#diverse-perspectives

[teen-media-review-world]

"Refuse to act like you’re anything less than everything you are."

[REVIEW] Teen LGBTQ+ Novel - Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster by Andrea Mosqueda

Image credit: Zeke Peña (illustrator)

Awards and Accolades:

2023 ALA Rainbow Book List

2024 Spirit of Texas (SPOT) Young Adult Reading List

Related Media

For her inclusion in the SPOT Young Adult Reading List, author Andrea Mosqueda was interviewed for a SPOT Author Spotlight by the Chair of the SPOT Reading List Committee and a teen librarian from Austin, Texas.

In this interview, Andrea Mosque discusses the inspiration behind her novel, providing detail about her own upbringing and experiences as a bisexual teen.

Plot Synopsis

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster is a 2022 teen novel by Chicana author Andrea Mosqueda. It follows the trials and tribulations of Magdalena "Maggie" Gonzalez, a teenaged girl living in Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Although she's only a high schooler, her love life has always been a mess. She had her first kiss in middle school with a girl, she dated her ex-boyfriend Matthew on and off for several years, and she's had feelings for her female best friend Amanda that she's always tried to ignore. Not to mention, the new girl in school, Dani, is also queer and is catching Maggie's eye, too. Even though Matthew has a new girlfriend, he's still texting and hanging out with Maggie. Even though Amanda says she's straight, she keeps acting in ways that make Maggie believe there's something more. And even though she's just getting to know Dani, Maggie hits it off with her right away.

Desperately confused by her feelings for all three people, she confides in her best guy friend, Jordan. He comes up with an idea that Maggie should pretend to date each person in her head to decide which one she should officially go after. This is a great idea, and Maggie leverages this for a school project--a photography journal documenting her feelings for each person as she hangs out with each of them throughout the 12-week semester. This should ultimately help her decide which person is right for her--and, most importantly, which person she should ask to be her date for her little sister's quinceañera.

Review

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster is a lighthearted romance novel, complete with all the twists and turns you'd expect from a high school love triangle (or, love square, since there's four people involved). Andrea Mosqueda does a wonderful job of navigating the complexities of high school relationships. Even though they can seem trivial to adults, high school teens are often trying on romance and exploring their sexuality for the first time, which can have significant emotional consequences that they need to learn how to reconcile. This novel also touches on alternative music and the emo/scene subculture that goes along with it--the bands, the outfits, the piercings, the hairdye, the tattoos. It also describes a bit of what it's like living in a small border town in the American Southwest, and the pressure teens can feel to "escape" their community and bring their family with them. Through this novel, teens are sue to relate to all the confusing feelings that come up in high school--from romance to academics and everything in between.

Credit

Mosqeuda, A. (2022). Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster. Feiwel & Friends.

[teen-media-review-world]

"Well, life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community."

[REVIEW] Teen Novel from a Diverse Perspective - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Image credit: Ellen Forney (illustrator)

Awards and Accolades

2007 National Young Adult People's Literature Book Award

2008 American Indian Youth Picture Book Literature Award

2009 Odyssey Award

Related Media

In an interview with Big Think, Sherman Alexie answers questions about his past, his present as a writer, poet, novelist, and screenwriter, and the future of his work.

Plot Synopsis

Sherman Alexie's 2007 novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is exactly what you'd expect--a dramatized recount of a critical moment in his childhood. This quasi-biography stars Arnold "Junior" Spirit and depicts the time he left the Spokane Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington, at fifteen years old. Well, he didn't exactly eave or run away entirely. Instead, he transferred to the local white school in Reardon, Washington. He began the school year like every other year: on the rez with his best friend, Rowdy. Born with hydrocephalus, Junior was always expected to be weak. While he wasn't exactly the strongest or biggest kid on the rex, he was admired for his humor, wits, and intelligence. He still gets bullied quite frequently, but burly and fearless Rowdy is always there to protect him. Junior sees the perils of living on the rez--abuse, alcoholism, death, and poverty--and assumes that's all there is to life. That changes when one of his teachers has a conversation with him about how much more the world has to offer, if only Junior were brave enough to leave. After that, Junior decides that he actually is brave enough to leave, and he ends up at Reardon High School for the rest of the school year.

At first, he's treated like an outsider. Students and even teachers spew veiled racist insults at him. He's the only Indian kid at school, and everyone makes sure he knows it. Despite the adversity, Junior slowly makes friends with the white kids by showing them how tough, smart, and caring he really is. He even tries out for the school basketball team and makes varsity as a freshman! He has his friends, hobbies, and even a girlfriend (kind of) at Reardon. Back home on the rez, he becomes a social pariah. Rowdy is angry that Junior switched schools. His old friends avoid him. Things get even worse when tragedy strikes Junior's family. He blames himself for it--he must have cursed his family by leaving the rez. But, in spite of these tragedies, he makes the most of the rest of the school year. After all, he proved to everyone--the Indians, the white kids, and himself--that he's capable of anything.

Review

Sherman Alexie's novel brings the reader right into the life of a member of the Spokane tribe, a perspective not often considered in mainstream media. It shows that all teenagers, regardless of background, experience similar struggles--fitting in, making friends, dealing with bullies, and worrying about the future. However, it also enlightens the reader on challenges faced by American Indians--racism, alcoholism, poverty, and generational trauma. Through the perspective of Junior, Alexie artfully navigates the impacts of systemic, interpersonal, and internalized racism on the achievement of teens of color. His story serves as an example of how truly complex it can feel to be successful in spite of such adversity. While heavy topics are discussed, Alexie's novel is full of humor and wit, which are communicated not only through text but through cartoon illustrations as well. It softens the overall tone of the novel, making it approachable to all teens--regardless of background.

Credit

Alexie, S. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Little, Brown, and Company.

[teen-media-review-world]

"Don't waste your time with small-minded people who would look down on someone not like them."

[REVIEW] Teen Graphic Novel - The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks

Image credit: Faith Erin Hicks (illustrator)

Awards and Accolades

2016 VLA Graphic Novel Diversity Award

2018 Rocky Mountain Book Award

2019 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize

Related Media

In 2016, Faith Erin Hicks sat down with PBS Books at the Miami Book Fair to discuss The Nameless City, including her artistic and creative process. The Nameless City is a very different novel than much of her other works, and this PBS Books interview dives deep into her inspiration for such a unique premise.

⚠️ This video contains mild spoilers for The Nameless City and other books written by Faith Erin Hicks.

The Nameless City is the first book in a three-part series.

Image credit: CanLit for Little Canadians

Plot Synopsis

The Nameless City is a 2016 graphic novel by Faith Erin hicks. It tells the story of the Nameless City—that is, a city that gets renamed every time it is conquered. The City is in a constant state of cyclical war and peace due to its strategic location as a lucrative stop along an efficient trade route. Various nations have continued to battle over the City for centuries, with the Dao currently having control. At the same time, the Dao have their own homeland and are still trying to bolster their defenses in their conquered City. Thus, they rely on Dao children like Kaidu to make their way into the City, training to one day become soldiers that will defend the City against warring tribes. During Kai's first few days in the city, his father takes him out of the central Dao palace to show him around the city. There, Kai tastes delicious food and witnesses incredible architecture. But, he also sees hunger and poverty among the native people who are indigenous to the City. Over the next few days, he travels to the City and meets Rat, a native of the City. Over the course of a month, she teaches him how to traverse the rooftops in the City in exchange for food. Soon, the two develop a strong companionship.

One day, Rat overhears a dastardly plot to kill the current Dao leader of the City. At first, she doesn't care—the Dao leader is occupying her native land. In her eyes, he's better off dead anyway. But, after she gets caught sneaking into his private library, the Dao leader speaks kindly to her and understands her negative emotions towards him. He gifts her a book from his library and lets her go without consequence. After this kind exchange, Rat returns to the palace to try and warn the Dao leader about his impending doom, but she's dispatched by his guards. She's rescued by Kai and tells him about the danger the Dao leader is in. Now, it's up to Kai to save the leader, who may not be as evil as Rat originally thought.

Review

The Nameless City details the heartbreaking truths that arise when indigenous land becomes occupied. Hicks artfully navigates these issues, including racism and colonization. This issue is even more complex when viewed through the eyes of teenagers on both sides of the conflict. Hicks' novel speaks to the fact that much of our actions are, in fact, taught—teenagers can be caught up int eh views and opinions of their parents and elders while still trying to formulate their own perspectives based on their experiences. This can create conflict as teens try to find their place in the world, especially as they realize that they may play a greater role in someone else's suffering than they had previously thought. The Nameless City showcases the power of empathy toward people who are different than you, even when most of the people around you seem to have none. At the same time, Hicks balances the severity of this topic with humor throughout the novel, maintaining a light-hearted tone as friendship prevails throughout the story.

Credit

Hicks, F.M. (2016). The Nameless City. First Second.

[teen-media-review-world]

"Every locked door has a key."

[REVIEW] Teen Science Fiction Novel - Warcross by Marie Lu

Image credit: @creamdesign

Awards and Accolades

2018 Westchester Fiction Award

2018 Redbridge Children's Teenage Book Award

2020 High School Sakura Medal

Related Media

In 2018, Marie Lu sat down for a Q&A about her Warcross series. BookTubers sent in video questions about her novels, and she provided juicy, in-depth answers about the lore behind the books.

⚠️ This video contains mild spoilers for the future books in the Warcross series.

Confused about the game itself? Penguin Books provides a guide to understanding Warcross.

Image credit: Penguin Books

Plot Synopsis

Marie Lu's 2017 novel Warcross focuses on the fictional titular video game of Warcross, developed by 21-year-old technological genius Hideo Tanaka, founder of Henka Games. Warcross is played using his NeuroLink technology, allowing the brain to create hyper-realistic virtual realities. NeuroLink has taken over everyday life, and so has Warcross, which comes free with NeuroLink glasses or contact lenses. In Warcross, a team of players, including a Captain, a Fighter, a Thief, a Shield, and an Architect play against one another, the goal being to capture the other team's Artifact. This Capture-the-Flag-style game is so popular that international tournaments are held every year, with hundreds of millions of viewers logging in to view it live. But, this year, a hacker named Zero is out to sabotage the games, and Hideo Tanaka wants to figure out who they are and how to stop them.

For that, he recruits Emika Chen, an 18-year-old college dropout from New York City. She spends her days bounty hunting criminals for the police using her heightened hacking and technology skills, trying to scrape together enough money just to pay her rent. Living off boxed mac and cheese and ramen noodles, Emi idolizes Hideo Tanaka for his technological prowess and bold ideas. The only thing she loves more than Warcross is stealing Warcross powerups and selling them on the black market. During the opening game of the Warcross championships, Emi spots a highly valuable powerup. She hacks in the game and manages to steal it—accidentally revealing her true identity in the process. She thinks she's in big trouble for hacking into the one of the most encrypted and high-profile networks in the world. But, to her surprise, Hideo Tanaka admires her skills and hires her as his bounty hunter to track down Zero.

Emi hides in plain sight by being selected as a Wildcard to participate in this year's games. She gets drafted to play as an Architect for the Phoenix Riders team. She trains with the Riders while hiding her meetings with Hideo from them. Before long, those meetings become more for pleasure than business as the two begin to fall for each other. But, even as Hideo opens up to Emi, she can tell that he has more to hide. And, when Emi finds out the truth, the novel ends on a cliffhanger as she remains unsure as to who she can really trust.

Review

Warcross is an action-packed sci-fi novel akin to Ready Player One. Video games make for an incredibly exciting plot device—anything can happy in a virtual world, and Warcross makes great use of that plot device. Marie Lu creates fantastical worlds for her readers as the Warcross players battle it out, both in the game and in real life. Lu also navigates complex issues like poverty, friendships, romance, and fighting for what's right, all through the lens of the main character. Emi is young, she makes mistakes, and she has her own skeletons in her closet that make her want to fix everything on her own. Warcross teaches a valuable lesson about how complex doing the right thing can really be, along with some of the moral quandaries associated with Big Tech and its influences on our everyday lives.

Credit

Lu, M. (2017). Warcross. G.P. Putnam's Sons.

[teen-media-review-world]

"To find your true identity... That is the highest of all freedoms."

[REVIEW] Teen Novel from a Diverse Perspective - American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

Image credit: Lark Pien (illustrator)

Awards and Accolades

2006 Publisher's Weekly Comics Week Best Comic of the Year

2007 Asian American Member's Choice Literary Award

2007 Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award

Related Media

In 2024, American Born Chinese was adapted into a Disney+ original show. The show builds on the original Chinese legend, Journey to the West, which is portrayed in part in Yang's graphic novel. It serves as an action-packed extension of Yang's original coming-of-age story.

Plot Synopsis

Gene Luen Yang's 2006 graphic novel American Born Chinese depicts three concurrent stories of different characters trying to find out who they really are. In a fairy tale, a monkey king masters the major heavenly disciplines, the major disciplines of invulnerability, and the major disciplines of bodily form. He declares himself The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, in defiance of Tze-Yo-Tzuh, the divine creator. Through many acts of hubris against Tze-Yo-Tzuh, the monkey king is imprisoned under a pile of rocks for 500 years, unable to escape or use kung-fu.

On TV, a show called "Everybody Roves Chin-Kee" is a comedic sitcom. It stars Danny, an average white American teenager. Unfortunately, his life becomes a disaster every year when his cousin, Chin-Kee, visits from China. Chin-Kee is a highly stereotyped character whose hijinks embarrass Danny to no end, an issue that causes Danny to transfer schools every single year.

In the present day, Jin Wang is the son of Chinese immigrants. He just relocated to a new school. He faces racist bullies at every turn and has trouble making friends at his new school until Wei-Chen Sun arrives from Taiwan. The two become fast friends. Chen thinks very highly of Jin, but Jin is plagued by the idea that he is inferior because of his ethnicity. He ends up ruining his friendship with Chen through his self-deprecating beliefs. Jin projects them onto Chen, claiming that Chen isn't good enough for his girlfriend.

In the end, the journey of a monk brings these three characters together, as all of them are trying to find integrity in spite of situations that make them want to become someone else.

Review

American Born Chinese is a short graphic novel that packs a huge punch. Three storylines are running concurrently, adding a layer of anticipation to the novel as the reader attempts to connect the dots between three seemingly unrelated stories. Yang manages to integrate issues of identity and how internalized, interpersonal, and systemic racism can impact the self-efficacy and belief of young teens. During a time of such growth and change, facing significant adversity like racism can make life very difficult for teenagers. The medium of a graphic novel is the perfect vehicle to visually represent the thoughts, feelings, and actions of all three main characters. It makes it easier to follow the different storylines, because the reader is able ot put a face to the characters they are taking a journey with. Yang's graphic novel presents these ideas in highly creative ways, with each of the storylines having the same message: Be yourself, no matter what.

Credit

Yang, G.L. (2006). American Born Chinese. First Second Books.

[teen-media-review-world]

"Just once I want my life to be like an 80s movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason."

[REVIEW] Teen Movie - Easy A (2010, dir. Will Gluck)

Image credit: Screen Gems; Olive Bridge Entertainment

Awards and Accolades

2011 Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy Movie

2011 MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Comedic Performance

2011 Teen Choice Award for Romantic Comedy Movie Actress

Related Media

Easy A opens with a webcam monologue from the main character, Olive Pendergast, as shown in this behind-the-scenes featurette.

Lead actress Emma Stone auditioned for the role of Olive with a similar webcam monologue, which was then re-shot for the final movie.

Plot Synopsis

The 2010 film Easy A, directed by Will Gluck, stars Emma Stone as high school student Olive Pendergast. Olive's best friend, Rihannon, invites her on a camping trip the upcoming weekend. Olive isn't interested in going camping with Rihannon--her "hippie" parents got naked while having dinner, making things very awkward for Olive. To get out of the ordeal, Olive makes up a lie that she is going on a date with a boy from the local community college. On Monday, Rihannon pressures Olive for the deets on her date, and Olive lies, saying that she lost her virginity. Rihannon celebrates, but unfortunately, their conversation is overheard by the school's devout religious girl, Marianne, who spreads that false information around school. Soon, everyone knows (or thinks they know) that Olive slept with a college guy. Before long, Olive embraces her new reputation. She begins wearing lingerie to school. She embroiders a red "A" on her clothes. She even keeps up the lie by allowing guys to claim they had sex with her in exchange for gift cards, even though they actually didn't, and everyone believes it because they believe the original rumor about Olive. Olive digs herself in so deep that Rihannon, her best friend, turns on her and sides with Marianne and her religious clique. To try and rectify things, Olive also makes a scene at a school pep rally, telling everyone to tune in to her webcam show that evening, where she promises to have sex with her friend and longtime crush, Todd. When everyone tunes in to the webcast, Olive finally tells the truth about where her reputation actually comes from, and that after it all, she is still actually a virgin.

Review

Easy A is a modern retelling of Nathanial Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, in which Hester Prynne is ostracized from society for having a child out of wedlock. Olive decides to sew a red "A" on her clothes like Prynne did in The Scarlet Letter as a means of owning her reputation, whether it was true or not. Olive's experience mirrors that of the average teenager--the concern about being seen as a virgin can add to the peer pressure that already exists around dating and relationships in high school. With The Scarlet Letter as a basis, the movie grounds that concept in modern reality. The dialogue of the film was realistic and absolutely hilarious. There were several moments of humor, but there were also moments of sadness, shock, and regret as Olive tries to own a part of herself that isn't even real. Easy A is a lesson in not fitting into the mold others have set for you, even if it is a socially desireable mold. The lies you tell to others--and to yourself--catch up to you eventually.

Credit

Gluck, W. (Director). (2010). Easy A [Film]. Screen Gems. Olive Bridge Entertainment.

[teen-media-review-world]

"People are getting hurt, and just because it's not happening to you doesn't mean it's not happening."

[REVIEW] Non-Fiction Teen Novel - Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Image credit: Mark Stutzman

Awards and Accolades

2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Biography/Autobiography Literary Work

2018 Children's Africana New Adult Book Award

2019 Evergreen Teen Book Award

Related Media

Trevor Noah is a successful comedian. He has done multiple stand-up acts humoring his adolescence growing up in South Africa during the fall of apartheid. This segment of a Comedy Central special provides a brief story of his upbringing, as well as his thoughts on racial categorizations in different countries and how it can be confusing to navigate that as a mixed-race individual.

Plot Synopsis

In his 2016 autobiography, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, comedian Trevor Noah recounts stories from his childhood and teenaged years growing up in post-apartheid South Africa. Born to a white Swiss father named Robert and a black Xhosa mother named Patricia, Noah was "born a crime" because, under apartheid, it was illegal for two people from different racial categories to procreate. Although he is, by apartheid definition, a "colored' man, he grew up with his mother's black family in the subjugated township of Soweto outside of Johannesburg. His mother, a deeply religious, stoic, clever, and cunning woman, fought for Noah to have the opportunities she never did. As apartheid ended and efforts were made throughout South Africa to integrate all races in society, Noah attended private Catholic primary school and a high-quality secondary and high school. After graduating, he made friends with another boy from the infamous Alexandra neighborhood and begins selling bootleg CDs, video games, and any other products their crew could get their hands on. He begins DJ'ing in Alexandra, and even gets booked to play in richer neighborhoods and suburbs of Johannesburg. Unfortunately, the DJ and hustling jigs are up when cops bust a party and one of them fires a gun at his computer, ruining the hard drive and washing Noah's music library down the drain. This, along with the consequences of other shenanigans (like spending a week in jail) pushes Noah to want a better life for himself. He ends up traveling the country and becoming a successful comedian.

Near the end of the novel, Noah heads back in time to recount his mother's marriage to an abusive man named Abel. Patricia gives up everything to support Abel's mechanic business, but he ends up drinking away all their profits, leading the business to close. After having two children with Abel, and after watching him drink their livelihood away, Patricia divorces him. Years go by with peace until, while Noah is getting his comedian career started, Abel shoots Patricia out of revenge for leaving him. Patricia, through some miracle that she credits her devotion to God for, survives the shooting. From this, Noah learns that he could have easily slipped into the exact cycle of violence he witnessed Abel enact on his mother, if it weren't for his mother's sacrifices and support.

Review

Born a Crime is a lesson on apartheid South Africa. Learning about apartheid from the perspective of Trevor Noah--a man classified as colored, born to a white father, raised in poverty by his black mother--is eye-opening. Knowing that Noah is a famous comedian today makes his upbringing even more inspiring. Noah artfully navigates complex issues of systemic, interpersonal, and institutional racism, alongside the its consequences like murder, violence, and poverty, all with a comedic twist. It feels as though each small vignette of his life is included for a particular reason--it's understood that he learned something significant from all the moments he chose to share.

Teenagers grow up under all kinds of circumstances, including ones that are dictated by their race, ethnicity, and other characteristics outside of their control. Noah is no exception to how difficult being an adolescent is when you are already at odds due to something as arbitrary as the color of your skin or the time period in which you are born. But, Noah's story shows that, in spite of these odds, you can find success in life and humor in every moment.

Credit

Noah, T. (2016). Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. One World.