November Read Harder update

Y'all, this month is kind of getting away from me. The end of the year is always such a whirlwind, and yet I never see it coming. It's extra windy this year, too, because usually I start preparing for holiday stuff super early, like summer early, and this year I just sort of...didn't. So now here I am, scrambling away. Bright spot, I guess, is that instead of doing a winter book fair the last week of school before break, this year I did it right after fall break, so at least I don't have book fair stress on top of end-of-the-year-get-ready-for-the-holidays stress! Thanks for that, past me. You're a real one.

Enough complaining about how hectic the end of the year is, though. On to the update! I finished Hood Feminism, which was EXCELLENT, and I highly recommend anyone trying to be more intersectional read it and reflect on what they can do better. It definitely gave me a lot to think about - I feel like I underlined like half the book. It's one I'll be going back to.

Last two books...I haven't started yet. 😬 I need to set a reminder for myself to get them from the library, I keep forgetting. Once I get them, though...it's over for this year's challenge!

Root Magic - Eden Royce

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"It's 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won't stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn eleven - and their uncle, Doc, tells them he's going to train them in rootwork.

Jez and Jay have always been fascinated by the African American folk magic that has been the legacy of their family for generations - especially the curious potions and powders Doc and Gran would make for the people on their island. But Jez soon finds out that her family's true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs...and not a moment too soon. Because when evil both natural and supernatural comes to show itself in town, it's going to take every bit of the magic she has inside her to see her through."

I knew when I picked it up that this book would be good, but I did not know HOW good. Wow, wow, wow. It's pretty clear from the synopsis, but in case you skipped that, know that this is not a light read. It tackles a lot - the impacts of the transatlantic slave trade and the ways it robbed some people of their traditions, racism, violence and lynching...and Eden Royce does not hold back. 

It doesn't focus solely on the bad, though. There's also joy, celebration, love. That's what makes it such an incredible story and something I think everyone should be reading. It showcases the full experience of Black families living in the 1960s, and the reader gets to share in their joy, their excitement, their challenges, and their fear. Following Jez as she skips a grade at school, tries to make a new friend, starts learning rootwork, and learns how to embrace her whole, authentic self even in the face of adversity brings the story to life and really helps the reader connect with the history being shared. 

Connecting to Jez's story and her family's experiences also made me reflect on how recently those experiences took place. People tend to talk about the Civil Rights era like it's long-past, ancient history, but my parents were alive in 1963. I'm one generation removed from the fight for civil rights. That is not long, and confronting that as you read about it helps highlight where we've made progress and where we still need to improve. This is a bit of a tangent, but it's something I thought about as I read.

Anyway, I don't really know what more to say about this book...the characters were beautifully crafted, the writing was excellent, the story is SO important. It's a beautiful book.

The Lost Library - Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight in the small town of Martinville, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change. Evan and his best friend, Rafe, quickly discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself.

Told in turn by a ghost librarian named Al, an aging (but beautiful) cat named Mortimer, and Evan himself, The Lost Library is a timeless story from award-winning authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. It's about owning your truth, choosing the life you want, and the power of a good book (and, of course, the librarian who gave it to you)."

Do you want to know a secret? I have to look up the name for the Middle Grade Mega Awesome Super Fantastic Massive Review Spree every time I put it in a post. It's still happening though, and today we're here with a book that it would basically have been impossible for me NOT to love. Just over 200 pages, yes please! A book about a library and books? I'm liiiistening... Lovely, positive, warm librarian rep? 🤤It's like they wrote it just for me.

So, yeah. I LOVE THIS BOOK. I mean...the entirety of chapter 13 alone. I would type the whole chapter here for you to read, but that seems unwieldy. Still, though, I'm tempted. It's such a beautiful chapter, highlighting how much the librarians at the burned-down library loved and cared for their patrons, and there's an exchange at the end between a young, shy patron and Al that just...makes me misty-eyed even thinking about it now. It highlights how deeply stories can touch us and how we can share our love of stories in different ways. And the cherry on top was this quote that I loved:

"I am not upset when others don't love the books I love. We each have our own book spaces inside us, and they do not match up perfectly, nor should they."

Such a lovely sentiment, and a great way to think about our experience with sharing stories and finding connection through them.

Anyway, chapter 13 was a particularly excellent chapter within an overall excellent book. The mystery hooked me right away, and I enjoyed the way it unfolded through the different perspectives. I loved watching Evan make connections and piece things together bit by bit, and I really enjoyed the way his exploration and investigation slowly revealed details about other characters. This is a short book, so I didn't expect the depth of character development it contained - it's good, y'all. 

And the TWISTS. There were some things I saw coming (even then, it was satisfying to find out I had guessed right), but others caught me completely off guard. I know I gasped out loud at least once at a reveal, and a couple moments straight-up made me cry. Just...a lovely, cozy mystery to curl up with.

X - Ilyasah Shabazz

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover: 

"Before Malcolm X shook the world with his words and actions, his parents told him that he could achieve anything. But at fifteen, with his father murdered and his mother taken away, he figures there's no point in trying and escapes into a world of fancy suits, jazz, girls, and reefer. Deep down, he knows that the freedom he's found is only an illusion - and that he can't run from his past forever."

This fictional version of "Malcolm before the X" written by Malcolm X's daughter takes a look at his experiences growing up, before converting to Islam and becoming a leader in the Civil Rights movement. While of course there is some conjecture and fictionalization, Ilyasah Shabazz based what she wrote on stories she was told about her father by family members and friends. We read about a young Malcolm and the rest of his family struggling to stay together after his father's murder when he was six, being constantly harassed by government officials determined to take him and his siblings away from his mother. 

After these officials successfully force his mom into an asylum and separate him from his siblings, he goes to live with his half sister in another state, where he quickly gets swept up in the fast-paced world down the hill. Even as he finds success for himself, he knows he is running - from memories of his father, from institutional and everyday racism determine to keep him down, and even from his own potential. It isn't until he's forced to stop moving that he finally has the opportunity to confront everything he's been trying to escape.

While admittedly I am no expert on Malcolm X's life, everything I have learned about him was after his name change and conversion to Islam. This insight into his experiences growing up and the things that put him onto that path was enlightening and emotional. He went through so much, from such a young age, to become the remarkable leader that he was. I'm glad that his daughter decided to write this book and share more about her father's life.