Tag: recs

richincolor:

Book Review – American Road Trip

Author: Patrick Flores-Scott
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Pages: 336
Genre: Contemporary
Review copy: Digital ARC via Netgalley
Availability: Releases Sept. 18, 2018

Summary: A heartwrenching YA coming of age story about three siblings on a road trip in search of healing.

With a strong family, the best friend a guy could ask for, and a
budding romance with the girl of his dreams, life shows promise for
Teodoro “T” Avila. But he takes some hard hits the summer before senior
year when his nearly perfect brother, Manny, returns from a tour in Iraq
with a devastating case of PTSD. In a desperate effort to save Manny
from himself and pull their family back together, T’s fiery sister,
Xochitl, hoodwinks her brothers into a cathartic road trip.

Told through T’s honest voice, this is a candid exploration of mental
illness, socioeconomic pressures, and the many inescapable highs and
lows that come with growing up—including falling in love.

Review: Relationships and connections. These are
things that keep Teodoro “T” going. First, he has a best friend who
believes in him and is willing to stand by him through pretty much
anything. Second, he has a sister who will push him, but will also hold
him tightly. I loved seeing the back and forth between Xochitl and T.
They both want the best for each other and their brother Manny though
they don’t always go about things the same way. Flores-Scott lets
readers get to know T, but also allows us to see the ways in which the
siblings interact and how those relationships shape the individuals.
Beyond these two, he also has quite a few others in his corner both near
and far. One of the beauties of this story is how many, many people are
willing to pitch in to make life better for both T and his brother.
Their lives are often dark and difficult, but hope doesn’t curl up and
die because of the many people around them.

And who can resist a road trip story? Road trips almost always
provide moments for bonding even if it’s just having some horrible
shared experience. This particular road trip is all about connecting and
re-connecting with people. Each stop felt like they were tying
themselves to others. I pictured pins on a map with the strings
connecting from one to another. This was not an upbeat road trip though.
There are some moments of humor, but Manny’s PTSD is intense and no
matter how far they run, they can’t seem to escape it.  Xochitl’s plan
is to buy time for healing, but this isn’t easy.

This might be a challenging book for those who have experienced PTSD
in their families. The pain is hard to witness even knowing it’s
fiction, but the love and caring of so many people offers hope and
optimism. Woven in throughout the most difficult issues, there are
moments of laughter and a lovely bit of romance so it’s not constant
intensity.

Recommendation: Get it soon especially if you enjoy
family stories. This is not the story of a perfect family, but does show
a family willing to do what’s needed even when it gets hard. I loved
getting to know the characters in this story and hope many people get to
experience them too.

thelatestkate:

I made a book! It’s available for preorder everywhere! Here it is on Amazon.

Creating this book means so much to me because it’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream I had given up on. As a kid, I absolutely believed being an author/Illustrator was the best, most magical job possible. They crafted worlds that were colorful, kind, and interesting. To this day, books are my most helpful escape.

So, why give up on my dream? Long story short, I was raised in a very strict household and religion and really struggled, as a shy, anxious kid to meet the standards of my faith.

From a very young age I believed I was wrong, sick and broken. And though I found solace in art and reading, my self esteem was so low, I never believed I would ever be good enough to create professionally.

And now, here we are. Somehow I got stupid lucky. I feel like I stumbled through life in a white-knuckling, grasping way and idiotically drew the “fulfill a lifelong dream” Monopoly card. You all liked and shared and my artwork so much that a publisher decided it was worth their time and money to take a chance on me and my work. Which honestly feels crazy.

I created this book for the teenage me who struggled greatly with low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. This book is every thought and coping mechanism that’s kept me alive and productive for the last fifteen years. You Can Do All Things is gentle encouragement for myself, to show that kid that she’s more than anyone’s standards and hatred. She’s capable. She’s a fighter. She will make something of herself.

I don’t know how long The Latest Kate will be relevant or helpful to anyone, but I am so grateful for this experience. Thank you for your likes and shares. Thank you for your stories and and kindness. You made this happen, and I will always be grateful to you for it.

richincolor:

cielrouge:

Here’s a giveaway for any Natasha Ngan fans! I have an ARC of her latest title, GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE, coming out on November 6th, 2018! 

Summary: Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It’s the highest honor they could hope for…and the most demeaning. This year, there’s a ninth. And instead of paper, she’s made of fire.

Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back and this time it’s Lei they’re after – the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king’s interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learns the skills and charm that befit a king’s consort. There, she does the unthinkable – she falls in love. Her forbidden romance with another paper girl, Wren, becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world’s entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.

  • This is International!
  • Simply like or reblog this post to enter (though really, try not to spam your followers too much…)
  • You don’t have to be following me to enter, but you must be willing to give me your address and have your ask box open.
  • This giveaway ends on Saturday, November 6th at midnight EST.
  • If you win, your ask box must be open so that I can contact you. You will then have 48 hours to reply, or I will pick another winner.
  • Winners will be chosen at random.

Good Luck! And feel free to drop me an ask if you have further questions!

Boosting! ⬆️

writingwithcolor:

saturnineaqua:

thecheshirecass:

thecheshirecass:

thecheshirecass:

miyajimosachi:

thecheshirecass:

superheroesincolor:

Sleepless #1 (2017)  //  Imagine Comics

“

Lady “Poppy” Pyppenia is guarded by the Sleepless Knight Cyrenic, but danger is around every corner once the new king is coronated.

“

Story: Sarah Vaughn, art: Leila Del Duca, Alissa Sallah

Get the comics here

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Oh I am SO checking this out. It’s giving me Still Star Crossed feels.

SAME

I just downloaded the first one, I’ll report back!

Ok I read the first issue and it was so good I bought the other four that are available and I’m going to subscribe. If you enjoyed Still Star Crossed you’ll adore this comic.

Reblogging for the day crowd because this comic is so good, the art is exquisite, and the main character is a beautiful, dark skinned black woman presented as the height of beauty and gentility. It’s SO GOOD. I read all five issues last night and then got a friend hooked. Issues are 2 dollars a piece on comixology but a graphic novel with the first few chapters collected will be coming out soon as well.

i have been OBSESSED with this comic, i am actually laughing this is crossing my dash again because dude, they’re cheap online, i get the paper ones, but even those are AMAZING 4 dollars. and the whole volume comes out in July, and i cant wait to get my paws on it, ugh , this IS AMAZING. 

the story isnt anything like SSC, but it’s just as intriguing and lovely, and warning: you will fall in love with the characters/ become attached. 

please read it, im begging you all out there because it’ll be a damn shame for yo to miss it!

Just read the first volume – absolutely loved it! From the beautiful, intriguing art style and the storyline itself, with its budding romance and a sprinkle of humor. I definitely recommend it! 

~Mod Colette

“The story of a boy who became a man… By becoming a bear.”

fanderily:

nearsightedgirl:

animated-butts:

This movie is way too under appreciated in my opinion… The fandom is practically non-existent…

And I don’t understand why? The plot was fantastic.

All of the characters were lovable.

There was no one that you absolutely could not stand.

The “bad guy” was actually the main character, Kenai. Which was an interesting twist for Disney.

But by building a bond with this young cub (Koda), and seeing the world through the eyes of a bear, he realized that he (as a man) had been the monster… Not bears.

I mean, talk about character development…

Koda: Those monsters are really scary… Especially with their sticks.


And for me, this scene right here was one of my most emotional Disney moments. You can’t even here Kenai telling the actual story… But you can see their facial expressions and you can just feel it. You know exactly what he’s saying to Koda.

Kenai: Well, I have a story to tell you.

Koda: Really? What’s it about?

Kenai: Well, it’s kind of about a man… and kind of about a bear. But mostly, it’s about a monster.

… Koda… I did something very wrong.


Okay, but on a lighter note?

The animation was incredible.

Amazing.

It was a powerful movie about brotherly love, guidance, and responsibility, and it truly is one of my favorite Disney movies ever.

Not to mention the soundtrack is amazing. You can’t go wrong with Phil Collins.

The fandom will never be huge, but the movie definitely deserves more credit. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend it.

Brother Bear

I want to remind everyone that this movie is where the “quit telling everyone I’m dead” “Sometimes I can still hear his voice” joke came from.

No joke this is one of my favorite Disney movies ever… like I have always loved this movie. And I love the sound track for it. Phil Collins is the singer for this movie which makes it even more amazing! I love this movie so much!

Reasons to read the THEONITE Series:

officialtheonite:

  • Superheroes of color (lots of them)
  • A West African-dominated universe as expansive as the world of Westeros and better researched than any iteration of Wakanda
  • A female protagonist with no love interest

  • A fully realized conlang based on West African languages instead of European ones 

  • Superpowers
  • Superpowered warfare
  • Superpowered lacrosse
  • 10+ years of research on West African (mostly Mande) culture (also world history, linguistics, anthropology, martial arts, and too much other stuff to list here)
  • A fantasy world that provides healthy escapism for readers of color and healthy self-criticism for white readers
  • Space travel
  • Characters of all different sexualities
  • Talking holograms
  • Heart-gouging tragedy
  • An instant custom clothes printer
  • A society in which women are equal to if not favored over men in all professions and positions of power
  • Kid crime-fighters who can’t catch a break
  • Ice katanas
  • The power of friendship
  • An immortal cat

Get the first book on Amazon!

superheroesincolor:

Nnedi Okorafor’s

Binti trilogy

There will be a Binti omnibus (published by @dawbooks, the publisher of WHO FEARS DEATH). And it will include a brand new Binti story called, “Sacred Fire”.   

The eponymous Binti is the first of her people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs. Oomza has previously wronged the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares, and Binti’s interplanetary travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If she hopes to survive the legacy of this ancient conflict, she will need both the the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself – but first she has to make it there, alive.”

Get Nnedi Okorafor’s books here

Nnedi Okorafor, born to Igbo Nigerian parents in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 8, 1974, is an author of fantasy and science fiction for both adults and younger readers. Her children’s book Long Juju Man (Macmillan, 2009) won the 2007-08 Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa, and her adult novel Who Fears Death (DAW, 2010) was a Tiptree Honor Book. She is currently a professor of creative writing at Chicago State University.

[Follow SuperheroesInColor faceb / instag / twitter / tumblr / pinterest]

tomato-bird:

Naoki Urasawa is the Bomb and here’s why. I’ve been meaning to make this presentation ever since PLUTO:Urasawa x Tezuka absolutely floored me with it’s brilliance both in presentation and in story. :0  I kind of have another powerpoint that goes into more detail about his different stories, but that’s another thing. (shabby-girl we can cry together over 20thCB)

Also I must say for you people who aren’t super into romance? This is the stuff for you!!!! 😀 

Bonus slides: 

Basically Emara: Emirates Hero is a professionally made wed-series that you can watch for free on youtube in English, formal Arabic, informal Arabic dub & a got subtitles for a bunch of other languages. It’s about a teenage Arab girl who’s a cyborg and the vigilante of Dubai. The cartoon was supposed to air on tv but couldn’t for some reason (It’s hard to get a budget/sponsor for animated material in the middle east) So the studio put it on YouTube instead in hope for it to get some recognition.

fandomshatepeopleofcolor:

Part2. So yeah, Emara has 5 episodes for now but the creators said that if the show got a big following another season might be made or it even get picked up to be a TV show. So everyone needs to watch it because A) It has unbelievable good animation and efforts for a free web-series on YouTube, B) It features an all-Arab cats and the two main leads are disabled (And possibly other characters too?) and C) the opening and ending songs are banging. So yeah support local PoC owned cartoon.