This was really adorable! A story about a young child who spends the day with their grandfather who doesn't speak English. Our protagonist is at first frustrated because they don't speak Chinese and their grandfather seems to be doing nothing that they're interested in, but they still manage to come to an understanding and have a good day together.

"And yet I ultimately always circle back to hope, because shit, what else is there? If we give up we definitely lose. Trying is the only option."

Mia Birdsong invites us to imagine a world outside of the American Dream™. She guides us through the myriad unconventional ways that people show up for each other, not just parents and siblings, but chosen family, co-journers, neighbors and more. She urges us to create communities outside the norm because they matter, they make life richer and fuller and easier, and are essential to our well-being.

let them know we were a race who prayed with our legs & sweat. let them know that even when we were just art we were here and we still are

These poems span the range of what it means to be a black boy, and a black man in America. To grow up in Chicago, to move to a new state, to dream, to laugh, to cry, to be scared, to be part of a community, to be alone. It's all here. Read this one slowly.

Laugh out loud funny in parts, despite the seriousness of the storyline.

This was riveting. A dive into how racism has shaped the economic past and present of America, because of the zero sum idea of racial hierarchy. A must read.

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book as part of the launch team, but I was not required to write a positive review. My thoughts are my own.

This is a practical guide to boundaries - what they are, how to set them, and how to navigate them. Nedra Tawwab takes you through boundaries in every way: different types of boundaries, boundary violations, communicating and upholding boundaries, places in life you need boundaries, and much more. Each chapter has stories that illustrate the topic, as well as an exercise to put the principles into practice. She also asks several sets of questions throughout the book to make you reflect on the topic at hand, and provides lists that serve as relevant examples of the point being made. (If you've ever seen her Instagram, you'd be familiar with her lists.)

This is a good, modern take on boundaries (there's even a chapter on technology/social media), that will be very helpful to folks navigating the process of setting good boundaries, especially if you haven't thought about this before. Her perspective is that a lot of relationship issues that people have are actually boundary issues, and that is evident by the breadth of relationships covered by this book.

I think this might be my favorite of the series so far.

Not for the faint of heart.