A messy, imperfect, and necessary portrayal of a drastically underrepresented identity.
A British teen works on accepting her aro-ace identity.
Eighteen-year-old White British Georgia is tired of feeling different. She loves the theoretical idea of romance and isn’t opposed to reading a steamy fanfic now and then, but real-life romantic and sexual experiences make her feel squicky. Heading off to Durham University, she’s determined that if she tries hard enough, she can have these types of attractions despite not understanding how her friends can be “out there just craving genitals and embarrassment.” When she and her two best friends—masc-leaning Colombian British lesbian Pip and White cishet Jason—join her new roommate Rooney’s attempt to revive their uni’s Shakespeare Society, drama abounds. Rooney and Pip feud and flirt, Georgia and Jason attempt to date despite Jason’s clear interest and Georgia’s clear apathy, friendships are ruined, friendships are repaired. Outgoing pansexual Rooney’s supposedly sex-positive attitude is undermined by her use of hookups as a method of self-harm. Georgia’s third-year mentor, nonbinary Indian Sunil, is a homoromantic asexual, and her older cousin Ellis is aro-ace, but their main functions are to facilitate infodumping centered on Georgia’s experiences rather than to provide rich explorations of the impact of intersectional identities. Readers should be prepared for many pages of Georgia’s vivid, unrelenting internalized aro- and ace-phobia, making this an incredibly validating mirror, an eye-opening window, or, for some, a read where the pain may outweigh the gain.
A messy, imperfect, and necessary portrayal of a drastically underrepresented identity. (resources) (Fiction. 15-adult)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-75193-2
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth.
Superman confronts racism and learns to accept himself with the help of new friends.
In this graphic-novel adaptation of the 1940s storyline entitled “The Clan of the Fiery Cross” from The Adventures of Superman radio show, readers are reintroduced to the hero who regularly saves the day but is unsure of himself and his origins. The story also focuses on Roberta Lee, a young Chinese girl. She and her family have just moved from Chinatown to Metropolis proper, and mixed feelings abound. Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane’s colleague from the Daily Planet, takes a larger role here, befriending his new neighbors, the Lees. An altercation following racial slurs directed at Roberta’s brother after he joins the local baseball team escalates into an act of terrorism by the Klan of the Fiery Kross. What starts off as a run-of-the-mill superhero story then becomes a nuanced and personal exploration of the immigrant experience and blatant and internalized racism. Other main characters are White, but Black police inspector William Henderson fights his own battles against prejudice. Clean lines, less-saturated coloring, and character designs reminiscent of vintage comics help set the tone of this period piece while the varied panel cuts and action scenes give it a more modern sensibility. Cantonese dialogue is indicated through red speech bubbles; alien speech is in green.
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth. (author’s note, bibliography) (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77950-421-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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