Reader Response: 

This novel was a poignant read for me. My own maternal grandma (who I call Mamita) has had progressive dementia for several years now. Shifting from a relationship dynamic where she used to take care of me and my sister when we were younger to one where we now help my mom and tias take care of her was an emotional transition. I am grateful that I still get to see her every week and spend time with her, but I relate to Ogle's deep feeling of sadness of feeling like a forgotten child and then choosing to write down the memories instead. Maybe I won't get to tell mamita anything new about my life now in a way that doesn't confuse her, but I can still listen to her favorite songs with her and paint her nails. 

I typically don't read many novels in verse, but this one has been one of my favorite books, period. The raw honesty in this is accentuated by the poem format. The way that the lines of the poem are sometimes arranged into perfect stanza and other times specific lines at the end are shaped like a staircase going down, like "moved" on page 90. While in some the poem alternates between the left side and right side of the page, like "prayer circle" on page 128. Just the shape of the poem has added another level of complexity to the actual text. 

Overall, the poems are a bit more about his own angst and issues that range from memories of fights, racial and homophobic taunts at school, and clashes with his birth parents. Through all of this though a beautiful loving relationship between him and his abuela emerges as the only stable adult in his life growing up. This whole novel is an homage to his abuela who he sees as his one savior during constant childhood abuse and emotional trauma. "If I wait long enough,/I know the top door will lift, and/Abuela's face will appear, warm/haloed by light,/a heavenly angel to scare away the shadows (and nightmares),/and ask, "Hola, hamper. Have you seen my grandson?" " (p. 196). 

Reader Response: 

The Poet X is an important book about the power that our voice has.  Xiomara has to cope with having "a little too much body for a young girl." She is harassed by both boys and men on the street. I found that this hit very close to home. I am currently in my late 20s and I was verbally catcalled and harassed more as a young girl than I am now as an adult woman. Young girls don't have the same level of maturity as adults do and are grappling with their own turbulent emotions that come from experiencing such rapid change so quickly. Yet that group is the one that suddenly also has to deal with a disproportionate amount of unwanted attention all of a sudden. 

Dealing with experience of burgeoning sexuality and being told it's wrong. While my upbringing was different, many of my closest friends were brought up that way. And we all live under this puritanical idea of what is and is not acceptable. Having a method of self expression is so so helpful. It lets us accept who we are and discover who we want to be. I wrote so much in high school and still journal to this day. Allowing ourselves that self expression is empowering. No matter how young or old we are, we need to remember that our words have power. WE. HAVE. POWER. We are powerful.

As she finds her voice through everything, we take that scary journey with her, especially since the novel is written in verse. This really shows us rather than just tell us how she uses poetry as a vehicle to find herself. It feel more personal and intimate too, like we are someone Xiomara is trusting to share her poetry with. Or, rather someone she has allowed to read her book of poems to show who she is. 

Reader Response: 

The book resonated with me in a couple of different ways. I am interested in the representation of diverse cultures and social justice issues. There are also not that many Native American stories as those from other cultures. I had read Voice of the Wind before which was a collection of Native American legends, but also wanted to read a contemporary fictional story. Enter Firekeeper's Daughter as a perfect window into the Ojibwe culture. Even though Daunis doesn't feel like she truly belongs with her white family or her indigenous family, she still connects to the Anishnaabe community. For example, every morning, she gives a pinch of semaa at the eastern base of a tree by her house and prays to her ancestors to give her the strength for the day. It also enhances the story telling experience in many ways.  For example, Daunis discusses the concept of the Gifts of the Seven Grandfathers – a philosophy, in which one can follow in order to live a good life. One of them is telling the truth. However, throughout the book, she has a hard time doing that, for she doesn’t want to make things worse for the people around her while she investigates the sudden drug-related deaths and has a “relationship” with Jamie.  "Protecting Mom from full disclosure isn't the same thing as lying. She won't care that Jamie is just a friend" (p. 58). 

The book also explores the notion of privilege. First with Daunis by contrasting her uncle's experience with crossing the Canadian border "And if you're Nish and Black, like my uncle Art? You get a gun pulled on you at the border with your Nish wife and baby daughters in their car seats." with her own "Not only am I the palest Nish, but I have a Canadian birth certificate because I was born in Montrea, so it makes my border crossing less complicated." (Boulley, 2022, p. 63). Then later with the missing indigenous women which reflects the reality of millions of missing, assaulted, and murdered Indigenous women. It starts early with the shocking death Daunis experiences and continues as more and more women go missing. " 'Oh and a young woman's missing. Tribal citizen. Heather Nodin was last seen walking through Paradise on Monday night... I make a note to let Jamie know that I might have been one of the last people to interact with Heather Nodin.' " (p. 184). The end of the book also drives this point him since not everyone who was involved in the crime got punished. The book critiques the notion of privilege and many of the characters, including Daunis are unsurprised by the outcome. 

It is also a mystery thriller book which while slow at the beginning, really picks up the pace once the murder occurs. Even still the first 50 pages take the time to establish who Daunis is and her relationships. So when bad things continued to happen to her I was rooting for her more fiercely than I have for a character in a long time. Although the book is a pretty long book, it moves at a brisk pace. Furthermore, just when the pace seems like it's moving forward at breakneck speed and it starts to feel like there's too much to keep track of there is a break in the action. There are a couple of occasions where the investigation stops in order to give time for Daunis to enroll in the tribe, which to me was a great way to show that Daunis was starting to make steps to be more connected to her community, especially since she had already gone so far for that community. 

Overall the book was like riding a stream of consciousness and was layered book with some complex layers, but what the book does good it does extremely well. The book does fall on the longer side, but is worth the read. 

Reader Response: 

The speed and voracity with which I read Promise Boys caught me off guard. I read a lot of books because I like to read for pleasure, but also to stay abreast of what is happening in the literary world for my job. So, while I read a lot, I absolutely devoured Promise Boys. I really like how fast paced the mystery is without sacrificing character exploration. The non-chronological order of the book also meant that it recontextualized several past events. For example, early in the book Ramon’s cousin Cesar, who is a leader in the gang Dioses del Humo, is arrested right outside of the school during Part 1 of the book, which is focused on J.B. This leads us to believe that Ramon himself is involved with the Dioses and retaliated as a result of Moore calling the police. However, when we get to Part 2, which is focused on Ramon, we see the previously mentioned incident. In that scene, Cesar is making plans to look at storefronts to support Ramon’s dream of getting a restaurant. Maybe I was wrong. I thought about what you  said. Maybe there’s another option here. Another storefront you know?’ … ‘For sure.’ I smiled suddenly getting excited. ‘Let’s go to Adams Morgan; we can drive around and see what else is available.’” (Brooks, 2023, p. 137). Suddenly the cops arrive on the scene and take Cesar away. While the facts of the matter are the same, having gotten to know the relationship between Ramon and Cesar, the emotional impact of the scene is quite different. It is understandable the frustration Ramon feels when he then sells pupusas at school to get bail money for Cesar, only for the money to be confiscated by Moore himself on the day before the murder!

It also made me question whether I would have done any differently were I in Ramon or Cesar’s shoes. The text shows the audience that Cesar was in the street life to support the family. The same is true when we get to Trey’s chapter and we see how the way everyone views him “J.B. knew respect. Ramon knew respect. But Trey – Trey didn’t respect anyone… I guess Trey was raised differently. I guess he was raised to kill.” (Brooks, 2023, p. 68) are different to what his motivations are. “As I walk toward Promise, I look for my school ID while thinking back to Coach saying he needed me. If I do well today, I’ll make him proud. I think about my uncle’s friend form the navy, and how I have a chance to make Uncle T proud of me too.” (Brooks, 2023, p. 102).

As an educator and as someone who works with a lot of the students like the ones presented in the book it is a good reminder that the system treats students of color differently. For example, even though J.B. is a smart, quiet kid because he is Black and he is huge (6’3”) anything he does gets taken as an act of aggression. “I froze in place along with everyone else. J.B. towered over Principal Moore, and there was a massive dent left behind in a locker.” (p. 14). This wasn’t based on his personality, but based off of the preconceived ideas that others had of him. All of theses boys are just that, boys and should be treated as such.

Overall, this book did a great job revealing its information without giving too much away. It was a great in-depth exploration of how educational institutions uphold inequality in the criminal legal system. The person who ends up being revealed as committing the crime ends up playing right into those themes as well.

Reader Response: 

The book “Iron Widow” really pushed me to face just how far patriarchal systems go to elevate men. In my worldview, I have firsthand experience of what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal society and just how skewed the scales are to uplift men. The text provides a powerful metaphor with its sci-fi setting with mechas to give insight as to just how deep this belief is entrenched and how even the promise of a better life sold to little girls can be a bitter lie. On page 303 when Zetian is crowned by Shimin as his “One True Match” she thinks to herself bitterly how little girls all over Huaxia right now are “learning all the wrong lesson, wrong aspirations, and wrong dreams from this. Such is the price we’re paying for survival: allowing this terrible system o use us as bait.” It also explores just how much an oppressive government can hurt all its citizens, albeit in vastly different ways. “There’s something fundamentally different about the kind of pain I endure and the kind of pain he does. My pain is solely due to being born a girl... But for him, it’s complicated. Wrapped up in fault, in guilt. A tangle of impossible choices, each of which has bound him into a deeper mess.” (Zhao, 2021, p. 314). Even those who SHOULD benefit under the system (by having outrageously high spirit pressures to power the Chrysalises) are also pawns in a much larger political game. It is only after Zetian and Shimin have grown closer and been declared a True Match that they begin to uncover the horrifying truth. “ ‘Do you think the pilot system is rigged against girls in some technical way? Beyond only pairing us with stronger boys?’ ‘why would they right the Chyrsalises themselves? It would lower the number of Balanced Matches.’ ”(Zhao, 2021, p. 317).  It reinforces that even when girls and women are shown to be just as powerful as, if not more, as men that since they are the ones in power, they will do anything possible to hold onto the existing power structure. This is why Zetian herself is dubbed as an “Iron Widow” rather than celebrated for her victory when piloting with Yang Guang earlier in the book. She overpowered him and the political strategists were willing to excuse all of his deplorable behavior because he was powerful male pilot. But as soon as the roles were reversed and she sacrificed him to power up the Chrysalis she was viewed as “dangerous.” I think to be human is to find what is unjust and to stand up and then fight against. Which is exactly Zetian does. At the book’s conclusion she has had enough and has upended everything Huaxia knows.

Furthermore, Zetian and Shimin have a powerful ally with Yi Zi who is part of the society’s most privileged class. It is only through all of their combined efforts and love they have for one another that real change occurs throughout the course of the book. “Oh, shit… you really do love me” (Zhao, 2021, p. 163).

The emotions in this book are the height of what I believe about what it is to be human. That we have a great capacity for love and connection “…any feelings I have for you don’t cancel out the ones I have for him. …love can be infinite, as much as your heart can open..” (Zhao, 2021, p. 308), as well as cruelty “This body of mine is not big enough to contain the scale of emotion coursing through me. How could I feel a rage like this, and not be able to tear the sky open and scorch the earth?” (Zhao 2021, p. 358). It is a core part of what it is to be human. The magic system in this book is based on the idea of qi, from traditional Chinese ideas, and is what powers the Chrysalises. The reason humans can power the Chrysalises at all is because of their qi and “In the first lesson Sima Yi gave me, he told me that humans are the most qi-dense beings on the planet. It’s how we can pilot Chrysalises despite being a tiny fraction of their size” (Zhao, 2021, p. 358).

Overall, this has been one of my favorite books to read and I cannot recommend it enough. This book also had me look more into the actual Tang Dynasty empress that this is sci-fi retelling is based off. There were sometimes that I was a bit confused regarding the five Chinese elements, but having the diagram at the very beginning of the book, as did the visual representation of each of the Chrysalises.