Blog Post #6: Realistic & Contemporary Fiction

 “I am Enough”

Author: Grace Byers

Illustrator: Keturah A. Bobo

This fantastically written and illustrated book that promotes and emphasizes the importance of diversity. A book about a little girl that goes through life, who is uniquely different than her fellow peers around her, and that all races and cultures can get along and become the people they are supposed to be. The little girl is involved in various activities and she tries and tries to be the best she can be in everything. It is a reminder that we all go through life trying to find ourselves and exceed and excel in everything that we can. Throughout all of our ups and downs, it is important that we allow ourselves to be human and have emotions. We are allowed to be ourselves and not like anyone else. We all have purposes on this Earth and are meant to love and help one another. And along life’s journey, we question whether are not we are enough and we are just that and more. The illustrations throughout the book do a wonderful job reflecting the story as it is told. The images make the words on the page come to life and allow the reader to imagine themselves in those moments. I absolutely thought that this book was truly wonderful and would be a great book to read to your children to let them know that they too are enough. 

“The Hate U Give”

Author: Angie Thomas

A book about a young African American girl named Starr, who grew up in a poor neighborhood in Garden Heights, but attended a private school where the majority of the population of her fellow classmates were predominantly white. While she is navigating through both of her worlds, she is present when a police officer shoots her childhood best friend, Khalil. At first, she was hesitant to speak out about the death of her friend. However, soon after this, she becomes determined to bring her friend's death to justice and begins to actively speak out about his death. Whenever she first speaks out she keeps her identity private and tries to keep it a secret from her white boyfriend, Chris, and her friends at her school. She constantly struggles with hiding this information and while all of this is taking place Starr’s family decides to move out of their neighborhood into the suburbs where Starrs mother believes their family will be safer. Although Maverick, Starr’s father who owns a local grocery store and used to be a part of a gang, though it would be best for them to stay, they move out anyways. The reason Maverick got out of the gang was that he confessed to a crime to protect the gang leader, King. Soon after the jury failed to indict the offer involved in the shooting and peaceful protests and riots break out around Garden Heights, Starr’s old neighborhood. Everything comes to a head whenever Starr, Chris, Maverick, her brother Steven, and DeVante who used to also be a fellow gang members are trapped inside Maverick’s grocery store whenever King and other gang members set fire to the store. They manage to escape the grocery store and convict King for arson and other drug crimes. The story comes to a close whenever Starr pledges to continue to honor Khalil’s memory and speak out about injustice. This story is very raw and really puts the spotlight on certain issues that we still face today. It really stresses the importance of the fact that everyone deserves justice no matter what.