Diverse
Written by Danielle Binks
Middle Grade, Family, Friendship
304 Pages
Published April 28th 2020
Thank you to Hachette Australia
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★★★★★
I was eleven when everything started and twelve by the end. But that's another way maps lie, because it felt like the distance travelled was a whole lot further than that.
Sorrento, Victoria. 1999.
Fred's family is a mess. Fred's mother died when she was six and she's been raised by her Pop and adoptive father, Luca, ever since. But now Pop is at the Rye Rehabilitation Centre recovering from a fall; Luca's girlfriend, Anika, has moved in; and Fred's just found out that Anika and Luca are having a baby of their own. More and more it feels like a land grab for family and Fred is the one being left off the map.
But even as the world feels like it's spinning out of control, a crisis from the other side of it comes crashing in. When 400 Kosovar Albanian refugees arrive in the middle of the night to be housed at one of Australia's safe havens on an isolated headland not far from Sorrento, their fate becomes intertwined with the lives of Fred and her family, as she navigates one extraordinary year that will change them all.
Down on the Mornington Peninsula, in the small township of Sorrento, the tides are about to change. It's 1999 and for eleven year old Winifred Owen Ricci, her life is experiencing a shift of seismic proportions. Since losing her mother a few years ago, it's been Fred and her stepfather and police officer Luca against the world, her small family unit including her grandfather, who grieved together and supported one another through the loss of their partner, their mother and their daughter. Luca officially adopted Fred at three years of age but when Anika and her son Sam move into her family home, Fred isn't quite sure where she fits in anymore. Luckily she has the neighbours and best friend Jed, short for Jedi and a nickname given to him by his parents that stuck. Jed has been a part of Fred's life forever, through losing her mum, through her roof climbing escapades and now through Anika and Sam moving into the home she once shared with her mother while her grandfather is in a rehabilitation facility after a fall.
It's a quiet part of the world but lately Fred has felt an ache in her chest, the news from overseas blasting in every home across the country, Kosovo Albanian refugees are driven from their homes by the Serbian army, their country left in ruins, destroyed lives and displaced families. The Australian government were adamant that Australia wouldn't help provide refuge but under public pressure, brought the Kosovo Albanian refugees to Australia under the cover of darkness and hid them away in inhumane detention centres. Fred has a beautiful sense of rightness instilled in her, she isn't sure why anyone in town would protest against helping these people flee their wartorn country, like Mister McMillan who owns the cafe on the main strip. For the most part, the people of the Mornington Peninsula are welcoming, including Fred, Anika, Sam and Luca, who is volunteering at the former army barracks now accommodation for the refugee community.
Being eleven is dreadful sometimes. Fred is in her final year of primary school, a new younger brother who's not really your brother and another on the way, Fred feeling increasingly isolated as Anika and Luca gently announce that their family is expanding. Fred's world is being turned upside down and she doesn't like it. One. Bit. The Trần family next door are wonderful, especially Jed's mother Vi, who has been a mother figure for Fred and an incredibly warm, maternal woman. Vi and her husband are both Vietnamese and met in Australia after fleeing their homeland. With so many diverse, non nuclear and blended families within our communities, it was wonderful to see Fred and Jed's families so beautifully written with compassion and care.
This is very much a coming of age story for Fred but where it differs from most middle grade, is that this isn't only Fred's journey, it's the journey of healing and growing for an entire community through the eyes of an intelligent and astute young woman. I see so much of myself in Fred at that age, learning about the many facets of love, our place within the world and who we want to become. Fred has so many positive role models in her life, Luca and especially Anika. Anika is learning how to parent an almost teen girl and allowed Fred the space to grow and form her own opinions. Although it took a while for Fred to see Anika as someone loving and caring in her life, Anika loved Fred so dearly and is a beautiful example of step parenting written in a positive light.
The secondary characters are lovingly created such as Mr Khouri, their geography teacher who created a fun and inclusive learning environment and Nora, who is a heavily pregnant refugee Fred meets at a hospital visit during Anika's pregnancy. Although most of small town Sorrento and the wider community are welcoming, Fred's friend Aiden begins coming to school with the wildly racist opinions of his father, repeating what's being said at home. Seeing Aiden grow and form his own opinions was such an incredible moment and although he respected his father, he begun to see that he wasn't always right and Aiden didn't need to agree. It was a yes! moment that readers will enjoy.
This isn't a heavy read by any means, there's plenty of lighthearted moments of mischief and laughter but it also raises serious issues such as asylum seekers and how they're treated as less than, especially in Australia. Australia has a terrible history of colonisation and the treatment of First Nations people, we've learnt nothing about the treatment of people and basic human rights. Our current government is the same government who was in power in 1999, when The Year the Maps Changed takes place, same party with interchangeable white men with money. Heartless bastards, the politicians and those who voted for them. The Year the Maps Changed isn't political, instead it provides middle grade readers with the human side of seeking asylum, Nora and children Merjeme and Arta are the fictional faces of those who have been forced to leave their homeland, travel to a strange, new country and then locked up like petty criminals for seeking safety. It only highlights that we're no better than the governments that we vote for and we desperately need to bring about change for the people that Nora, Merjeme and Arta represent.
The Year the Maps Changed is heartachingly beautiful. Danielle Binks has created an exceptional debut novel of warmth, compassion and finding your place in our ever changing world.
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Written by Thanhhà Lai
Historical Fiction, Cultural, Diverse, Friendship
296 Pages
Published March 3rd 2020
Thank you to UQP
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★★★★★
Hằng doesn’t believe in adventures.
There are steps that must be done, and once done, another step awaits. The last step, after six years of minute planning by her grandmother, is a bus ride away. In Amarillo her baby brother has to be waiting. In her imaginings, he is always waiting.
National Book Award and Newbery Honor winning author Thanhhà Lại makes her young adult debut in this deeply moving story of courage, redemption, friendship, family and new beginnings.
The conflict in Việt Nam created impoverished conditions, families malnourished, communities decimated as the communist government occupied Southern Việt Nam. Hằng has escaped Việt Nam, her journey as an asylum seeker harrowing as she is resettled with her uncle Chú Quốc and her cousins in the American South. As the conflict in Việt Nam concluded, authorities begun evacuating orphans from Saigon. Hằng and her brother Linh prepared for evacuation among the children experiencing the devastation of losing their families. Their mother and grandmother sacrificing to provide the children with safe passage amidst the conflict.
A young girl only twelve years of age, Hằng was denied passage, Linh forcibly removed from his sister and taken onboard for evacuation. Hằng returning to their small Việt Nam village devastated and grieving for her brother. In his absence, his grandmother became inflicted with illness, his father passing, believing his son was abducted. Hằng has endured famine and conflict as a young woman evading the attention of soldiers settled within the community.
Tens of millions of communities around the world are displaced, seeking asylum from persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations within their native countries. In Australia, where many refugees from Việt Nam were brought, our human rights violations are deplorable, denying those seeking asylum refuge. Hằng and her mother boarded a small, crowded fishing vessel en voyage to find Linh. Their journey is fraught with uncertainty, dangerous conditions on a small ramshackle vessel unable to elude pirates on the open waters. Passengers slain, women and girls captured, Hằng disguised as a young boy, surviving as a nonthreatening figure and disregarded.
Arriving in Dallas, Hằng is homed with her uncle Chú Quốc and his family, Vietnamese Americans living affluent lives. The contrast between Hằng and her cousin, both of Vietnamese descent is immense. Hằng isn't consumed by material possessions, she's fixated with finding Linh and although her uncle suggests seeking legal advice, Hằng journeys alone to retrieve her brother.
Leeroy is an aspiring cowboy, modelling himself on a local legendary rodeo champion and travelling the infamous Panhandle in search of the American dream despite his parents insistence on attending college. Ambushed by an Christian couple on Southern hospitality, Leeroy is coerced to accompany a destitute Hằng to her brothers last known address. An unlikely and tentative companionship begins as the two young adults find employment as ranch hands on a sprawling homestead neighbouring Linh and his adoptive mother, his horse lodging at the ranch. It's a precarious situation, Linh or David as he's now known, is twelve years old and seemingly remembers little from Việt Nam, including Hằng. Hằng's intensity is balanced by Leeroy's humour and carefree attitude, David and Leeroy developing an easy rapport while Hằng observes from a distance.
Hằng's narrative is heartachingly tender. Her journey unravels to reveal her ordeal, the traumatic circumstances of leaving Việt Nam, losing her family, losing her brother, the traumatisation she endures in silence. Hằng's character is based on a photograph Thanhhà Lai encountered of a young girl at a Buddhist temple she visited, photographs of lives lost. Her journey is distressing and confronting, encouraging readers to examine our privileges. Although Butterfly Yellow is a fictional narrative of the refugee experience, it represents the precarious and volatile conditions in which those seeking asylum are escaping. Encouraging compassion and understanding throughout the western world. A remarkable and thought provoking read that will ignite discussion.
Achingly beautiful.
Written by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Contemporary, Political, Diverse
448 Pages
Published February 4th 2020
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia
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★★★★
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state candidate, as long as he’s behind the scenes. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes. Until he meets Maya.
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is cancelled, her parents are separating and now her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing, with some awkward guy she hardly knows.
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely.
It isn't that Jamie Goldberg is painfully shy, he's awkward and isn't a fan of social interactions after once vomiting during a conversation. Volunteering for the Jordan Rossum campaign suits Jamie just fine, he's happy to work behind the scenes, relishing his role as the official provider of snacks along with younger sister Sophie. Sophie is preoccupied by her upcoming bar mitzvah, his mother either working long hours or party planning for the event of the season, while Jamie finds solace wandering through his favourite store Target, contemplating life in the patio department.
Maya Rehman just can't catch a break. Her best friend Sara is preparing for college with her roommate, her parents are on a trial separation and all during the month of Ramadan. Two homes, no friends and no car. When Jamie and the Rossum campaign visits Maya's iftar feast to celebrate the holy month, Maya and Jamie are volunteered by their mothers to canvas for the campaign, knocking door to door to ensure democratic votes in the local election to fill a vacant seat.
What begins as two teens and former childhood friends reconnecting during the campaign, turns out to be a passion for change, to represent marginalised communities and push back against racist ideals of the conservative party. Such a timely read. With many conservative governments holding power within the western world, now more than ever we need books that emphasise the blatant racism and discrimination by our governments and how the smallest of actions can inspire change.
Jamie comes across as quite sullen, he's socially awkward and although he dreams of one day representing his community and becoming a senator, he can't imagine speaking in public without his lunch making a reappearance first. Although Jamie's parents are separated, his father rarely seeing Jamie and his sister Sophie now he's living in the Netherlands, his mother is a force to be reckoned with. She too works long hours for the local senator and involved in every aspect of her children's lives. Jamie is awestruck by Maya's beauty and her tenacity to fight for equality and although he's reluctant to meet new people by canvassing for the campaign, relishes the opportunity to spend time with Maya.
Maya is the more likeable character of the two. Although she's having a terrible time of it lately, she still tries to remain upbeat and positive. Hopeful that her parents trial separation is only a temporary measure. Maya's parents have one rule, no dating, her education is first and foremost. Being Muslim, Maya is also a character of faith and shares her experiences of racism and discrimination, more so of her mother who wears a hijab. In the local election, a racist conservative plans to introduce a new bill which would see head and face coverings banned and deemed as a security risk, the bill targeting Muslim women in particular who choose to wear the hijab. Maya's anger is palpable and with Jamie's support, the two teens petition the local office of the conservative senator to oppose the blatantly racist bill.
Yes No Maybe So isn't about the end result, it's about the journey we take to get there. Both Jamie and Maya are from marginalised backgrounds, essentially fighting against the conservative vote who encourage discrimination against marginalised communities, often hiding hate speech behind their Christianity. For many diverse communities in western countries, this is their reality. Even though both Jamie and Maya's concerns are dismissed by the local conservative candidate, it was interesting to see how tolerable both teens were of those with strong conservative beliefs. I'm not sure I could have extended such kindness. This is such a wonderful introduction to political activism for teens, start small and don't be afraid to set boundaries, it also reiterates the importance of how even the smallest of victories are still a positive step towards change.
Contains spoilers for book one Children of Blood and Bone
Legacy of Orïsha Book Two
Written by Tomi Adeyemi
Fantasy, Magic, Diversity
608 Pages
Published December 3rd 2019
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia
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★★★★
After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji but also some nobles with magic ancestry.Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as strong and magical as they are. When Amari's mother forms an army of royals with newly awakened powers, Zélie fights to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.But with civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point. She must find a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.
The Kingdom of Orïsha has been decimated in a centuries long conflict between Divĩner communities and the monarchy of Orïsha. Zélie Adebola has empowered her community, her ashê laden blood igniting a revolution against the oppression and genocide of the monarchy who have ravaged her community, her country and Zélie resolves to end their reign.
Zélie is a remarkable character, compassionate and intelligent, although a reluctant revolutionary. In Children of Blood and Bone, Zélie resurrected the ashê of the Divĩners. Burners, Tiders and Reapers no longer defenceless against the monarchy. In Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Zélie is a warrior seeking retribution and although fiercely shielding her community, she's vulnerable and grieves for the life that has been taken from her. Zélie's distress is palpable, she's survived the genocide of her community, her friends and family and now Zélie has become the Soldier of Death, a symbol of resilience among the Orïshan. Amari Olúborí is heir to the Orïshan throne and although Zélie harbours an intense animosity towards the monarchy, she advocates for Amari's ascension..
Zélie and Amari are grieving. Amari for the loss of her father and Brother, Inan the Crown Prince. Isolated and resented for her privileged heritage, Amari is determined to represent all Orïshans and bring to fruition her brother's legacy. Rebels have infiltrated the royal palatial home and Queen Nehanda is gathering a legion of Tîtáns, the sacred ritual igniting nobility abilities.
In Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Winders, Connectors, Burners, Grounders, Lighters and Healers have ignited to join the resistance, cooperating as the Lyika rebellion. The Lyika are striving to eradicate the monarchy and the disconnection of caste divisions before the nation is ravaged by conflict. Beneath the conflict both Zélie and Amari feel the tension and ache of a fractured friendship and although both young women have developed into respective leaders, they've lost the capacity to communicate with one another.
Zélie's brother Tzain is a wonderfully gentle character and although he's enamoured by Amari, is unwavering in support of his sister. Roën is as bewildering as he is delightful and a significant character in Children of Virtue and Vengeance. Although he seemingly cares for Zélie, Roën's allegiance still remains with his mercenary crewmen. Throughout the narrative, we're introduced to the Lyika rebellion, characters in which Zélie forms an attachment. Zélie adopts a motivational and motherly role towards the younger, inexperienced members of the Lyika, creating tenderhearted and gentle relationships with those she pledges to protect.
The kingdom of Orïsha ignites discussion of segregation, displacement, discrimination, racism and genocide, parallel to our own world. Nobility and the monarch are affluent, swathed within the city of Lagos. Communities blessed by the Sky Mother are historically oppressed and persecuted by the Orïshan monarchy, living within impoverished communities. The Raid decimated families, many still enduring intergenerational trauma.
The mysticism and mythology of the Legacy of Orïsha series is breathtaking. Transcendent and exhilarating, Children of Virtue and Vengeance is ethereal and beautifully written.
Zélie and Amari are grieving. Amari for the loss of her father and Brother, Inan the Crown Prince. Isolated and resented for her privileged heritage, Amari is determined to represent all Orïshans and bring to fruition her brother's legacy. Rebels have infiltrated the royal palatial home and Queen Nehanda is gathering a legion of Tîtáns, the sacred ritual igniting nobility abilities.
In Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Winders, Connectors, Burners, Grounders, Lighters and Healers have ignited to join the resistance, cooperating as the Lyika rebellion. The Lyika are striving to eradicate the monarchy and the disconnection of caste divisions before the nation is ravaged by conflict. Beneath the conflict both Zélie and Amari feel the tension and ache of a fractured friendship and although both young women have developed into respective leaders, they've lost the capacity to communicate with one another.
Zélie's brother Tzain is a wonderfully gentle character and although he's enamoured by Amari, is unwavering in support of his sister. Roën is as bewildering as he is delightful and a significant character in Children of Virtue and Vengeance. Although he seemingly cares for Zélie, Roën's allegiance still remains with his mercenary crewmen. Throughout the narrative, we're introduced to the Lyika rebellion, characters in which Zélie forms an attachment. Zélie adopts a motivational and motherly role towards the younger, inexperienced members of the Lyika, creating tenderhearted and gentle relationships with those she pledges to protect.
The kingdom of Orïsha ignites discussion of segregation, displacement, discrimination, racism and genocide, parallel to our own world. Nobility and the monarch are affluent, swathed within the city of Lagos. Communities blessed by the Sky Mother are historically oppressed and persecuted by the Orïshan monarchy, living within impoverished communities. The Raid decimated families, many still enduring intergenerational trauma.
The mysticism and mythology of the Legacy of Orïsha series is breathtaking. Transcendent and exhilarating, Children of Virtue and Vengeance is ethereal and beautifully written.
Written by Emma Smith - Barton
Contemporary, Mental Health, Diverse
320 Pages
Thank you to Penguin Teen Australia
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★★★★★
How can I hold myself together, when everything around me is falling apart?
Neena's always been a good girl, great grades, parent approved friends and absolutely no boyfriends. But ever since her brother Akash left her, she's been slowly falling apart and uncovering a new version of herself who is altogether more dangerous.
As her wild behaviour spirals more and more out of control, Neena's grip on her sanity begins to weaken too. And when her parents announce not one but two life changing bombshells, including that they want her to have an arranged marriage, she finally reaches breaking point. But as Neena is about to discover, when your life falls apart, only love can piece you back together.
Be happy. That was the last words Akash Gill told his sister Neena before disappearing that night, asking her to sneak out to a party with him. It's been seven months since he left, seven months since Neena's mother has left the house, seven months since their lives were irrevocably changed. Neena has always been a model student and loyal friend, navigating the world with Akash at her side. Since he disappeared, Neena's life is no longer her own. She sneaks out to meet his former girlfriend Fiona, hoping to find information on why he left, drinking to numb the pain and follow Akash's path, living life according to where the winds blow. Not how their parents dictate.
Neena Gill is an interesting character, her grief is palpable as we discover the impact Akash's disappearance had on the quiet and reserved young woman. Neena increasingly isolated herself from her best friend Raheela and although as a result of her unimaginable longing, Neena meets Josh at a party through Fiona, her brother's former girlfriend and the two instantly hit it off. Neena is quite the unreliable narrator, shaking off her so called good girl status in the pursuit of information. At first. She becomes a fixture in Akash's social scene, soon realising there was more to her brother than the artist, the covert party boy, a son, a boyfriend and the spark that set the world ablaze.
The Million Pieces of Neena Gill explores the turbulent and often confronting themes of grief, alcoholism, mental illness and substance abuse, issues that were beautifully written with incredible care and consideration. It also portrays the expectations placed upon the offspring of immigrant parents and I really enjoyed the interactions between Neena and her Pakistani born parents once they found common ground.
Although the reader is introduced to Akash through brief snippets and Neena's memories of their childhood, his character is larger than life. The storyline slowly navigates around his character as the central focus and how the disappearance of a loved one leaves a gaping hole in the lives of friends and loved ones. It also explores the many facets of grief, denial, isolation, destructive behaviour, self sabotage, depression and anxiety. Neena's mother developed agoraphobia and was unable to leave the house, the couple's friends coming over each night to banquets Neena's mother would spend the day preparing, Neena's father spending long hours at work to avoid the confrontation of home while seeking solace in his local church to pray for his wayward daughter.
The romance plays a very small role throughout the narrative, which I appreciated tremendously. Neena's life is complex enough and although her relationship with Josh brought her joy, it was a bandaid for a much larger issue. Josh's character was lovely, gentle with Neena and genuinely cares for her. Her brother's former girlfriend Fiona appears to be unlikeable and not only enabled Neena's behaviour but manipulated Neena and used her to her advantage. Neena often perceived her world and the interactions with others entirely different to how they were portrayed, Fi is still questionably sketchy as she's strongly disliked by Neena's parents and her former best friend Raheela but also struggled with life without Akash.
One of my favourite aspects of The Million Pieces of Neena Gill was the writing. It was beautiful and well considered. A story of hope, healing and learning to live in the moment. A deeply moving, poignant and quietly stunning prose from an brilliant debut author in Emma Smith - Barton.
Written by Ingrid Laguna
Contemporary, Diverse, #LoveOZMG
Published May 7th 2019
176 Pages
Thank you to Text Publishing
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★★★★★
Jamila has left her friends, her school and her home in Iraq, and now she has a new home. It’s safe in Australia, but Jamila is finding it hard to settle in. She misses her best friend and worries for her dad’s safety back in Iraq. It’s hard to speak and write in English all day. And Jamila has a secret she wants to keep hidden.
When she joins the choir, Jamila begins to feel happy. Singing helps take her worries away. And singing will help her find her place in her new life, a place where she can shine.
Songbird is a tender story about belonging, about the importance of friendship and asking for help, and about the parts of our lives we keep concealed.
Jamila has migrated to Australia from Baghdad Iraq, a country ravaged by conflict. In their quiet and humble Melbourne home, Jamila and her mother await the arrival of their father and husband from Baghdad, an investigative journalist taking shelter from the authorities. Feeling displaced and missing her homeland, Jamila attends school, translates English for her mother and helps care for her brother, often at the expense of attending school.
Jamila is gentle soul, her character is representative of Australia's diverse multiculturalism and the overwhelming feeling of being displaced. She wears a hijab, a traditional head covering that attracts questions from her peers and unfortunately, incidents of casual racism. Her heart aches for a real friend, someone she can talk to and share her fears about her father without judgement but attending a school that's predominately caucasian and born in Australia, she longs for her best friend Mina who she left behind in Iraq. Jamila seeks solace in the power of song, reminding her of her time in Iraq where she was affectionately known as the songbird. It's through her love of music where Jamila meets her first friend and new student Eva.
While Eva eases the ache of being in a new, unfamiliar country, Jamila still fears for her father and with no word on his arrival, fears the worst. I adored the friendship between Jamila and Eve, Eve is an Australian girl from Sydney who lives with her Aunt while her father works and befriends Jamila through their love of song. She's supportive and ensures Jamila feels comfortable and encourages her to share her experiences as a young girl in a new country. Although on a lesser scale, Eva understands Jamila's feelings of trying to fit in and with a predominant birthmark on her face, knows all too well the cruelty of other children.
Songbird is a beautiful narrative and exploration of the refugee experience through the eyes of a young girl aching to belong. In a country that preaches acceptance but rarely accepts migrants or those who are different, Jamila's mother felt this very deeply. With a small amount of English, she needed help navigating tasks like supermarket shopping and speaking to government departments, often calling the school during the day to pick Jamila up to assist her. I was so relieved for both her mother and Jamila when the Migrant Resource Centre reached out and she was able to connect to a support officer who not only understood but was also originally from Iraq. These services are so incredibly important to help refugees settle within Australia, a sector that needs more government funding to support our multicultural communities.
Songbird is absolutely lovely, a gentle narrative about acceptance, friendship and family. Achingly beautiful.
Written by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
Contemporary, Feminism, Poetry
Published March 4th 2019
368 Pages
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia
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★★★☆
Jasmine and Chelsea are best friends on a mission. Sick of the way that young women are treated even at their progressive New York City high school, they decide to start a Women's Rights Club. One problem, no one shows up. That hardly stops them. They start posting everything from videos of Chelsea performing her poetry to Jasmine's response to being reduced to a racist and sexist stereotype in the school's theatre department. And soon, they've gone viral, creating a platform they never could've predicted.Amsterdam Heights High School is considered a liberal arts college, a progressive institution that encourages students to experience the world through artistic activism. Students Jasmine and Chelsea are tired of female students being reduced to stereotypes, forbidden to create conversations around the patriarchy, experiencing prejudice, racism and body shaming.
With such positive support, the Women's Rights Club is also targeted by trolls. But Jasmine and Chelsea won't let their voices or those of the other young women in their city be silenced. They'll risk everything to be heard and effect change. But at what cost?
Jasmine Grey is an artivist and a black young woman raised in Harlem, using her stage presence to create and inspire. Chelsea Spencer creates poetry to raise awareness of the expectations placed on women, how they are perceived and often regarded as fragile and vulnerable members of a patriarchal society. Jasmine and Chelsea are founders of Write Like A Girl, a women's rights movement that encourages female students to share their experiences through solidarity and challenge Amsterdam Heights High School in creating an impartial, tolerant and inclusive environment for all students, especially female students and through an online blog, their artivism begins to inspire and empower a feminist movement.
Jasmine is passionate about black women being heard. As a voluptuous young black woman, she's aware of her body, aware of how society views those who aren't white and slender, our bodies dismissed and degraded. Within the August Wilson Acting Ensemble, Jasmine is typecast as the loud, sassy character who is considering weight loss, despite protesting her aversion of occupying roles that the industry has stereotyped for black women and women who are plus sized. I applauded Jasmine's character for her bravery and fortitude to challenge the authority of the Amsterdam Heights High School faculty, especially considering her personal circumstances.
Chelsea unfortunately was incredibly superficial and although she attempts to advocate through her poetry, her character needed guidance, especially as to not appear judgemental of females who do not conform to her feminist ideals. Choosing traditional roles such as the homemaker or primary caregiver of children as an example. As women, we're often instinctively the peacemakers, we guide others and educate, we're nurturers and caregivers. We liberate, we're scientists and mathematicians, we're women supporting all women but now with accessible online resources and spaces for women to openly discuss equality, without the concern of conversations being derailed or diminished.
Chelsea unfortunately was incredibly superficial and although she attempts to advocate through her poetry, her character needed guidance, especially as to not appear judgemental of females who do not conform to her feminist ideals. Choosing traditional roles such as the homemaker or primary caregiver of children as an example. As women, we're often instinctively the peacemakers, we guide others and educate, we're nurturers and caregivers. We liberate, we're scientists and mathematicians, we're women supporting all women but now with accessible online resources and spaces for women to openly discuss equality, without the concern of conversations being derailed or diminished.
Within the dialogue, Chelsea also uses the term womyn and as she describes, so I don't have to include the word man which is harmful as it excludes transwomen and also often uses the term womanist. Previously feminism movements have excluded black women and therefore womanist was representative of black women. Unfortunately it was introduced into the narrative and used exclusively by Chelsea who is a young white woman.
Unfortunately it didn't discuss intersectionality and the marginalisation of queer women, women with disabilities or transwomen. Characters Jasmine and Chelsea are beginning their journey as activists, fuelled by inspirational women who forged pathways for the next generation of feminists. Watch Us Rise is a great resource for young women as an introduction to feminism.
Unfortunately it didn't discuss intersectionality and the marginalisation of queer women, women with disabilities or transwomen. Characters Jasmine and Chelsea are beginning their journey as activists, fuelled by inspirational women who forged pathways for the next generation of feminists. Watch Us Rise is a great resource for young women as an introduction to feminism.
Buddy read with the wonderful Little Miss Star. Please check out her review here
Written by Alison Evans
Apocalyptic, Survival, Diverse, #LoveOZYA
367 Pages
Published February 2nd 2019
Thank you to Echo Publishing
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★★★★★
Who will you rely on in the zombie apocalypse?
Bodies on the TV, explosions, barriers, and people fleeing. No access to social media. And a dad who’ll suddenly bite your head off , literally. These teens have to learn a new resilience…
Members of a band wield weapons instead of instruments.
A pair of siblings find there’s only so much you can joke about, when the menace is this strong.
And a couple find depth among the chaos.
Highway Bodies is a unique zombie apocalypse story featuring a range of queer and gender non conforming teens who have lost their families and friends and can only rely upon each other.
Highway Bodies centres on three groups of adolescents throughout Melbourne during an apocalyptic outbreak, our humanity and resistance. Fraternal siblings Rhea and Jojo are awaiting information from their mother, a first responder and emergency nurse during the initial epidemic onslaught. Social media websites are being censored by government officials and journalists are reporting of a factory explosion in a neighbouring suburb.
Imagine rendered defenceless as your father decimates his family. Your only solace is nestled within the large topiaries masquerading as sentinels in your garden. The deceased faltering throughout the streets as you hear a young woman, a survivor needing assistance.
Poppy, Jack, Zufan and Dee are enjoying their freedom, composing and performing among the cicadas of their ramshackle cottage as communications go down. Venturing into the nearest town, the roads are abandoned, blood congealing on pavements.
These three narratives sharing a common ambition, to survive.
Poppy, Jack, Zufan and Dee are enjoying their freedom, composing and performing among the cicadas of their ramshackle cottage as communications go down. Venturing into the nearest town, the roads are abandoned, blood congealing on pavements.
These three narratives sharing a common ambition, to survive.
The narrative is experienced through three perspectives and although taking place throughout a terrifying outbreak, it centres upon the survivors. Resilient adolescents that are adapting to their new environment. It's survival against humanity. Throughout their journey, the adolescents are consistently challenged by morality and the debris of human life, dangerous adults recruiting survivors and demanding idolisation under the guise of protection. It soon becomes apparent that it's the living that should be feared.
The diversity of characters is wonderful, various identities, cultural backgrounds, genders and pronouns, all wonderfully representative of a multicultural and diverse Melbourne landscape. Genderqueer, bisexual, transgender, lesbian, Ethiopian, Pakistani she and they pronouns, facial scarring and amputated fingers. As each character introduces themselves, they also offer their pronouns. A wonderful and inclusive gesture, being that pronouns are also our own individual identities.
The prose is striking. The discourse and interactions allow readers to empathise with characters, their terror and sorrow is palpable. As a debut, Alison's IDA was brilliant and a wonderful precedent of how authors can write diversely. Alison Evans' writing has matured and flourished, their vibrancy shining throughout the narrative by enthralling and captivating readers until the final page.
Contains themes of sexual violence, sexual assault, oppression and animal cruelty
Girls of Paper and Fire Book One
Written by Natasha Ngan
Fantasy, Diverse, LGBT
384 Pages
Thanks to Hachette Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★☆
Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honor they could hope for and the most cruel.
But this year, there's a ninth girl. And instead of paper, she's made of fire.
In this lush fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it's Lei they're after, the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king's interest.
Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being a king's consort. But Lei isn't content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable, she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.
A Paper Girl is a prestigious title. Sanctioned by the Heavenly Father to reside within the ornate palace, sating the desire of the King as a concubine. Eight girls are removed from their villages within the outer provinces and presented to the King, families compensated by wealth and aristocratic privilege. Lei resides within the outer provinces, a remote village of Ikhara and distinguishable by her golden eyes.
Her father an accomplished herbalist within the family depository, is vigilant of his daughter. A Kingdom of societal standings, the Paper Caste are human commonalities, oppressed by the autocratic Steel Caste, a demonic human species. Seven years prior, a sentry of Steel Caste commanders inundated the small village community, igniting the pasture and farmland as they captured and massacred the Paper Caste residents. Seven years since her mother was captured. Villagers whisper of the night of devastation, the desolate pasture barren as the community prepares for an impoverished season.
Unprecedented, Lei is the ninth Paper Girl, forcibly captured to compete for favour of the King. Lei arrives at the royal province where she begrudgingly assimilates as a consort, educated by private tutors and disciplined in finesse, compliance and seduction. Residing within the palatial chateau, each Paper Girl is denied her innocence, modesty and coerced to pleasure the King by enduring sexual violence and assault. Provocation is condemned, sentenced to isolation and imprisonment.
Her endurance and fortitude are besieged as Lei scandalises the Paper Girls, challenging the King by refusing his advances. She is assaulted, her body fractured and innocence momentarily unscathed. The Paper Girls are abused, sexually assaulted and manipulated, punished for insolence. The King claims ownership of each Paper Girl, her body and independence. Girls of Paper and Fire centralises on rape culture and consent within a patriarchal society. Denied freedom and perceived as disposable vessels, aesthetically pleasing and objectified by society and the King, a sexual predator. The scenes and discussion surrounding sexual assault are confrontational, reminiscent of society within our own communities.
Within the Kingdom, male same sex sexual relationships are customary, Paper Girls are not permitted to engage with male courtiers, punishable by branding and ostracised by their family and community. The Paper Girls begin to measure their experiences through whispered secrets, they've been persuaded to believe that to become a Paper Girl is not only prestigious but that the female significance is dependant on their desirability. The King will discard each girl, bestowing upon his allies for political or societal advantage. This is the female capacity until whispers of a rebellion is encompassing the provinces begins to demoralise the enraged King.
The forbidden female romance was beautifully tender, allowing Lei and Wren to tentatively explore hope and optimism beyond the palatial confinement, an existence of equality and humanity where slavery and prejudice are abolished. Beginning with the oppressive rule of a tyrannical King. Their relationship enables each girl to experience vulnerabilities and sensitivities within the sanctuary created through compassion. Unfortunately the relationship was the fundamental aspect for the Paper Girl rebellion, rather than a sense of preservation.
Girls of Paper and Fire is a passionate and exceptional debut novel that will invoke discussion through a confrontational and intricate narrative.
Her endurance and fortitude are besieged as Lei scandalises the Paper Girls, challenging the King by refusing his advances. She is assaulted, her body fractured and innocence momentarily unscathed. The Paper Girls are abused, sexually assaulted and manipulated, punished for insolence. The King claims ownership of each Paper Girl, her body and independence. Girls of Paper and Fire centralises on rape culture and consent within a patriarchal society. Denied freedom and perceived as disposable vessels, aesthetically pleasing and objectified by society and the King, a sexual predator. The scenes and discussion surrounding sexual assault are confrontational, reminiscent of society within our own communities.
I don’t realise it until I speak it. And it’s different from the times I’ve said it before, or the way I’ve hoped it, as if dreaming something enough could birth it into being. I know it now with a certainty that has fitted into the lost core at the heart of me, as hard and angular as my hope was soft and shimmering. The King will not have me.
Within the Kingdom, male same sex sexual relationships are customary, Paper Girls are not permitted to engage with male courtiers, punishable by branding and ostracised by their family and community. The Paper Girls begin to measure their experiences through whispered secrets, they've been persuaded to believe that to become a Paper Girl is not only prestigious but that the female significance is dependant on their desirability. The King will discard each girl, bestowing upon his allies for political or societal advantage. This is the female capacity until whispers of a rebellion is encompassing the provinces begins to demoralise the enraged King.
The forbidden female romance was beautifully tender, allowing Lei and Wren to tentatively explore hope and optimism beyond the palatial confinement, an existence of equality and humanity where slavery and prejudice are abolished. Beginning with the oppressive rule of a tyrannical King. Their relationship enables each girl to experience vulnerabilities and sensitivities within the sanctuary created through compassion. Unfortunately the relationship was the fundamental aspect for the Paper Girl rebellion, rather than a sense of preservation.
Girls of Paper and Fire is a passionate and exceptional debut novel that will invoke discussion through a confrontational and intricate narrative.
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