Black Tudors: The Untold Story by Miranda Kaufmann

Title: Black Tudors: The Untold Story
Author: Miranda Kaufmann
Genre: History

I love history, and sometimes it feels like I've read everything about the Tudor period. This book, however, reveals the rich and somewhat hidden story of Black people in Tudor England. Contrary to popular belief and depiction in fiction/media, Black people had a thriving community and presence in Tudor England. It's really fascinating, especially given Brexit and conversations around what is truly "English" to read about the long history of immigrants and their various roles in England. It's also fascinating to read about the connections between race, religion, and social acceptance; this echoed things I learned about only as an adult from reading "Stamped From the Beginning" by Ibram X. Kendi. A great read for anyone interested in history, especially Tudor history, and a surprisingly relevant way to engage with current debates on citizenship and belonging.

- Meagan

Check out Black Tudors: The Untold Story by Miranda Kaufmann @ the library!

Everything's Fine by Cecelia Rabess

Title: Everything's Fine
Author: Cecilia Rabess
Genre: Fiction; Romance; Politics; Identity

Jess is a young Black woman starting her finance career at Goldman Sachs. She discovers that one of her new colleagues, Josh, is an old classmate from college. She remembers him most for the heated discussions they would have in a legal course. As their relationship transforms, Jess learns more about who she really is verses who she has always believed she should be. She considers how often being the only Black face in a room has shaped her life. Josh has lived a very different experience - being a white man from a privileged community in Connecticut. “Everything Is Fine” explores what it means to have difficult conversations (and make difficult decisions) with those you love when you don’t share the same perspective.

- Tiffany

Check out Everything's Fine by Cecilia Rabess @ the library!

Rick by Alex Gino

Title: Rick
Author: Alex Gino
Genre: Children's Fiction

Discovering that you are not the only person who does something, feels something, or reacts in some way is part of the experiences that make us realize that we are part of a larger group, part of humanity. There is a sense of magic that is an integral part of learning a new word to describe yourself, or to describe how you are feeling.

This is never more true than in middle school, as you are exploring your own identity, and forming your own sense of self outside of who you have always been told you are. Rick is just starting his time in middle school, and as he quietly joins the Rainbow group that meets after school, he learns that there are more words to describe people than gay, straight, and lesbian - and begins to realize where he might fit in, himself.

- Katrina

Check out Rick by Alex Gino @ the library!

Fruit Punch by Kendra Allen

Title: Fruit Punch
Author: Kendra Allen
Genre: Memoir; Black Writers

Storytelling is powerful because not only does it make it difficult to ignore reality, it connects us. Imagine a life without a default experience; where everyone believed there is value in all our stories. Kendra Allen is a young Black girl growing up in Texas in the late 1990s and early 2000s, telling her coming of age story - in her way. Her conversationalist tone describing her turbulent, yet loving upbringing grabs hold of you and guides you down a poetic spiral that you can’t help but connect to.

- Tiffany

Check out Fruit Punch by Kendra Allen @ the library!

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

Title: The Seven Sisters
Author: Lucinda Riley
Genre: Historical Fiction

Have you ever tried to look into the stories of your past to discover who you are?

Maia and her five sisters, all adopted as children and named after the stars in the Seven Sisters constellation, gather back at their childhood home after learning of their father's death. It is only after his passing that the six women discover that he has left each of them a clue to their own heritage. Each of the sisters has to search for the courage to take their first steps into the unknown in order to discover their past. This first book of a series, The Seven Sisters follows Maia as she interprets the scraps of information that she has and flies off to Brazil. It is told as almost a split-story, as you get to read about Maia's search as well as the information she discovers and the story of her ancestor's life in the shadow of the planning and creation of the Christ the Redeemer statue at the mountain peak overlooking the town.

Sometimes it is in the discovering the bravery of those who have come before that we can discover our own reasons to embrace all that life presents us, and this is what truly spoke to me while reading Maia's story. I can't wait to read the next story in the series, as Maia's sister Ally searches for her own story in Norway!

- Katrina

Check out The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley @ the library!

A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai

Title: A Man and His Cat
Author: Umi Sakurai
Genre: Manga

This is an adorable book about a cat who is adopted by an older man. The illustrations are so cute and anyone who has a pet will relate to the sweet relationship shared by these two!

- Bridget

Check out A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai @ the library!

Answers in the Pages by David Levithan

Title: Answers in the Pages
Author: David Levithan
Genre: Children's Fiction

This story is especially relevant in today's world. It begins when the main character, a fifth grader, brings home a book that he has been assigned to read and leaves it in the kitchen to watch TV. His mom finds the book, reads the end, and tells her son not to read it any further, and that she would be going to his school the next day in order to discuss the matter with his teacher and principal.

Answers in the Pages is a wonderful look at book bans, LGBTQ characters in stories, and just how different parts of society can be affected by these efforts. I found it especially meaningful to read this story from the point of view of the students, some of whom are very invested in the fight to save the book, and some of whom just want to see if the adventurers defeat the monsters at the end of the story!

- Katrina

Check out Answers in the Pages by David Levithan @ the library!