Download or read book The Making of Yolanda la Bruha written by Lorraine Avila and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2023-04-11 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: COMMON SENSE MEDIA SELECTION FOR TEENS BOOKLIST BEST OF THE YEAR NYPL TOP 10 OF THE YEAR HIPLATINA BEST OF THE YEAR Elizabeth Acevedo has said that reading Lorraine Avila feels like an “UPPERCUT to the senses.” You've never encountered an author with prose of this sensitivity and fire. Yolanda Alvarez is having a good year. She’s starting to feel at home at Julia De Burgos High, her school in the Bronx. She has her best friend Victory, and maybe something with José, a senior boy she’s getting to know. She’s confident her initiation into her family’s bruja tradition will happen soon. But then a white boy, the son of a politician, appears at Julia De Burgos High, and his vibes are off. And Yolanda’s initiation begins with a series of troubling visions of the violence this boy threatens. How can Yolanda protect her community, in a world that doesn’t listen? Only with the wisdom and love of her family, friends, and community – and the Bruja Diosas, her ancestors and guides. The Making of Yolanda la Bruja is the book this country, struggling with the plague of gun violence, so desperately needs, but which few could write. Here Lorraine Avila brings a story born from the intersection of race, justice, education, and spirituality that will capture readers everywhere. P R A I S E ★ “Inspiring… full of heart and spirituality.” —Shelf-Awareness (starred) ★ "A sharply rendered portrait...Avila's striking debut is not to be missed." —Booklist (starred) ★ “Unabashedly political…A remarkable, beautifully rendered debut.” —Kirkus (starred) ★ “Suspenseful…A boldly characterized protagonist whose intersectional identities as a queer and Deaf person of color informs her sharp-witted narrative voice and conviction around combatting racism within her community.” —Publishers Weekly (starred) ★ Heartbreaking… thoughtful and gripping… Avila has created a complex heroine whose identities as a Deaf and queer person of color give a layer of authenticity and intersectionality that will resonate with readers.” —School Library Journal (starred) “Impressive and urgent. [Avila] takes on racism, violence and injustice with a mix of magic, spirituality and care that few have attempted—and she’s captivatingly successful.” —Ms. Magazine “Explores gun violence, race, justice, education, and spirituality, which holds this book like a canopy, enclosing and exposing layers of Blackness and the growth and sense of belonging community can provide.” —Al Dia “A necessary story about gun violence, race, and education.” —Refinery29 “Gripping…skillfully depicts the reality of growing up as a Black Latinx teen in the midst of racial violence and social upheaval… Avila carefully demonstrates the tremendous strength in Yolanda’s community and the deep roots of her spiritual life, which keep her grounded as she steps into her full power.” —Horn Book "Written in stunning prose, this sharp examination of education, race, violence, and spirituality is a must-read." —The Mary Sue

Download or read book The Making of Yolanda La Bruja written by Lorraine Avila and published by . This book was released on 2024-08-13 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reading Lorraine Avila feels like an "UPPERCUT to the senses." --Elizabeth Acevedo Yolanda Alvarez is having a good year. She's starting to feel at home at Julia De Burgos High, her school in the Bronx. She has her best friend Victory, and maybe something with José, a senior boy she's getting to know. She's confident her initiation into her family's bruja tradition will happen soon. But then a white boy, the son of a politician, appears at Julia De Burgos High, and his vibes are off. And Yolanda's initiation begins with a series of troubling visions of the violence this boy threatens. How can Yolanda protect her community, in a world that doesn't listen? Only with the wisdom and love of her family, friends, and community -- and the Bruja Diosas, her ancestors and guides. The Making of Yolanda la Bruja is the book this country, struggling with the plague of gun violence, so desperately needs, but which few could write. Here Lorraine Avila brings a story born from the intersection of race, justice, education, and spirituality that will capture readers everywhere. P R A I S E Common Sense Media Selection for Teens ★ "Inspiring...full of heart and spirituality." --Shelf-Awareness (starred) ★ "A sharply rendered portrait...Avila's striking debut is not to be missed." --Booklist (starred) ★ "Unabashedly political...A remarkable, beautifully rendered debut." --Kirkus (starred) ★ "Suspenseful...A boldly characterized protagonist whose intersectional identities as a queer and Deaf person of color informs her sharp-witted narrative voice and conviction around combatting racism within her community." --Publishers Weekly (starred) ★ "A heartbreaking climax...thoughtful and gripping...[a] lyrical debut novel." --School Library Journal (starred) "Impressive and urgent. [Avila] takes on racism, violence and injustice with a mix of magic, spirituality and care that few have attempted--and she's captivatingly successful." --Ms. Magazine "Explores gun violence, race, justice, education, and spirituality, which holds this book like a canopy, enclosing and exposing layers of Blackness and the growth and sense of belonging community can provide." --Al Dia "A necessary story about gun violence, race, and education." --Refinery29 "Gripping...skillfully depicts the reality of growing up as a Black Latinx teen in the midst of racial violence and social upheaval... Avila carefully demonstrates the tremendous strength in Yolanda's community and the deep roots of her spiritual life, which keep her grounded as she steps into her full power." --Horn Book "Written in stunning prose, this sharp examination of education, race, violence, and spirituality is a must-read." --The Mary Sue

Download or read book Celestial Summer written by Lorraine Avila and published by . This book was released on 2022-08-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Via a psychedelic trip on the eve of July 4th, 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, and a war on Black bodies, lovers grant each other permission to take off their masks and love up on each other in a Harlem apartment. CELESTIAL SUMMER is an intimate exploration of Black love, intimacy, sexual healing, and vulnerability in a world where deceiving others and building walls to keep people out is the norm. CELESTIAL SUMMER tells the story of Layleen, a woman searching for ways to be held, and Keith, a man coming to terms with the reality of commitment. Two characters who make the decision to let each other in and face their shadow selves in order to best make space for the explosive and promising love the Universe is cooking up for them.

Download or read book How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents written by Julia Alvarez and published by Algonquin Books. This book was released on 2010-01-12 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the international bestselling author of In the Time of the Butterflies and Afterlife, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is "poignant...powerful... Beautifully captures the threshold experience of the new immigrant, where the past is not yet a memory." (The New York Times Book Review) Julia Alvarez’s new novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories, is coming April 2, 2024. Pre-order now! Acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez’s beloved first novel gives voice to four sisters as they grow up in two cultures. The García sisters—Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofía—and their family must flee their home in the Dominican Republic after their father’s role in an attempt to overthrow brutal dictator Rafael Trujillo is discovered. They arrive in New York City in 1960 to a life far removed from their existence in the Caribbean. In the wondrous but not always welcoming U.S.A., their parents try to hold on to their old ways as the girls try find new lives: by straightening their hair and wearing American fashions, and by forgetting their Spanish. For them, it is at once liberating and excruciating to be caught between the old world and the new. Here they tell their stories about being at home—and not at home—in America. "Alvarez helped blaze the trail for Latina authors to break into the literary mainstream, with novels like In the Time of the Butterflies and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents winning praise from critics and gracing best-seller lists across the Americas."—Francisco Cantú, The New York Times Book Review "A clear-eyed look at the insecurity and yearning for a sense of belonging that are a part of the immigrant experience . . . Movingly told." —The Washington Post Book World

Download or read book Big Questions Book of Sex Consent written by Donna Freitas and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What this book is NOT: The fear-based How-To on sex and consent, oversimplified and focused on technicalities, that represents so much of our sexual education today. What this book IS: A journey into the Big Questions that will turn you into a thinking person about sex and consent, with the ability to wrestle towards the answers that work for YOU and continue to wrestle towards them for the rest of your life. What is the meaning and purpose of sex? How does it intersect with who I am? Why are people so afraid of it? What does a healthy and joyful approach to sex look like for me? Why is consent so much more than a yes or no question? Who this book is FOR: Everybody!! No matter your sexuality, gender, religion, or race. What could be more essential?

Download or read book Seeing Gender written by Iris Gottlieb and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2022-12-06 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now with a new foreword by National Book Award Winner Kacen Callender, this fascinating book on a relevant subject illustrates the complexities of gender and sexuality through history, science, sociology, and the author's own story. Gender is an intensely personal, yet universal, facet of humanity. In this vibrant book, queer author and artist Iris Gottlieb visually explores gender in all of its complexities, answering questions and providing guidance while also mining history and pop culture for the stories and people who have shaped the conversation on gender. Informed by Gottlieb's personal experiences, this deeply researched and brilliantly rendered book demystifies this fluid topic at a critical time. For LGBTQIA+ people, Seeing Gender offers a space for self-exploration, giving comfort, advice, and reassurance in the sometimes confusing process of navigating one's identity. For allies, this book is an essential tool for understanding and thoughtfully participating in this necessary cultural conversation. Whatever one's position, Seeing Gender is a must-read people who are passionate about changing the way we see and talk about gender and sexuality in the twenty-first century. CULTURALLY RELEVANT AND IMPORTANT TOPIC: An inclusive, sensitive, and accessible book for those interested in learning more about gender identity and sexuality. HELPFUL: The perfect book for nonjudgmental exploration of gender for the queer, transgender, asexual, uncertain, and for people struggling with their gender identity. INVITATIONAL: A wonderful intro to thoughtfully participating in this important conversation. Perfect for: • Those exploring their gender identity and sexuality • Parents/friends/relatives of those exploring their gender identity and sexuality • LGBTQ+ people • Allies who want to understand, empathize, and participate in this movement

Download or read book The Girls in Queens written by Christine Kandic Torres and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2022-06-14 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A MOST ANTICIPATED SUMMER READ FROM HARPER'S BAZAAR, BUSTLE, NYLON, THE MILLIONS, MS. MAGAZINE, and THE SKIMM An unforgettable debut novel about the furious loyalty of two Latinx women coming of age in Queens, New York, an emotionally resonant novel infused with the insight, power, and poignancy of Angie Cruz’s Dominicana, Jacqueline Woodson’s Another Brooklyn, and Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends. Growing up in the ’90s along Clement Moore Avenue in Queens, Brisma and Kelly are two young Latinas with an inseparable bond, sharing everything and anything with each other. The girls are opposites: Brisma is sweet, sensitive, and observant, whereas Kelly is free-spirited, flirtatious, and bold. But together, they binge on Sour Patch Kids, listen to Boyz II Men cassette tapes, and dance to Selena and Mariah Carey where no one can see them. In high school, their friendship starts to form cracks when Brisma finds herself in a relationship with Brian, a charismatic baseball star. Brisma is thrilled to finally have something—someone—to herself. But Kelly wasn’t built to be a third wheel. Years later, the Mets begin a historic run for the playoffs, and Brisma and Kelly—now on the cusp of adulthood—reconnect with Brian after years of silence. But then Brian is charged with sexual assault. Brisma and Kelly find themselves on opposite sides of the accusation, viewing their past and past traumas from completely different vantage points, and the two lifelong friends will have to decide if their shared history is enough to sustain their future. Told in alternating timelines, Christine Kandic Torres’s incredible debut explores the unbreakable bonds of friendship, complications of sexual-abuse allegations within communities of color, and the danger of forgetting that sometimes monsters hide in plain sight.

Download or read book This Is Our Rainbow written by Katherine Locke and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2021-10-19 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-graders featuring stories for every letter of the acronym, including realistic, fantasy, and sci-fi stories by authors like Justina Ireland, Marieke Nijkamp, Alex Gino, and more! A boyband fandom becomes a conduit to coming out. A former bully becomes a first-kiss prospect. One nonbinary kid searches for an inclusive athletic community after quitting gymnastics. Another nonbinary kid, who happens to be a pirate, makes a wish that comes true--but not how they thought it would. A tween girl navigates a crush on her friend's mom. A young witch turns herself into a puppy to win over a new neighbor. A trans girl empowers her online bestie to come out. From wind-breathing dragons to first crushes, This Is Our Rainbow features story after story of joyful, proud LGBTQA+ representation. You will fall in love with this insightful, poignant anthology of queer fantasy, historical, and contemporary stories from authors including: Eric Bell, Lisa Jenn Bigelow, Ashley Herring Blake, Lisa Bunker, Alex Gino, Justina Ireland, Shing Yin Khor, Katherine Locke, Mariama J. Lockington, Nicole Melleby, Marieke Nijkamp, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro, Molly Knox Ostertag, Aisa Salazar, and AJ Sass.

Download or read book Sorry Not Sorry written by Jaime Reed and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2019-02-26 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling #ownvoices story about friendship, rivalry, and sacrifice, original for our Point line. Janelle and Alyssa used to be friends.Best friends. They knew each other's deepest secrets and went through the hardest times together. But that was then.Now? Their status is somewhere between frenemies and full-on rivals. Janelle is all about making a difference in her community, while Alyssa reigns over the shallowest girls in school. Until the day Alyssa collapses and is rushed to the hospital. Suddenly, everyone knows about her declining health and race against time. And, in a stunning twist of fate, the only person who might be able to save Alyssa's life -- is Janelle. But will the girls' bitter past get in the way of their futures? With a fresh, unforgettable voice, Jaime Reed spins a riveting and empowering story of female friendship and how the difficult choices we make -- or don't make -- can change our lives.

Download or read book We Are All That s Left written by Carrie Arcos and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two lives. Two worlds apart. One deeply compelling story set in both Bosnia and the United States, spanning decades and generations, about the brutality of war and the trauma of everyday life after war, about hope and the ties that bind us together. Zara and her mother, Nadja, have a strained relationship. Nadja just doesn't understand Zara's creative passion for, and self-expression through, photography. And Zara doesn't know how to reach beyond their differences and connect to a closed-off mother who refuses to speak about her past in Bosnia. But when a bomb explodes as they're shopping in their local farmers' market in Rhode Island, Zara is left with PTSD--and her mother is left in a coma. Without the opportunity to get to know her mother, Zara is left with questions--not just about her mother, but about faith, religion, history, and her own path forward. As Zara tries to sort through her confusion, she meets Joseph, whose grandmother is also in the hospital, and whose exploration of religion and philosophy offer comfort and insight into Zara's own line of thinking. Told in chapters that alternate between Zara's present-day Providence, RI, and Nadja's own childhood in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War of the 1990s, We Are All That's Left shows the ways in which, no matter the time and place, struggle and tragedy can give way to connection, healing and love. Praise for We Are All That's Left: * "A multilayered view of tragedy and its repercussions." --Publishers Weekly, *STARRED REVIEW* * "This complex, compelling story takes readers on a deep dive below the surface, exposing both the fragility of life and the redemptive bonds of love." --Booklist, *STARRED REVIEW* "This important and timely novel is a painful, lovely exploration of mending a mother-daughter relationship." --Kirkus Reviews

Download or read book If I Could Fly written by Judith Ortiz Cofer and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). This book was released on 2011-05-24 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fifteen-year-old Doris is used to taking care of herself. Her musician parents have always spent more time singing in nightclubs than watching after her. But when her ailing mother goes home to Puerto Rico to get well and pursue a singing career there, and her father finds a new girlfriend, Doris is more alone than she's ever been. Disconnected from her family and her best friends, who are intertwined in terrifying relationships with a violent classmate, Doris finds refuge in taking care of homing pigeons on her apartment building's roof. As Doris tries to make sense of it all, she learns that, just like the pigeons, she might have to fly far distances before she finds out where she belongs.

Download or read book Wild Tongues Can t Be Tamed written by Saraciea J. Fennell and published by Flatiron Books. This book was released on 2021-11-02 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edited by The Bronx Is Reading founder Saraciea J. Fennell and featuring an all-star cast of Latinx contributors, Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed is a ground-breaking anthology that will spark dialogue and inspire hope In Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed, bestselling and award-winning authors as well as up-and-coming voices interrogate the different myths and stereotypes about the Latinx diaspora. These fifteen original pieces delve into everything from ghost stories and superheroes, to memories in the kitchen and travels around the world, to addiction and grief, to identity and anti-Blackness, to finding love and speaking your truth. Full of both sorrow and joy, Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed is an essential celebration of this rich and diverse community. The bestselling and award-winning contributors include Elizabeth Acevedo, Cristina Arreola, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Naima Coster, Natasha Diaz, Saraciea J. Fennell, Kahlil Haywood, Zakiya Jamal, Janel Martinez, Jasminne Mendez, Meg Medina, Mark Oshiro, Julian Randall, Lilliam Rivera, and Ibi Zoboi.

Download or read book Slave of the Aristocracy written by Ashley Zacharias and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-20 with total page 716 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The alternate world of Westmouth resembles 1950's North America, but for a class-conscious society with a ruling aristocracy and a tradition of slavery. When Lady Irene accompanies her husband to a slave auction, she shocks everyone by taking an unprecedented initiative that launches her on a shocking odyssey. Her various sexual adventures are collected into this single volume.

Download or read book Looking for Group written by Rory Harrison and published by HarperTeen. This book was released on 2017-04-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of TeenVogue.com's 10 Best Queer Books to Check Out: “Looking for Group is a road trip book that ends with a punch to the gut. Warning: this is a book that will make you cry.” Rory Harrison’s beautiful novel about identity, home, and fresh starts recounts one boy’s quest to discover a world where he can thrive, one adventure at a time. Dylan doesn’t have a lot of experience with comfort. His room in the falling-down Village Estates can generously be categorized as squalid, and he sure isn’t getting any love from his mother, who seemed to—no, definitely did—enjoy the perks that went along with being the parent of a “cancer kid.” His only escape has been in the form of his favorite video game—World of Warcraft—and the one true friend who makes him feel understood, even if it is just online: Arden. And now that Dylan is suddenly in remission, he wants to take Arden on a real mission, one he never thought he’d live to set out on: a journey to a mysterious ship in the middle of the Salton Sea. But Arden is fighting her own battles, ones that Dylan can’t always help her win. As they navigate their way west, they grapple with Arden's father (who refuses to recognize his daughter’s true gender), Dylan’s addiction, and the messy, complicated romance fighting so hard to blossom through the cracks of their battle-hardened hearts.

Download or read book Just Call My Name written by Holly Goldberg Sloan and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2014-08-05 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The happily-ever-after of Holly Goldberg Sloan's acclaimed debut, I'll Be There, is turned on its head in this riveting, emotional sequel about friends, enemies, and how those roles can shift in a matter of moments. Emily Bell has it all. She's in love with a boy named Sam Border, and his little brother has become part of her family. This summer is destined to be the best time of their lives--until a charismatic new girl in town sets her sights on Sam. Now Emily finds herself questioning the loyalty of the person she thought she could trust most. But the biggest threat to her happiness is someone she never saw coming. Sam's criminally insane father, whom everyone thought they'd finally left behind, is planning a jailbreak. And he knows exactly where to find Emily and his sons when he escapes...and takes his revenge.

Download or read book 10 Things I Can See From Here written by Carrie Mac and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2017-02-28 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perfect for fans of John Green's Turtles All the Way Down and Nina LaCour's We Are Okay, this is the poignant and uplifting story of Maeve, who is dealing with anxiety while falling in love with a girl who is not afraid of anything. Think positive. Don’t worry; be happy. Keep calm and carry on. Maeve has heard it all before. She’s been struggling with severe anxiety for a long time, and as much as she wishes it was something she could just talk herself out of, it’s not. She constantly imagines the worst, composes obituaries in her head, and is always ready for things to fall apart. To add to her troubles, her mom—the only one who really gets what Maeve goes through—is leaving for six months, so Maeve will be sent to live with her dad in Vancouver. Vancouver brings a slew of new worries, but Maeve finds brief moments of calm (as well as even more worries) with Salix, a local girl who doesn’t seem to worry about anything. Between her dad’s wavering sobriety, her very pregnant stepmom insisting on a home birth, and her bumbling courtship with Salix, this summer brings more catastrophes than even Maeve could have foreseen. Will she be able to navigate through all the chaos to be there for the people she loves? An ALA Rainbow Book List selection A Bank Street Best Book of the Year "With Maeve, Mac delivers a character who's heartwarmingly real and sympathetic, and her story provides a much needed mirror for anxious queer girls everywhere."—Kirkus, Starred review "This is a good companion book for other anxiety-riddled stories, such as The Shattering by Karen Healey, and Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella."—Booklist "This hopeful offering will resonate with young people for their own lives, even if the journey is hard and takes time and patience...[a] compelling portrait of a teen’s experiences with anxiety and challenging family dynamics."--SLJ "Mac carefully makes clear that Maeve is plenty able to find joy other places than the perfect girl and that she’s working at dealing with her own problems; the romance is therefore lovely and cozy and free from overtones of dependency. The descriptions of anxiety are true and powerful, and romance buffs will likely revel in a book celebrating deep connection."—The Bulletin "Mac is good at showing how a dread-filled mind works... [An] affecting story.''—Publishers Weekly

Download or read book Flirt Club written by Cathleen Daly and published by Roaring Brook Press. This book was released on 2011-01-04 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When two self-professed middle school drama geeks––Isabelle and Annie (a.k.a. Cisco and The Bean)––fail at their attemps in romance, they start Flirt Club, an after school support group for similarly afflicted friends who decide to take decisive and strategic action with hilarious and touching results.