Some bigots on a Montana library board think this book is Bad. A community member claimed

I’m in favor of removing this book from the library not because it is a book about a gender queer person, but because it is a poorly written childishly illustrated jumble of nightmarish recollections that blithely dispenses medically questionable advice to a vulnerable teen audience.

Ugh, people.

I found GQ (giggle) to be a well-written and illustrated narrative of nightmarish recollections of growing up not having language for one's identity, or the courage to self-advocate. There is no medical advise dispensed blithely or otherwise, and appropriately or not, the book was shelved in the adult section.

But now, onto my real review: Kobabe generously shares eir struggles with coming to understand eir identity even with accepting hippie parents and a queer sibling because "bisexual" doesn't explain the totality of who ey are. It's not just hating their boobs or fantasizing about having a penis. Kobabe's innocence and vulnerability as they share eir story make transphobes' reaction to it all the more frustrating.

Eir story begins with a grad school prompt from [a:MariNaomi|4078358|MariNaomi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1574547661p2/4078358.jpg]



Closer to the end, with help from an old friend, ey reckon with their hesitation to ask people to use the correct pronouns. The friend asks

So instead of asking people to do something to make you feel more comfortable, you'd rather just feel a little uncomfortable all the time? You'd rather internalize and carry that discomfort every time someone who loves you misgenders you?

I appreciate how they frame the need for ey/em/eir pronouns as a "small spike of solvable discomfort" like removing a pebble from a shoe or ripping an itchy tag out of a garment, but I also get that it's a bigger deal than a pebble or a tag. Regardless, it's an easy accommodation. Doesn't cost the speaker anything!

Ey also addresses a lesbian aunt's concern that the gender nonbinary "trend" is a misogynist rejection of womanhood. The aunt doesn't mean harm, just wants to understand, but helping her get there is still an act of kindness and generosity on Kobabe's part.

I have a headache so this will be a straightforward review: graphic novel about life in a Japanese internment camp. Sometimes I still can't believe that really happened, even though it could and did and can and does.

I have a headache, so this will be a short review.

Protagonist whatever-her-name-is is an elemental witch living in Salem, MA. She works in a magic shop, despite her town's hatred for witchtourism. The witches are in the closet, but she is an out lesbian with a faithless ex to prove it. Though These Witches is book one in the series, there's a prequel that's referenced often ([b:This Spell Can't Last|53069682|This Spell Can't Last (These Witches Don't Burn, #0.5)|Isabel Sterling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586404894l/53069682._SY75_.jpg|79646691][b:This Spell Can't Last|53069682|This Spell Can't Last (These Witches Don't Burn, #0.5)|Isabel Sterling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586404894l/53069682._SY75_.jpg|79646691], which I started but dropped quickly because I didn't like where it was going--why do YA teens have to make such bad choices all the time???).

There are some law enforcementy-vibes I didn't care for, but it was a compelling read. I liked this line "the sun dips and the sky blushes," but maybe I'm an artless sap.

Headache-truncated review: pretty much see [b:These Witches Don't Burn|36484081|These Witches Don't Burn (These Witches Don't Burn, #1)|Isabel Sterling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541163363l/36484081._SX50_.jpg|58195438], but with a much better girlfriend and some unexpected twists, not in plot but in people's choices.

Another headache truncated review: another delectable K-pop novel. I don't know how it got on my list because the author is male and there aren't queer characters, but I read it and loved reading it. Candace is a Fort Lee-Korean 15-year-old who doesn't actually know a lot about K-pop, but she loves to sing. Unfortunately her parents force her to channel her musical talent into an instrument she has no affinity for, the viola. She sneaks into an audition for a new group that's training in Korea, and much to her shock, especially because she can't dance, she's selected.

K-pop training is rigorous and even cruel, especially for an American (individualist) who's a little extra in the best of times, but Candace manages to adapt to what she must and stay true to herself for the rest.

Discovery of Seoul life--they have cafés where you can hang out with animals other than cats. Candace visits a raccoon café and a meerkat café. Korea has jumped a dozen places on the list of countries I'd like to visit (but probably never will for environmental reasons and also the pandemic will never blobdamn end).

An anxious middle-aged food writer realizes that her anxiety is manageable when she's helping others, so she decides to become an EMT. Having lived with a 50-something EMT trainee and now EMT some of the memoir was relatable. It's nice to see Stern coming into herself and her (volunteer) profession. Content warning for fellow lefties and feminists, Stern is patriotic, pro-police, and refers to "firemen" instead of "fire fighters." Stern's writing is solid, but I don't think I'd want to hang out with her.

Fahmy's snarky comics chronicle the constant microaggressions Fahmy faces as a Hijabi. I was hoping for more of a graphic novel than unconnected strips--think Cathy, rather than Bechdel, but I still liked them. Fahmy conveys complex thoughts and humor in simple drawings. It's kind of fun and silly and evolved to see Muslim mundanity.

Concrete Rose gives us teenage Maverick Carter (Starr from [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190]'s father), showing us how Starr and her half brother Seven came to be. I don't read a lot of books with cis male protagonists, so it took a minute to get into Mav's head, especially knowing that there would be some bad choices in his future. It's fun, though, to meet him and the rest of the adults of The Hate U Give when they're kids themselves.

The basic elements for 17-year-old Mav are his gang, deaths of loved ones, births, maturing relationships with his parents and girlfriend, and struggles at school, all working together to push manhood on him sooner than he expects or wants it.

I'm not hugely up on Tupac lyrics, but I see that, like THUG, Concrete Rose is Tupac-related. I love knowing there's some sophisticated poetry/symbolism behind a YA novel.

I almost gave up on Like a Bird in the beginning because of weird grammar and copy editing. Strangely, those issues either resolve or I didn't notice them as the book goes on, so if you're a delicate flower as a reader like I am, hang in there!

Taylia is a the younger and darker of two daughters born to a mixed race couple: white Jewish mother and Indian father. She compares negatively to white-appearing, graceful Alysse in everything, but the two of them are close, nonetheless. After a series of very bad things happen, Taylia is on her own. She is naturally withholding, and that trait on top of one of the very bad things damaging her ability to trust, make it hard for her to connect with new people. I have to use the term blessedly here: blessedly, women of color have her back and help her find herself. I appreciate that Taylia's primary love interest is deeply flawed despite being a really nice guy. Love conquers all, but it's familiar, not romantic love that saves Taylia.

Protagonist Elise has been distraught since her brother was killed in a car accident that she foresaw. She foresees the death of everyone she touches, so that's no fun. She broke up with her boyfriend, quit the swim team, ghosted her best friend, and has to avoid her mother's hugs. Un/luckily for her, her father is giving her the cold shoulder, so she doesn't have to experience his passing on the regular. Along comes new girl Claire, whose future death isn't visible to Elise, but Claire can see into Elise's future, and wants to groom her for it.

This is fun paranormal YA romance without some of the annoying traits other teen books have, where you just want to youths to tell someone, or where they're constantly making things worse for themselves. I also appreciate that Sterling takes care to identify white people by race, as well as BIPOC characters, and there are named and important BIPOC characters (best friend, boyfriend, authority figure).