Tag: A Phoenix Must First Burn

Happy Monday, bibliophiles…sort of. We’re in for a long four years.

It’s already been said what a slap in the face it is to have Trump sworn in on the day we normally set aside to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr., one of America’s preeminent champions of civil rights. (I’m sure the administration will find some way to spin it in their favor, the same way that Trump spun the Women’s March. Eurgh.) I’m grieving. I will continue to grieve, so long as our country is once again helmed by a tyrant who uplifts the wealthy and bigoted while the marginalized are squashed underfoot. My processing this won’t end until we get him out of office (because I refuse to believe that this is the end), and that’s okay.

But today, as with most of the activity on this blog, I’d like to talk about books.

Anyone who has even had a semblance of a pulse on the news in the last five years or so has seen the increased hateful rhetoric surrounding books—particularly those concerned with promoting diverse voices. Mass book bans have swept the country, with everything from the most innocuous picture books to critical feminist knowledge being stricken down across the board, all in the name of “protecting the children.” The process of objecting to a book is frighteningly simple and straightforward, leading to bans on the basis of misinformation—just look at the time Amanda Gorman’s The Hill We Climb was challenged after a single complaint…and attributed to Oprah Winfrey (ah, yes, because all Black women are the same person, apparently). Apologies for the strong language here, but to quote a great button that I have on one of my jackets, “you know these fuckers banning books don’t read shit.” It’s true. Rarely do those in charge of banning, especially those in the highest offices in the country, consider the actual contents of the books—they simply get a whiff of anything that smells to them of D.E.I. or the “woke groomer agenda” and try to smite it out of the public consciousness.

It was never about the children. The majority of the books that are being banned to “protect children” aren’t even aimed at children. And even if they are, it’s only for superficial reasons—inclusions of, god forbid, diverse perspectives (LGBTQ+, POC, disabled, etc.) or acknowledgments that maybe, just maybe, America is not perfect and has never been perfect. It truly is dangerous. We’ve seen how the Trump campaign was built on twisting and exaggerating lies about this country, feeding its supporters that we must go back to some nonexistent, golden age. Of course it never existed, but the way that they do it is by blocking off access to information on all levels—perpetuating lies and attacking those who spread the truth. Book bans are how this is done at the largest level; it starts with the very youngest, and they claim to “protect the children” as they restrict their access to learning about how this country—and the world—truly is. The regimes that put blinders on its populations—especially the ones banning or burning books—never land on the right side of history.

I believe that the best way that you can combat this deliberate shielding of the truth is to read. In a world where the ruling class relies on you being complacent enough to accept their lies as fact, reading is the ultimate form of rebellion. We read to learn: about other kinds of living, other kinds of people, and possibilities in the imaginations of people you know nothing about. Literature is the site of change because it shows us this possibility—if you can imagine an alternative world, you can put it into action. When you feel powerless, remember that you have boundless knowledge at your fingertips.

So I’ve compiled this reading list for anyone looking to rebel. I’ve gathered books of all age levels and from all kinds of diverse voices that Trump and his cronies would have you believe neither matter nor exist. Whether your stance is to directly fight the power or quietly rebel by imagining a way out, there are books here for you. Fiction and nonfiction, here are the tools you need to combat misinformation, bigotry, and hatred—and have a great read, too.

A READING LIST FOR THE COMING FOUR YEARS | Books for Rising, Resisting, and Keeping the Hope

FOR THE FIGHT:

These are the books about resistance, in the real world and in imagined worlds. If you need the motivation to stand up and fight for your rights and the encouragement to not pull punches when doing so, these are the books for you.

• A People’s Future of the United States – edited by Victor LaValle (anthology) | Adult, LGBTQ+, Sci-fi/fantasy
• Squire – Sarah Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas | MG, fantasy
• Can’t Take That Away – Steven Salvatore | YA, LGBTQ+, fiction
• Your Plantation Prom is Not Okay – Kelly McWilliams | YA, fiction
• The Luis Ortega Survival Club – Sonora Reyes | YA, LGBTQ+, fiction
• We Are Not Free – Traci Chee | YA, historical fiction
• Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) – Octavia Butler | Adult, sci-fi
• This Book Won’t Burn – Samira Ahmed | YA, fiction
• The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea – Maggie Tokuda-Hall | YA, LGBTQ+, fantasy
• To Shape a Dragon’s Breath – Moniquill Blackgoose – YA, LGBTQ+ fantasy
• Iron Widow – Xiran Jay Zhao | YA, LGBTQ+, sci-fi
• Warrior Girl Unearthed – Angeline Boulley | YA, fiction

FOR A BETTER TOMORROW:

Here is something I want to emphasize going forward: it’s important to fight, but not all of us have the strength to do so—and that’s okay! Plenty of people aren’t ready to get out into the streets, and we need to respect that perspective. (This is coming from someone who isn’t quite ready either.) What we need the most in these times is hope, and though there is injustice in these books, they present stories where, despite hardships, joy prevails. They also present vital alternatives to the now—one of the most powerful ways of resisting, in my opinion, is to have the ability to imagine a better tomorrow, whether it’s alternate history, the distant future, or simply a kinder present.

• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Becky Chambers | Adult, sci-fi
• Brooms – Jasmine Walls and Teo DuVall | MG, LGBTQ+, fantasy/alternate history
• Meru – S.B. Divya | Adult, LGBTQ+, sci-fi
• The Stardust Grail – Yume Kitasei | Adult, sci-fi
• The Reckless Kind – Carly Heath | YA, LGBTQ+, historical fiction
• A Phoenix Must First Burn – edited by Patrice Caldwell (anthology) | YA, sci-fi/fantasy
• Navigating With You – Jeremy Whitley and Casio Ribeiro | YA, LGBTQ+, fiction
• Floating Hotel – Grace Curtis | Adult, LGBTQ+, sci-fi
• Chameleon Moon – RoAnna Sylver | Adult, LGBTQ+, sci-fi
• A Psalm for the Wild-Built – Becky Chambers | Adult, LGBTQ+, sci-fi
• Stars in Their Eyes – Jessica Walton and Aśka | MG, LGBTQ+, fiction
• The Sound of Stars – Alechia Dow | YA, LGBTQ+, sci-fi

FOR KNOWLEDGE:

The best way to combat misinformation is to inform yourself. Here are some of my favorite nonfiction books about resistance and feminism and its many facets—race, sexuality, gender, ability, and more. Ranging from revered feminist scholars to more contemporary perspectives, I hope there is something for everybody here.

• Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches – Audre Lorde | Adult, nonfiction
• The Stonewall Reader – edited by the New York Public Library | Adult, nonfiction
• The Trouble with White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism – Kyla Schuller | Adult, nonfiction
• Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real about Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America – edited by Amy Reed (anthology) | YA, nonfiction
• Our Stories Carried Us Here – edited by Julie Vang (anthology) | Adult, nonfiction
• Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the 21st Century – edited by Alice Wong (anthology) | Adult, nonfiction
• How to Argue With a Racist: What Our Genes Do (and Don’t) Say About Human Difference – Adam Rutherford | Adult, nonfiction
• Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life – Alice Wong | Adult, nonfiction
• March, Book One – John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell | Adult, nonfiction

A SELECTION OF GREAT BOOKS BANNED FOR RIDICULOUS REASONS:

Here in the U.S., we’ve seen a deeply disheartening uptick in book bans for a number of reasons—none of them valid. Standing up to book bans is essential in these times, and through it, you can discover some excellent literature, whether they’re classics like Maus and The Bluest Eye or newcomers like The Poet X.

• Gender Queer – Maia Kobabe | Adult, LGBTQ+, nonfiction
• The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo | YA, fiction
• Maus – Art Spiegelman | Adult, nonfiction
• Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic – Alison Bechdel | Adult, LGBTQ+, nonfiction
• Drama – Raina Telgemeier | MG, LGBTQ+, fiction
• The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison | Adult, historical fiction
• The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood | Adult, sci-fi
• All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir Manifesto – George M. Johnson | YA, LGBTQ+, nonfiction
• Juliet Takes a Breath – Gabby Rivera | YA, LGBTQ+, fiction

RESOURCES FOR FIGHTING AGAINST CENSORSHIP:

• PEN America – if you’ve been paying attention to efforts against book banning, you’ve likely seen PEN America come up, and for good reason—they are one of the foremost organizations fighting for the rights of authors and journalists, as well as the freedom to read and write.
• Authors Against Book Bans – self-explanatory, but this organization has a variety of resources on how you can fight against book bans around the country.
• M.K. England (Substack) – although my list didn’t end up containing any of their books (sorry 😬), England has provided a comprehensive list of ways you can fight back against the potential threat of Project 2025 in terms of queer literature for younger (MG and YA) audiences.
• SUPPORT! YOUR! LOCAL! LIBRARY! Wherever you are in this country, use as many of your library’s resources as you can! Whether you’re checking out books physically or digitally, or using their non-book services, libraries need all the support that they can get in these coming years.

That being said, this list is by no means exhaustive! I encourage you to look beyond this list to find even more books you love that live up to these principles. Scour the internet and your local library, and you are sure to find many more examples. Let me know in the comments what your favorite books about making change, resisting, and keeping hope are!

Today’s song:

That’s it for this post! Have a wonderful day, and…I know I put this at the end of every post, but please take care of yourselves. I love you.