American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

This graphic novel relates the difficulties Jin Wang, an American born child of Chinese immigrant parents, faces in a majority White cultural environment - a public school. Alongside Jin's story the author portrays a Chinese tale of the thousand year old monkey king who wants to take a place in Heaven with the immortal gods but is not allowed no matter how hard he tries.

Hanging Mary: A Reimagining of Lincoln's Assassination

Hanging Mary: A Reimagining of Lincoln's Assassination by Susan Higginbotham

After John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Licoln, Mary Surratt, who owned a boarding house in Washington, was arrested as one of the members of the conspiracy. After a military trial she was found guilty, and was the first woman to be hanged by the federal government. This book takes a sympathetic look at the events surrounding the assassination from Mary Surratt's point of view. Staying true to the historical facts as revealed in the court testamony, the author builds Mary's story of the events leading up to the assassination and the resulting investigation, trial, and death that followed.

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall

Dr. Rebecca Hall, the granddaughter of slaves, is a historian and is sensitive to the legacy of slavery that still surrounds us. Her research on women-led slave revolts is brought to life for the non-academic reader in graphic novel form describing her pioneering historical research into the women who took part in and led slave revolts. She also shares the obstacles she faced doing her research in the wake of the institutionalized racism of our society.

Heartthrob Vol. 1: Never Going Back Again

Heartthrob Vol. 1: Never Going Back Again by Christopher Sebela, Robert Wilson IV, & Nick Filardi

This graphic novel tells the story of a young woman born with a weak heart, leading a sheltered life and waiting for a heart transplant that will give her maybe five years of normal life at most before it too wears out. When she gets the transplant the donor's name and situation are kept secret but she begins to believe he was a master thief and his heart comes with more than just renewed health.

Before Dorothy

Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor

In the Wizard of Oz genre Dorothy Gale lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on their farm in Kansas. Not much else is known about her life before her visit to Oz via a tornado. Hazel Gaynor provides a back story with this book about Emily Gale, her two sisters, and her life in Chicago before she met Henry Gale and moved to Kansas. When Emily's sister Ann and her husband John Gale die their orphan daughter Dorothy is taken in by Emily and Henry. Set in Roaring 20's Chicago and 1930s Dustbowl Kansas, we learn about their life on the prairie which is filled with foreshadowings of Dorothy's time in Oz.
As a long time Oz fan this book was a joy for me to read, and would be good for anyone who knows about Dorothy and Oz.

Ali and Ramazan

Ali and Ramazan by Perihan Mağden

Perihan Mağden is a Turkish writer born in 1960 in Istanbul. Her latest novel Ali and Ramazan was published in 2010 in Turkish and has been available in English since 2012. tells the story of two teenager gay boys, one shy and withdrawn, the other outgoing and popular, who are drawn to each other, forming an intense friendship in a male-dominated, materialistic, and oppressive situation. when they turn 18, they're released onto Istanbul's mean streets. Life is difficult for them, and all they have is their intense devotion to each other.

The Lost King of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson

The Lost King of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson

The Lost King of Oz (1925) is the nineteenth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fifth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R. Neill.
Old Mombi, formerly the Wicked Witch of the North, is now stripped of all her magic and working as a cook in the land of Kimbaloo. One day she comes across Pajuka, the former prime minister of Oz, transformed by Mombi into a goose years before. She sets out with Pajuka and a boy named Snip to find Pastoria, the former king of Oz, whom she also enchanted in the past.
I read the Project Gutenberg edition of The Lost King of Oz to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its publication in 1925.

Martin's Father

Martin's Father by Margrit Eichler

Martin's Father is a 1971 childrens book published by Lollipop Power in Chapel Hill, NC. They were a feminist collective that published books to counteract sex-stereotyped behavior and role-models. The author, Margrit Eichler, was a professor in the Sociology Department at the University of Toronto; her research areas included non-sexist research methods, new reproductive technologies, contemporary families, and related issues. She wrote and published extensively on these subjects, as well as authored the children’s book, Martin's Father, while she was working on her PhD at Duke University.
The book portrays a typical day in the life of a single parent father and his son Martin. The father cooks breakfast, they play, do laundry together, go for a walk in the park, feed pigeons, and eat lunch. In the evening his father bathes Martin, puts him to bed, and plays him a song. Martin believes he has the best father in the world.
This book was very popular with my children when they were young and is still a powerful memory for them as adults. It is a simple yet powerful statement about single parent father families.

Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss

Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen

Tear Soup is a large format illustrated children's book that is well suited to reading aloud and, despite its childrens format, is suitable for all ages. It is a guidebook in story form for dealing with grief. Illustrated with color drawings by Taylor Bills, it tells the story of how Grandy deals with a crippling loss by making tear soup from the tears she has cried. As she makes the soup, she flavors it with memories and the caring thoughts of friends and relatives, mapping out ways to deal with grief on every page. After the story ends, there is a list of "Cooking Tips" and two pages of Real Life resources for "Where to find help."

The Messenger Boy Murders

The Messenger Boy Murders by Perihan Mağden

Returning home from his travels, Stravrogin is asked by the local book store owner to investigate a disturbing string of messenger boy murders that has recently plagued the city. As he unwillingly takes up the case of the mysterious deaths, he is met at every turn with unusual people and circumstances. It is like an adult fairy tale where the rules of life are gently suspended and you are immersed in a strangely mysterious, yet logically consistent, place and time. I was enthralled and look forward to reading more by Perihan Mağden.