February 2023 Reads

February was a slow reading month, but chock full of good ones -- I'd really recommend all of these books. I'll blame the two week head cold that hit me so badly I had to reach out for help walking Sid (thank you, Danice!). It's been a loooong time since I was sick and it wasn't (thankfully) Covid.

All Boys Aren't Blue is an amazing memoir from George M. Johnson. I am trying to read as many banned books as I can this year in order to elevate those books and authors and ABAB was my first pick from that list.

ABAB is written in essay format and recounts George's experience growing up Queer and Black. He talks about figuring himself out, dealing with family, dealing with friends, and building his life in a world where the 'outside' is not very understanding or accepting of Queer people, especially a Black man who is Queer. There is some sexual content in the book, it's an important part of his story. Books like George's should be in libraries and schools. There is mature content (TW: molestation, sex) so age limits are a good idea, but not because it's a book about a Queer person. As someone who does not have children I'd say this book is appropriate for high school students and up. It's so important that people are exposed to all kinds of voices and stories, both to find stories they can relate to personally, but also to expose people to stories that are out of their Venn Diagram - the more we expose ourselves and take in the stories of others the more understanding and connected we are as a society.

Another banned book, Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, was our book club pick this month. Spoiler alert, we loved it. I think this is the first time I've read Toni Morrison, but it won't be my last. Her writing is absolutely beautiful.

(TW: child abuse/rape) TBE is set in the Great Depression and focuses on a young girl named Pecola, but in the end is a story about Generational Trauma as we learn through flashbacks about her parents' experiences. So often, we as a society blame people for not being better/pulling themselves up by their bootstraps/improving their lives, but we really have no idea the impact of Generational Trauma, especially in Black culture. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A BANNED BOOK.

I loved this book and Prescod's voice. I really hope she writes another book. Token Black Girl is a memoir. Prescod is a 15+ year veteran of the fashion industry, an author, and an entrepreneur. She was raised in ultra-white Westchester, NY and went to an all girls school in just as white CT.

The book details her experience growing up in a basically exclusively white world, how she was treated, her experiences in that world, and her reflections on growing up as the Token Black Girl. Prescod takes us through her many years in the (very white) world of fashion while working at Teen Vogue, Elle, InStyle, and BET. She gives us a lot of insight into the embedded racism within the fashion community. She's also VERY honest about her experience with the unsaid rules of weight and size in the fashion community and how she was effected (TW: disordered eating, diet culture).

Prescod recently shared her list of the next five books that you should read, I'll link it here.

Another love! The Black Flamingo is a YA novel, but appropriate for older readers (i.e., the writing is well done and will be appreciated by a broad audience).

TBF is a coming of age story of a young mixed race gay boy (and later man), growing up in the UK, figuring out who he is in this world and where he fits in. He ends up embracing the world of drag as the Black Flamingo and comes into his own throughout the book. One of my favorite parts of the book is how disappointed he is when he gets a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for his birthday even though he specifically asked for a Barbie. This was a quick and easy read and is so different as it's written in verse. It's a cool little book, check it out.

A friend of mine read this and had a great review, and she wasn't wrong.

Everyone, especially people who have something to say to fat people about how they should lose weight and what they should be doing to achieve that need to read this book.

Gordon tackles fat-phobia, myths, and anti-fat bias to name a few and does it well.

xoxo,

iamfunchris