Book Description
for Take the Mic by Bethany C. Morrow
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
The theme of resistance as explored here in four poems, one comic, and eight short stories illuminates how racism, sexism, Islamophobia, and other assaults are encountered in daily life. What can you do when a classmate you thought was a friend sexually harasses you? (“Grace” by Darcie Little Badger) What do you do when the white boy you really like masterminds a “promposal” that makes clear he knows nothing about the racism faced by you and others who are Black (“As You Were” by Bethany Morrow). Resistance as portrayed here, in these and other works, including “Are You the Good Kind of Muslim?” by Samira Ahmed, “Real Ones” by Sofia Quintero, “Parker Outside the Box” by Ray Stoeve, and others, is an act of choice, of necessity, of transformation. It is also an act of quiet courage demanded when the damage being done is inflicted by friends, neighbors, and classmates, not strangers, or the government. A collection that is no doubt relatable to many teens is also incredibly affirming, while the strength of its teen characters is inspiring. (Age 12 and older)
CCBC Choices 2020. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020. Used with permission.