The vulnerability exhibited in these pages is inspiring. I hope that this memoir reaches its young adult audience and helps any queer, Black, other marginalized young folx navigating their identity feel seen and understood. Although this book may deal with difficult topics to discuss, I hope that through Johnson's words readers will find the strength, vulnerability, and vocabulary to approach these difficult conversations in their own lives.

I listened to this on audiobook and enjoyed hearing the author narrate their own experience.

This book was the crash course on intersectional feminism that I didn’t realize I needed!

Juliet Takes a Breath is mainly focused on Juliet's character growth as she learns about intersectional feminism and comes to terms with a mentor's flaws. Her journey really made me think about my own experiences as someone who identifies as a feminist. This book forced me to step back and think about the ways I’ve carried my privilege into situations, made wrongful assumptions based on my whiteness, and how I can reframe my thinking, words, and actions to avoid centering myself. I am appreciative that Rivera was able to make me do this through her writing.

If you're looking for a quick, enjoyable read that is still meaningful and educational, I definitely recommend picking this one up!

The Underground Railroad is a poignant representation of the horrors of slavery and the antebellum era in the U.S. I found Colson Whitehead’s writing style a bit difficult to get into at first, but about halfway through the novel my interest was piqued and I became more engaged in the story.

I also really enjoyed the fictional elements, such as the choice to create a physical underground railroad, but realized that I do not have a deep enough understanding of this time in history to discern which other elements may have been invented or were based on actual events. All the same, most of the horrors of this time period that Whitehead chose to include are indeed rooted in reality, and I felt that the fictional elements of this tale didn’t distract from those striking depictions.

Overall I would recommend adding this to your list if you like historical fiction, want to know more about this specific time period, or the experiences of enslaved individuals and the sacrifices made on the journey to freedom.