My son is graduating 8th grade next week. High school has already assigned him his summer reading. Which classic do you think they chose, to prepare him for high school rigor? The Great Gatsby? Catcher in the Rye? A Clockwork Orange? The Adventures of Huck Finn?
Oh no. They assigned Fresh Ink. An anthology of diverse character's stories and their "lived experience." I'm guessing his freshman English class will spend a lot of time exploring and analyzing "whiteness."
Summary: Careful–you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written–…
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A summary of the stories from Goodreads:
Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds | ★★★☆☆ (3.5 Stars)
Jason Reynolds can do no wrong in my eyes - Long Way Down is one lf the best books I’ve ever read. I loved the sentiment of the story and the rich history you can feel between childhood best friends Shay and Dante. Shay is giving Date an ‘eraser tattoo’ of an “S” to remember her by because she’s moving. I loved the focus on the importance of their relationship, but the story didn’t pull me in.
Meet Cute by Malinda Lo | ★★★☆☆
This was a fun and cute story about a girl named Nic who is cosplaying at a Denver Con, when the lights are knocked out by a storm, she a fellow cosplayer Tamia go looking for Nic’s brother. I loved seeing Nic and Tamia handle the can gatekeepers who suck the fun out of everything. But I had some personal preference issues that lowered my overall enjoyment of the story. Meta pop culture references always pull me out of stories and the heavy references in the beginning didn’t help. I also think I would have liked the story more if it was written in first person. But again those are personal issues and I still really liked the story overall.
Don’t Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth | ★★★★☆
This story was much more grounded than the first two. We follow “Doobie” a Native student who is going to a white school. We see Doobie discuss passing (because many of the other native kids at school are white passing and not picked on), gentrification, and the dismantling of native culture and white-washing history. This was such a powerful and impactful story and I loved it.
Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi| ★★★★★
My first five star read and it was so adorably cute I couldn’t handle it. Shirin is a Muslim American teen having the time of her life at a concert for one of her favorite bands and she sees her crush Jeffery show up (and this is the point I got giddy). Shirin is worried about the spotlight and recognition that comes with dating ‘Mr. Popular.’ This was just so cute and fluffy and perfect.
Tags by Walter Dean Morgan | ★★★☆☆
This is a truly unique story told in a one act play about a group of young black boys who’ve died tagging a wall. I loved framing tagging as a way to immortalize themselves and create a lasting legacy, where they’re not forgotten.
Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan | ★★★★★
Yas wants to learn to cook Persian food to share with her girlfriend, Hannah, and gets lessons from her unapologetic grandmother.Yas’ grandmother was amazing. She is such a fierce lady and I aspire to be her. I loved seeing Yas gain an appreciation for her culture and seeing her grandmother love and accept her. It was just great.
A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel José Older | ★★☆☆☆
Set in Brooklyn, this scifi story went over my head. I felt like there wasn’t context for what was happening - we just see this cult-like group that want their god to come down to Earth, and try to steal a design notebook that can help them. And there’s maybe aliens, or demons, I wasn’t sure.
A Boy’s Duty by Sharon G. Flake | ★★★☆☆
This story follows a young black boy in WWII, who ran away from home and wants to join the Navy. I liked seeing the life he’s built in New Orleans and the vibrant culture present in the city. I really liked seeing his artistic talent displayed and his genuinely good heart. This story really was about following your dreams, but not putting yourself above other.
One Voice by Melissa De La Cruz | ★★★★☆
Jas is a Sanford college student who’s entire college experience shifts when she sees racists graffiti spray painted across campus.Jas lives in fear of her family getting deported and this graffitti starts taking over all of her mind space. It really shows how harmful and deeply painful discrimination and racism is. But I really loved seeing Jas talk with other minority students and finding a power in their shared experieces.
Paladin/Samuari by Gene Luen Yang and Illustrations by Thien Pham | ★★☆☆☆
I’m not really a fan of graphic novels, I just haven’t found one that’s clicked with me yet. It also didn’t help that this was about a faux Dungeon and Dragons campaign game where a guy wants to play as a samurai instead of the traditional Paladin. There was also something about a part at a girl he likes house.
Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar | ★★★★☆
This was an amazing story that featured a trans boys who’s finally come out to his school and is at his first swim practice since coming out. We see the challenges he faces - a new locker room, ignorant comments from teammates - but also see his loving parents, and a friend on the team who supports him as well. This was such an inspirational story that moved me.
Super Human by Nicola Yoon | ★★★★★
I have never been disappointed by a Nicola Yoon short story and Super Human was definitely a standout for me. We follow Syrita as she’s chosen to convince disillusioned superhero “X” to restore his faith in humanity, because she was the first person he saved years ago. But X, a black superhero, has lost his faith no longer thinks that humanity is saving. The reason he’s changed his mind is a punch to the gut, and is best uncovered while reading the story. But this story was just so powerful and a perfect way to conclude this anthology.
If this was one of just many different types of books from different political viewpoints, I'd love it. But I'm thinking that this is the main thrust of the entire English department in a progressive/woke school.
Woke needs to die, already. Anyone have a recommendation for a real piece of literature I can have my son read this summer?
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