Less toxic masculinity, more community support

Ultraviolet by Aida Salazar is already one of my favorite books of 2024. When I was entering middle school, I read a lot of Judy Blume and Ann M. Martin books because they wrote about real growing pains that my friends and I were experiencing.  Now I can add Ultraviolet to that group of stories that encapsulates what it's like to be 13, developing first crushes, heartbreak, and learning how to navigate your emotions without hurting others. 

In this novel in verse, Salazar follows Elio, a Mexican-American boy who has a core group of friends and looks to his dad to teach him what it means to "be a man."  According to his dad, it's not allowing yourself to feel any negative emotions and to embrace a macho attitude.  Thankfully, Elio's mother steps in and gently guides him to fully embrace the changes he's going through and to allow himself the time and space to heal from being hurt. Elio's two younger sisters, who typically get on his nerves, turn up for him when he is at his lowest point. 

My favorite part of this book is how Salazar writes authentically from the perspective of teenagers.  Their dialogue is completely believable, even using the most up-to-date slang of our current times: "no cap" and "rizz" make their way into the conversations throughout the story. She also weaves in the power of social media, group chats, and consent into the tale as Elio faces big decisions over how to deal with his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend who is taunting him.  Elio's problems are realistic so readers can possibly work through similar issues they are having through the story. 

As a teacher, parent, and school librarian, I would highly recommend this book to upper middle grade readers (6th grade and up).  The story's open and honest conversations about bodies and hormones between the grownups and teenagers can show readers how to respectfully have these important conversations by using accurate language and some humor, at times. I also appreciate Salazar showcasing a broad range of side characters who are also dealing with similar coming-of-age feelings. The last part that I especially enjoyed is how much Spanish is used in the story.  Being an immigrant myself, I can attest that hearing your ancestral language is powerful, using it yourself is even more moving, and finally seeing it printed in a published book is beyond feeling seen.  It signifies your experience as a person with a another language and cultural background that is just as a part of your identity as any other part. 

Be sure to checkout this novel as it is released in April of 2024 and Salazar's other books. She is a master storyteller who will have you laughing at one point and reaching for the tissues at another. For a read-alike to this book, I suggest the young adult book by Lamar Giles, Not So Pure and Simple:

Thanks to Net Galley for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book. 

 

Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, how music inspires a story

Jagged Little Pill was one of the first albums I bought and when I listened to the music of Alanis Morisette, as a 13 year old, I could feel the emotion behind her lyrics.  In high school I won front row tickets to her concert when she toured with Garbage and even got to meet her backstage!  She was every bit of lovely and kind as I imagined.  It continues to be one of the best moments of my adolescence. Here I am, 27 years later, reading the young adult novel of the same name based on the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical by Eric Smith, Diablo Cody and Glen Ballard.  This is the first novelization of a musical that I have read and it didn't disappoint!  

The story is told from alternating points of view of five teenagers: Frankie, Jo, Nick, Phoenix and Bella.  It's the middle of the school year in a Connecticut suburb and nothing will be the same after a party that gets out of hand when Bella gets violated and the evidence is spread across social media.  Everyone's expectations of how they should respond in the wake of this incident drives the story:

• How will Nick, Bella's love interest who was supposed to look out for her act when his mother insists that he do nothing to jeopardize his college plans?  
• How will Frankie, Nick's adoptive sister, and her best-friend-with-benefits, Jo, support Bella along with their social activist club to make sure justice is served?  
• What can the new student, Phoenix, do to help as he falls for Frankie while taking care of his mom and hospitalized sister?

Using the musical and album, it's a journey for each character to get introspective as they risk losing the people they love in order to be true to themselves. The adults in the story have as many problems, if not more than the teens as they apply social pressure to everyone around them, including themselves.  This is a dynamic story where every character's choices have much to be debated.  Readers can think about how much race fits into their expectations of people's sexuality along with the #MeToo movement.  Who gets believed and why?  How do you communicate with someone with whom you've crossed the line of friendship? What do you do when you suspect your parent of having an addiction?

This book also stands out to me and will resonate with young adult readers because the authors interweave texting and chat conversations between the characters.  This is a more realistic way of storytelling as today's young people communicate in this way and will more likely read a book that includes this component of dialog.  

Teens can also choose an album or song that speaks to them and write a story idea inspired by the lyrics.  This type of writing prompt can help adolescents find the beauty in storytelling and even match other books with songs that would go along well with them!  As a fan of movie soundtracks, I love it when books name songs being played so I can play them and the story comes alive in a different way.  Literacy is about so much more than the words the page. It's a complete sensory experience if you allow yourself to engage in it. Smith includes a link to the cast recording so readers can listen to it for themselves:

Now that I have read the novel I am ready to watch the musical!  

Know your worth: Brother's Keeper

 

Brother's Keeper is a middle-grade, award-winning, historical fiction debut novel by #ownvoices author, Julie Lee.  It is partially based on the experiences her mother had while growing up in North Korea in the 1940s and escaping the harrows of war by journeying to South Korea for a better life in 1950.  This is a tale of survival and family, but also it's an emotional perspective on negative gender stereotyping and what it was like for North Koreans living under Communist rule.  There are lots of topics for further study and discussion questions that readers can use for book clubs.

12-year-old Sora lives in a North Korean village with her parents and two younger brothers.  She was just told by her mother that she would have to stop attending school in order to stay home and take care of her brothers while her parents work in the fields.  She knows that this is a cultural expectation, however, that doesn't stop her from wanting to pursue her studies, especially, writing.  It also doesn't make her feel better when her parents and neighbors constantly praise her brothers only for their gender.  This pressure for her to learn proper cooking in order to marry well in a few years causes great anxiety in Sora and a rift forms between her and her parents.  

Life under Communist rule adds strain to their daily lives.  As the war gets closer to their village, Sora has flashbacks of when a family member was arrested and imprisoned for helping people cross the border into South Korea.  The risk of her father being forced to join the Communist army is so high that they even bury him in a hole in the ground for months so he stays safe!  Only when the bombs start dropping on their village is it the sign they need to flee.  Sadly, Sora and her 8-year-old brother, Youngsoo, get separated from their family and it is up to Sora to keep them alive and make the difficult decision to continue trekking south toward freedom. As Sora dreadfully thinks when Youngsoo asks her how they will cross the river without a bridge, "I didn't know, and I didn't trust myself.  Yet every decision was up to me--our lives depended on it."

Since the book opens up with a map of Korea and their journey on foot and train is marked, the reader knows that they both do make it to their final destination even before reading a single word of the book.  That is a relief, except the reader knows that this is only Sora and Youngsoo's journey and that it doesn't include their family members who the readers get to know so well throughout the story.  

Lee also divides the book into 3 parts: Home, Escape, and Busan.  This helps the reader get ready for what is to come in the most basic sense.  Lee describes their tribulations with such brutal detail that it was hard to continue reading at times.  War is difficult for everyone and Lee brings that gruesome truth to light when documenting Sora and Youngsoo's journey.  In one way, their escape contains all of the parts of a survival tale: cold, fatigue, hunger, lice, attempted kidnapping, even being driven to theft of food and begging for money for medical attention for Youngsoo.  In another way, after they reach their destination, it is a whole other type of survival for Sora.  She must go back into the gender expectations by learning how to cook, clean and take care of a house so she can be a good wife soon.  

As a teacher and librarian, I would use this book to discuss a range of topics.  First, readers can consider how the talk of gender affects children.  In one scene, Youngsoo confides in Sora of his discomfort with being the first-born son.  He says it is too much pressure for him.  This surprises Sora.   What do readers think about this revelation?  Should Youngsoo speak up when his parents and neighbors put-down Sora and insult her because she is only a girl?  How do we see these gender stereotypes reinforced in American culture?  In another scene, a young woman encourages Sora to make sure that she looks after herself first, then her brother. "Know your worth."  This advice brings tears to Sora's eyes because she had always been told to be the martyr and do everything, at whatever cost, to keep her brothers alive and well.  What do readers think about this advice?  Why do we need others to give us pep-talks like these?  Who is someone that readers have in their lives whom they can give this type of advice?

The book ends with several sections that lead to further study and discussion for readers.  First, there is an Author's Note where Lee describes all of the fiction and non-fiction parts of the story. Here is a video of Lee explaining her family's connection to the book:

There is also a section for photos from Lee's family during this time period.

Another section is a glossary of Korean words and finally, a timeline of the Korean War. 

Readers can dive into these and the story is instantly enriched. TeachingBooks.net has a free discussion guide to use, too.  I had never read a book from the Korean perspective during the 1950s and it has made me curious about other people's experiences during this time period .  As Lee writes in her Author's Note, "the stories of refugee survivors remain largely untold..."  

We are home: A Pho Love Story

 A Pho Love Story is a young adult, romance debut novel by Loan Le, about rival Vietnamese restaurants in L.A. whose owners have a long history of animosity and competition. Imagine the mess that ensues when their high school seniors, Bao and Linh, become partners for a school project and end up falling for each other!  This is an important story about how family and cultural pressure can influence the children of immigrants.  Rather than communicate their needs and wants, immigrant children often go-with-the-flow and end up stressed.  A Pho Love Story is a richly layered story full of humor, bonds, love and hope.  It resonates strongly with people who straddle dual cultures and don't want to let anyone down, including themselves.

As a teacher, librarian, and parent, I would use this book to discuss many topics with readers. Starting with the main characters, Bao and Linh, whose point of view changes with every-other-chapter.  Bao accuses Linh of being a liar because she isn't forthcoming with her family about her true passion of painting.  Readers can take a side and debate who is in the right and wrong in this situation.  

Another topic for discussion is how Bao and Linh go about their romance.  At first they hesitate to partner up because for their entire lives they were told by their families that it was taboo to associate with the other.  Despite their apprehension over being seen by someone in their community circle they embark on a friendship which grows into a romance.  Do readers agree with how the events unfolded?  Were there any times when they could've come clean with their families?

I just loved the friendship between Bao and Linh.  The more time they spent together the more they discover all that they had in common: they both recognize their Vietnamese culture along with the pressure to make their families proud.  It is unique to live in America where, as the children of immigrants, they are exposed to more avenues and opportunities than their parents.  Communicating this with their parents is difficult because their parents are unknowledgeable about how these experiences lead to future success.  Readers can talk about anyone in their life whom they feel like can understand them and their background.  

As the child of immigrants myself, I connected to this story especially when Linh was looking at old photographs of her parents from Vietnam.  She notices how happy and idyllic the scenes are and thinks, "It seems impossible to think that outside the frame of this photo, the country they knew was changing rapidly.  And yet here they were: joyful."  It would be interesting to pose this question of what is happening outside of the frame when looking at photos as primary sources with students.  Although countries go through so much change that their citizens are pushed or pulled to emigrate, the constant that they feel is family, cherished moments and unforgettable memories.  This is universal.  Which is what hurts when in the story there is a racist posting online with the person telling those in Little Saigon, "go home!"  Bao responds by writing an op-ed titled, "We Are Home".  His message is that immigrants are real people with a past that needs to be listened to in order to understand why they would leave their homes in order to make a better life here.  In the wake of the anti-Asian hate-crimes on the rise recently, his writing hits hard.

Le also captures what it is like when your secrets are revealed to your parents.  When the truth is out and you have to deal with the shame that stems from disappointing them, but also the other side of the feeling that what you did and hid from them was something that felt perfectly natural to you.  Linh calls the aftermath of her parents finding out as, "Terse. Cold. Punishing."  Readers can talk about times when they kept secrets from their loved ones or friends.  What was keeping them from being honest? Did they find ways to get through it? 

The most uplifting part of this whole story is the network of support that Bao and Linh have through their friends, teachers, neighbors, and family members who see their struggles and encourage them.  Like when Linh's aunt says to her, "Be the brave, honest person I know you are."  Readers can name people in their lives who provide this advice and kindness to them.  Maybe they are that support system to others in their lives.  Why is it important to form and nurture these relationships?

All in all, I absolutely loved this book. I'd recommend it, even to adults, because it has universal themes and good knowledge to bestow about Vietnamese history, food, language, and culture as a whole.  For example, how to pronounce PHO: it rhymes with, "huh?" Thank you, Loan!  I had never read a book with Vietnamese characters that I can recall and I cannot wait to read more from this amazing author.

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

 

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! a middle grade chapter book by Jessica Kim is a fast-paced, humorous, yet touching book about a 6th grade daughter of Korean immigrants who has to tackle the difficult decision of following a dream that is different than what is expected by family elders.

Yumi is constantly in the shadow of her genius, older sister, Yuri.  Yumi loves stand-up comedy and even though she is shy, it doesn't deter her from wanting to pursue it.  When Yumi accidentally ends up in another person's slot in a comedy camp, she cannot give up her opportunity to feel a part of a community in which she belongs.  

Unfortunately, as in the common experience of children of immigrants who cannot face disappointing their parents, Yumi lies in order to stay in the camp.  When one lie turns into another in order to avoid getting caught, Yumi loses control of the situation.  Will she be able to express herself to her family and come clean with her comedy crew?

As a teacher, librarian, and daughter of immigrants, I can relate to the family pressure that she feels.  When discussing this book with students they can share times when their personal interests were or weren't supported by family members and how they handled those situations.  Another way that students can use this book is to compare how Yumi's choices are the same or different as to what they would do if they were in her shoes, her sister's shoes, and even her family and friends' shoes if they saw what Yumi was doing.

Overall I would recommend this book to readers in grade 4 and up, and their parents, too.  As an educator and parent I learned about how important it is to listen to children and support their interests while expressing expectations for them, at the same time.  Kim, who is Korean, writes with authenticity and care for her characters.