Bronx Masquerade

Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes, published in 2002, is a realistic fiction, young adult book short enough it could be considered a novella, but it is written and organized more like a series of short stories, telling their own independent stories (designated by the names of the students whose story it is as the chapter titles), as well as serving the purpose of an overall story which tells about learning about poetry in Mr. Ward's English class by writing it themselves and performing the poems for their class in a poetry slam style readings. These stories, or chapters, are separated by the poems of the students and the opinions of Tyrone, a student whose interest in school was severely lacking until these "Open Mike Friday" poetry readings were put in place by Mr. Ward.
The students telling these stories are from the Bronx and represent all different races, but it is made clear that the school's population is mostly made up of Black and Latino students. There is a general resentment among the students against the teachers and white students due to their privilege, which is not sugarcoated throughout the book. Instead the book tries to represent each student as an individual with their own trials and tribulations, and each students seeks to teach the others about how they aren't just what they see, and it is amazing how Grimes, in just a few pages per student, paints each character as complex with their own set of obstacles to overcome, whether it is an abusive home life, the reductive opinions of their classmates, or the neighborhood they live in (which for some students includes fearing drive-by shootings and pervasive gang culture of that society).

This book mixes formats with both prose and verse, and not a single word of this short book is wasted. The overall story ends on a hopeful note with the students having realized their own potentials and discovering positive things that they want for themselves and finally knowing that they can get it with hard work and help from Mr. Ward.

This book was refreshing, compared to many stories that take place in urban schools that are often racially charged and soaked in gang violence and depressing endings where often times it appears that only one character has a future outside of that setting. This book takes on those stereotypes and runs all over them, showing that with hard word from both teachers and students, a cycle can be stopped for those who truly want it.

The Divergent Series

Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant are the titles of the three books in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. Published in 2011, 2012, and 2013 respectively, the books follow Tris and her relationship with Tobias in post-apocalyptic Chicago, Illinois. The city was divided into factions, the Amity, the Abnegation, the Erudite, the Candor, and the Dauntless, which citizens choose between (though usually they pick what they are told they have an aptitude for after an aptitude test) at a Choosing ceromony at 15 or 16 years of age, and if the faction of choice does not work out, they become a part of the Factionless (which appears to be a group of homeless forced to beg for food and live in run down buildings or on the streets). Tris leaves behind her former faction, the Abnegation, for the Dauntless, launching her into a journey where she meets Tobias and finds herself fighting for the faction she left behind. In each book, Tris's part as a revolutionary and a fighter for a better world for herself and the ones she loves progresses, and she finds herself fighting against a dictatorship and eventually against the scientists who were letting the inhabitants of the city kill each other and harm each other in the name of science. Tris gives her life in the end to protect the ones she loves and to give them the right to choose their own destinies for themselves.

Originally, I had intended just to blog about one of these books, but found myself flying through them so quickly, that I'd finished them all in time to blog about all three. These science fiction novels are action packed the whole way through, sprinkled - or well, doused -  with the love story between Tris and Tobias. At times the love story seems heavy-handed, sappy, and a touch silly; the ability of kissing to calm anger and grief so quickly either speaks to the fickleness of teens or the cynical nature of yours truly. But considering the intended audience and the action packed plot, it's an offense that is easy to forgive. A theme that lasts throughout the series is the ability to make choices and how our choices are what truly shape who we are more than where we come from, the name of our faction, the clothes we wear, or even our genetic makeup. This theme is a worthwhile lesson for all audiences, not just young adults (as well as PG enough for younger readers, although at times things seem to steam up, with one tiny allusion to sex that isn't entirely obvious), and these books were so much fun and so exciting to read that I'd suggest them to almost anyone, even a reluctant reader. Furthermore, there's a Divergent movie with more to come, which is always fun for readers of the books!

-Charlie Hittle

Blankets

Blankets, written and illustrated by Craig Thompson, is an autobiographical, graphic novel published in 2003 by Top Shelf Productions in Marietta, Georgia. 

Blankets is a coming of age novel Thompson wrote about himself, growing up in Wisconsin in a poorer, very religious family. Using flashbacks, a teenage/young adult Craig tells about his childhood with his younger brother and about sexual abuse inflected upon the two of them by their male babysitter. As Craig gets older, he depicts being a social outcast at his school and being bullied by other students. Eventually, his parents send him to church camp, where he meets other outcasts, including a girl named Raina who Craig develops a romantic relationship with, despite her living far away in Michigan. As Craig gets older, and as his relationship with Raina goes through the common stages of young love (infatuation, love, lust, disagreements, breakups), Craig is forced to come to terms with his upbringing, his  beliefs, and how his relationship with Raina shapes him even after the relationship is over.
Blankets is a refreshing take on disillusionment with religion, as you see Craig going from devout Christian to questioning not only the scripture, but how it affected his upbringing and the ways that religion shames young people as they discover their bodies and sexuality. Blankets are a motif throughout the novel, whether it is the blanket that he and his brother share as children, the quilt that Raina makes for Craig, or blank sheets of paper that Craig draws on. There are also themes of young love and dysfunctional families (Raina's parents' divorce, Craig's strict father who could be considered abusive). This book was a refreshing take on the classic young adult romance novel via the graphic novel medium (the all black ink drawings I find are nice for those not accustomed to reading graphic novels/comic books as it tends to make the page appear less busy, which can render the story line easier to follow) as well as the ongoing theme of religious disillusionment gives the plot a bit more intellectual meat (not that Thompson needs it, as he's a smart, yet vulnerable writer). This book was really a pleasure to read, and despite it's weighty 592 pages, it was a very quick read (another great thing about graphic novels!) and only took about 2-3 days to complete.