a twist on the tragically trans narrative, quoting fellow trans fiction writer Julian J. Jarboe.
God blessed me by making me transsexual for the same reason he made wheat but not bread and fruit but not wine: because he wants humanity to share in the act of creation.
14-year-old protagonist A (chose name still to be chosen) isn't self-hating, nor are his friends, despite how their bodies and lives are controlled by their parents who drag them to a group called Save Our Sons and Daughters SOSAD. SOSAD has ties to a conversion therapy establishment. While A and his buddies aren't self-hating, that doesn't mean they aren't as depressed, desperate, and suicidal as trans kids are all over the US.
After their friend Yarrow is sent for conversion, A and Sal, a 16-year-old trans girl
At first I thought she hated me, but I soon found out that she hated everything. She was a useful person to be friends with despite--or because of--that. ''
(Kyle is so funny and clever, isn't he? That description of Sal and A's reaction to it are so relatable.)
(Here's where I should disclaim that I am friendquaintances with Kyle and jokingly think of myself as his biographer because I wrote his Wikipedia entry)
A is so upset about Yarrow's disappearance that he tries to find Yarrow by going to Yarrow's house (Yarrow is a no-pronouns/use-my-name person). He almost gets caught by Yarrow's dad and is saved by a sudden wind chucking trash at Yarrow's dad. It turns out that wind is a golem-identified supernatural force that is in Seattle specifically to help A Save the World. (Here's where I understand and possibly disagree with the book's title, A World Worth Saving. Is this world worth saving? Especially the US?) Anyway, A is skeptical about the golem and his role in any kind of world saving struggle.
"Perhaps I am here because you are a trans 14-year-old who has already claimed the right to name himself. You are in the midst of your own creation, which gives you strength beyond imagining. And like the twilight, like the shore, like every littoral edge, one in the process of becoming is imbued with holiness."
That's kind of an incredible take on times of struggle and transition, isn't it, especially in the context of young teenhood, which I'd call the hardest life stage I've experienced so far. I suspect the only time that will be harder is the end of life transition--going from knowing to not knowing, self-control to dependence, etc.
Having been Chosen (kind of like many Jewish people consider themselves to be--I think there are some anti-Zionist themes in the book), A fancies himself special, a hero, a person who has sidekicks. His relationship with Sal, his partner in being a teen runaway, does not benefit from this attitude, and A finds himself alone. While there is a theme of good vs. evil in the novel, the main thrust of the hero's struggle isn't about his own tribulations, or it is in that A learns he cannot save the world on his own. And he has to listen. A talks to Sal about vanquishing Joanna from SOSAD and saving Yarrow.
"Don't you wish you could do something about it?"
Sal drummed her fists on her legs. "I don't want to do anything like that. I just want...I dunno. An apartment and a girlfriend, and for people to look at me and be like 'wow, what a cute lesbian.' I'm pro 'be gay do crime,' but right now being myself feels like crime enough."
A's take on "be day do crime"
"I'm only breaking your toys. I haven't even touched you!" I reminded him gleefully. "If that's your definition of violence, then you're a pretty lucky guy. Anyway, I can't change your mind by being nice, so now I don't care! And it's fun to smash things! So I'm going to do that for a while! Self-care, you know?"
Maybe I've already given away too much. The main thing is that A and Sal and their friends are fighting evil, which takes the shape of transphobia and bigotry. If they fight together, they might just make the world a better place, at least a little. Making the world better is more mitzvah than mandate, but everyone needs to at least try.
Also, it's wild how rare it feels to read a book where Jewish rituals and mythology are legible, even dominant the way Christianity typically is. (I remember a scene in the 1979 vampire romantic comedy where Richard Benjamin tries to stop George Hamilton's Dracula, but he pulls out a Star of David instead of a cross, and it does nothing.)
Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert
I think thoughts like that all the time. This moment is so intense, but it's also...such a speck.
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It took me a minute to get into this book. I even thought of giving up on it, but in the end, I really liked it. The story is about a teenage girl, Honor, who grew up in a reality show family, the Los. She's got a twin, Atticus, a sister Skye, who is close to their age, and two older siblings, whose names I forget.
The rest of the kids, and their separated parents are all Personalities, like they're still doing the reality thing even though the show ended years ago. Even though Honor isn't an influencer or anything, her family comes first. She previously had friends, but it turns out one of her besties--she doesn't know which one--gave a painful story to People magazine. After Skye gets sick, the family rallies around her, at college in Texas, and no one is more impacted than Honor. Until she learns something awful that makes her have to make an awful choice.
From another kid with family woes
The rest of the kids, and their separated parents are all Personalities, like they're still doing the reality thing even though the show ended years ago. Even though Honor isn't an influencer or anything, her family comes first. She previously had friends, but it turns out one of her besties--she doesn't know which one--gave a painful story to People magazine. After Skye gets sick, the family rallies around her, at college in Texas, and no one is more impacted than Honor. Until she learns something awful that makes her have to make an awful choice.
From another kid with family woes
"We're suck small specks in the universe. A hundred years from now it'll be like we never dated."
I think thoughts like that all the time. This moment is so intense, but it's also...such a speck.
Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
I tried, but it just never got interesting to me.
Seducing and Killing Nazis: Hannie, Truus and Freddie: Dutch Resistance Heroines of WWII by Sophie Poldermans
...
...
...
...
DEPRESSING
dark
fast-paced
4.0
This scholarly bio of three Dutch resistance fighters isn't particularly well written. It falls into the academic trap of including extraneous information just because the primary sources bore them out. Still, it's a fast read and provides a coda that I hadn't heard before--that the three women, one who gave her life to the struggle and two who had PTSD for the rest of their lives--were not properly honored for their work because they were (gasp!) communists.
Some really good quotes that resonate especially hard as we naviaget the rise of fascism in America.
Some really good quotes that resonate especially hard as we naviaget the rise of fascism in America.
The majority of the Dutch population, an estimated 90 percent, tried to continue to live their lives as normal as possible. Listening to the illegal radio station "Radio Oranje" and reading illegal newspapers were forms of passive resistance that most people related to.
...
The remaining 5 percent of the Dutch population were engaged in active resistance. This form of resistance consisted of printing and/or distributing illegal newspapers, helping people in hiding, collecting information for the government that fled to London or committing acts of sabotage.
...
After February 6, 1943, every student had to sign a "declaration of loyalty" declaring "to observe the laws and regulations in force to the best of their knowledge and belief and to refrain from any action directed against the German Empire.
...
Throughout the Netherlands, more than 85 percent of students refused to sign the declaration. As a result, university life was put almost entirely on hold. Lectures and exams were still given, although illegally, in special places.
...
The Germans have always denied that they had anything to do with [ordering the execution of Hannie Schaft], and, according to them, the Dutch were involved. It is suspected -- and [resistance fighter] Truus [Oversteegen] was reasonably convinced of this--that the communist hunt from London had something to do with it, not so much the specific order to execute Hannie, but to defuse the political left in general.
DEPRESSING
The Name Drop by Susan Lee
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Two kids with the same Korean name do a Freaky Friday/The Prince and the Pauper with their summer internship at the rich kid's dad's company. Well, both kids' dads work there, but one is CEO, and one is a barely-tolerated finance guy there. It goes well for a while, with the CEO's son Elijah getting to make genuine connections and Jessica thriving as an executive trainee. Inevitably their ruse is de-rused, and there are consequences. And luv.
These Heathens: A Novel by Mia McKenzie
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Doris, a smart Georgia teen's life trajectory first changes when her mother takes ill, and she has to drop out of school to take care of her family. Then it changes again when, at 17, she finds herself in the family way. Despite her religious piety and general obedience, Doris does not wish to remain pregnant. She reaches out to her beloved former English teacher, Mrs. Lucas, who, it turns out, has secrets of her own. Mrs. Lucas endeavors to help Doris get an abortion by taking her to Atlanta and the home of an old friend who gives them a place to stay and offers to pay for the abortion.
We meet historical figures like Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr., Bayard Rustin, and SNCC organizers. It's a compelling story, and reads a little like a play.
We meet historical figures like Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr., Bayard Rustin, and SNCC organizers. It's a compelling story, and reads a little like a play.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
It's a fun book, but there's too much middle. The science is of particular interest, and the academic bullshit, too.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This is an enjoyable book about a young, isolated witch building community. I felt like the love story was superfluous.
Love at 350° by Lisa Peers
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
In this baking show romance, Tori, a divorced mother of two rising college first years, is preparing for empty nesting. One of the show's hosts, Kendra, has been told that she's too mean (#TheChopper), so she's trying to be nicer. She immediately finds Tori easy to be nice to, but of course fraternization is against the rules. It's fun seeing how the story works out, who the villain is, etc. Really enjoyable!
Be Gay, Do Comics by Matt Bors, Sarah Mirk, Eleri Harris
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Good stuff, but a lot of it was too small or low contrast for me to read. Shout out to Joey Alison Sayers for some of my favorite entries. Read for the living while gay content.