The Story of My Anger

by Jasminne Mendez

The Pura Belpré Honor Award winning author of Aniana del Mar Jumps In makes her YA debut with a powerful novel-in-verse about a Texas teen who is battling racism in her theatre program and book banning efforts by her town’s school board.

Yulieta Lopez is angry. Angry at her racist drama teacher who refuses to cast Black students in lead roles. Angry at the school board threatening her favorite teacher for teaching works of literature that they deem “controversial.” Angry that she has to keep quiet until she can head to college and leave Texas forever.

Yuli is accustomed to playing various roles: the diligent daughter, the honorable hija, the good girl who serves everyone else before serving herself. But as the fire of Yuli's rage spreads and lights her up, she can no longer be silent. Determined to find a way to fight back, Yuli and her friends start a guerilla theatre club which stirs things up and gets people talking, and finally, Yuli steps into the role she was always meant to play.

Genres: Young Adult, Poetry, Audiobook, Contemporary, Novel In Verse, Fiction, Latinx

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2025

About the author

JASMINNE MÉNDEZ is a Macondo and Canto Mundo Fellow, as well as a Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA) alumna. She is the author of a multi-genre memoir, Island of Dreams (2013), winner of an International Latino Book Award. She lives and works in Houston, Texas.

Reviews

[Andrea Beatriz Arango]

🕯️May we all be as brave as Yulieta and Yunior when faced by those who would silence us 🕯️

I mean it.

THE STORY OF MY ANGER comes out in less than a month and I cannot recommend it enough. Pre-order this mixed format YA for the teens in your life who are searching for ways to be heard. To enact change. To fight.

And if you have no teens in your life, gift it to high school teachers or librarians (the Mr. Gs of the novel 🥹) who are pushing back on what kids can or can't read in their schools/districts. I promise they'll thank you.

Proud of you, @jasminnemendez 💜. For your books, but also for your activism. You inspire me every day.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What if I don’t want to be magic? Or super human? Or strong? What if I just want to be a girl who’s given a fair chance at making her dreams come true just like anyone else?”

The Story of My Anger is an incredible book written in a variety of different forms and styles. From haikus to scripted scenes to text messages, Jasminne Mendez does a beautiful job giving the MC Yuli a voice.

Yuli lives in a Texas town where being Black, brown, queer, or anything other than the white majority makes you an outsider. But Yuli loves the theater and believes this is the one place where she can truly be herself. Unfortunately, she is confronted with bigotry that not only prevents her from performing in a traditionally white role despite being the most talented, but also prompts the school board to remove books from her favorite teacher’s library. Books that represent the experiences of marginalized students at the school.

Mendez introduces young readers to a variety of forms of protest, including guerrilla theater, and gives them the opportunity to see themselves in Yuli and ask what they can do to make a difference. But Yuli isn’t just a symbol or lesson; she is a wonderful, normal kid who has to deal with more than she ever should. There aren’t perfect endings to the story, but there is a lot of hope that a small group of people can make a difference.

This was a terrific reading experience. I’m probably going to buy a copy for my classroom.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Bethany Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you @penguinteen for the digital copy to review!

This book by @jasminnemendez was incredible. It was advertised as a novel in verse and while that is part of it, it’s also told in other mediums but most effectively (to me) in poetry and scenes. I absolutely LOVED watching Yuli and her brother take on the systems that were causing them pain and harm.

The whole time I was reading this book I was infuriated on their behalf, along with their favorite teacher Mr. G. The blatant racism and dismissal of Yuli and her friends was despicable. I was sickened by the actions not only of the other kids, but of the school board.

This is an absolutely necessary, powerful novel about a teen girl who feels like she needs to take on the world. She’s not alone, but dang, it’s a lot for her and her family and friends to handle. I felt her rage and cried and cried when she spoke at the school board meeting. Art is incredible.

Do not miss the author’s note at the end. Powerful.

[Papillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All my thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a cute read. I honestly don’t have much to say (which is a good thing). Yuli was a great representation for black and brown girls who feel like they have to shrink themselves and constantly compromise their own values and beliefs in order to be (reluctantly) accepted into white spaces. I think many people can and will be able to relate to her and her friends, and maybe even feel a sense of familiarity towards Mr. G. The ending isn’t picturesque, but it’s real. Especially in a red state.

[Jessica Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yuli is a Dominican Afro-Latina girl who yearns for a lead role in her mostly-white high school play. When the theater director gives the role to a stereotypical pretty white girl, Yuli is devastated. Taking cues from her college-age brother's activism, and learning more about her mother's activist roots, she creates a guerrilla theater group of her own. She stages plays to fight back against a school and world that don't let girls like her shine, but also against an administration that has begun to ban books in her favorite teacher's class and suspends him after their performance.
There is a lot to like about this book, from its varied format including haiku and play scenes and text messages, to its important and timely message about book bans, racism, and "anti-woke" pushback in classrooms/education. But I think this reads very young, and also quite on the nose. The characters are very one-note and I think it lacks depth expected from a high school-level YA. Ultimately, this feels more like a book that would be read in a classroom than a book that teens would pick up on their own.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I need just a few more minutes
before I'm forced to become
who everyone else expects me
to be.”

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yuli Lopez is a junior in high school who just wants to live her life and pursue her dreams. The problem is that she dreams of being onstage, and in her small Texas town, the drama department only ever casts white kids as the lead, regardless of their talent or lack thereof. When Yuli tries out for the lead in Our Town everyone, including the drama teacher/director and the blonde girl who gets cast in the lead role, freely admit that Yuli's audition was better and that Yuli is the better actress. But, the drama teacher essentially tells Yuli that she'll never get a role like that because she just doesn't "look the part."

Then, the Ethnic Studies teacher, Mr. Gonzalez, is put on administrative leave and a woman from the district takes all the books from his classroom so the school board can review them and determine if they are "appropriate" for the students to read. That's the last straw for Yuli and a group of her friends who determine that they need to put on a guerilla theatre performance of their own to draw attention to the issue.

Yuli isn't sure that it will be enough, but the rage inside her can no longer be silent. This is a powerful novel-in-verse/script that I highly recommend to all readers everywhere, ages 12+.

Here's just a taste so you can get an idea:

"What if I don't want to be magic? Or super human? Or strong? What if I just want to be a girl who's given a fair chance at making her dreams come true just like anyone else?"

--

"These books, all of them, threaten their power because they affirm our humanity. And that's why they want to get rid of them."

Oh, snap!

Disclaimer: I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so impressed with this book. There is so much heart and power throughout and I loved getting to follow our MC while she works to navigate a space that refuses to let her thrive. Seeing the community out MC (Yuli) built and how beautifully they support, encourage, and accept one another was so touching and so important to see. The different relationships are so pivotal in this story (teacher, mother, aunt, brother, friends) that the hardships and oppressive systems and people are perfectly highlighted. And something that I think is so important is that, in spite of Yuli's support system, her frustration and rage are still growing as the system in place is still suppressing her and her vision for herself and her future.
The heart and authenticity of these characters really hooked me in from the start. I felt thoroughly and emotionally invested in everything that was happening. And when Yuli (and/or her community) was hurt, I felt with them.
And while this novel is fiction, so much of the story rang true to real life. Nothing felt too sensationalized or over-dramatized. I could relate to so many of the struggles and heartaches that Yuli (and co) were navigating through.
I also really appreciated the format of the story. Adapting a multitude of styles (poems, verse, screenplay, etc), I think the various formatting really felt genuine to the character and the specific story being told.

This was an impactful story, through and through, with very important messages that I am sure to be thinking about for a long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and Dial Books for providing me with a digital review copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

[Donna Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this! An empowering book with lots of representation and a unique format, told in verse / as a play. Despite the mode making it a quick read, it's got a lot to chew on and I found myself taking a lot of breaks. The main character, Yuli, is dealing with a lot of pressure at a young age; racism at school, pressure to shine in drama class to get a good enough scholarship to leave the state, and stress at home with a widowed mom combatting a chronic illness. She must find a way to stand up for herself and her values while weighing the possible impacts her activism might have on her future, and on those around her. I especially had a hard time with the chronic illness / disability as this hits close to home, but it's also part of what makes this book powerful. We may not all see ourselves in Yuli, but between the whole cast I think there is someone for everyone, reinforcing the message that our stories matter and we should all see ourselves represented in the stories that are told. At the end of the day though, Yuli is in the spotlight and the author accomplishes her goal of writing an unapologetic Black girl whose anger can be an ally.

[Arianne Laporte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved how unique the writing style was in this book. It was my first time seeing a story told with poems and scripts. I thought that this story was important to be told, especially with the constant treat of book bans that are unfortunately still happening. I only wished for a little less violence, especially when it's excused so easily, without much of a lesson as to how to express your emotions without it.

[J. S. Seebauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful. Timely. Hope it will someday be historical fiction.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved being along for the ride as Yuli figured out how to channel her anger at injustices and make her voice heard. Teens who don’t know about the current state of censorship efforts around the country may find inspiration in the actions of Yuli and her friends.

[Lectus · Rating 1 out of 5]

More of the same: teacher won’t let me be in the play because my skin is black... sigh.

The “Afro-Latina” Label:
I didn’t see any cultural references that clearly indicate that Yuli is of African descent. Latina? Yes, but African? I think that identity is not interchangeable with simply having dark skin. Would a person of truly African descent see themselves meaningfully reflected in the story?
So for me, both the author and publisher use the term as a sales tool.

I won’t even get started on the U.S. Origin and Agenda of “Latinx.”

[Leslie McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This mixed format YA book is a timely read that tackles racism, oppression, and censorship (by way of book banning). It's marketed as YA, but there's a MG/YA feel to it. There is some swearing, so keep that in mind when reading this book. Yuli is a strong, determined character. I loved the focus on kids and their desire to make changes for a better life for themselves and those around them. I also appreciated the attention given to a character (Yuli's mom) who struggles with Lupus, as that's not something commonly discussed in novels, particularly in relation to the stress that can place on the family, as a whole. Mendez's story is an important and impactful read.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book written at times in verse describing a black/Latina's high school girl's experiences with racism, book banning, and learning to use her voice to make change. Great book for high school students as there is language that some may find offensive.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* rounded up

A mix of poetry in verse and scenes from a play, the story of trying to manage anger in a hostile and racist environment, battling against racist teachers and students, finding safety and comfort in a play and through a supportive teacher, battling book bans and racism, and finding one's voice. This has it all and it's beautiful and oh so timely (unfortunately).

[K.C. Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS. IS. SO. GOOD. I'm not usually much of a highlighter when it comes to books, but I went on a little highlighting spree here.

"Everything's bigger/in Texas,/except the straight white Texan's ability/to imagine a world where they are not/the center of the universe,/which is why, I think, they keep making laws/and they keep changing the rules/to keep the rest of us "in our place"/to keep the rest of us/small." {This is a quote from my ARC copy, and may be revised or altered in the final printing.)

This book exists in conversation with Ntozake Shange's play "for colored girls..." and references a lot of other authors along the way. This story is familiar because it's what we're dealing with as a nation RIGHT NOW. Surely many young readers will recognize this struggle, with book bans and hate speech proliferating across the country from the highest offices on down. I don't mean to imply that this is a new thing, only that it's pervasive and ever-present, and I'm in favor of any work that offers a road map for how to push back, especially one targeted at younger readers. Yuli makes some mistakes, and again, I think a lot of late MG and YA readers will recognize those feelings of anger and helplessness, and how anger sometimes manifests in harmful ways when we don't provide a productive or meaningful outlet.

The story follows Yuli, who's dealing with racism from classmates and a teacher, book bans, her mother's illness (yay for lupus rep), and her brother's increased activism and declining mental health. None of the individual issues are depicted as extreme, and I don't want to give the impression that this book is super dark---it's just compounding and compounding in a way that leaves Yuli feeling helpless. The gatekeeping drama teacher drove me insane, as she was meant to. I appreciated that there were no easy or unqualified wins in this book, as I find that many stories for young readers imply that taking action will result in all problems being neatly resolved. The outcomes in this story were more realistic, and in some cases relied on Yuli picking her battles and altering her response rather than relying on the other party to change.

tl;dr, loved this, great for kids and young adults. There's a little mild language but I think this could work for middle grade readers as well as YA. Unrelated to anything, but I appreciated that there's no romantic interest in this book, just because that feels rare. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This was one of the best novels in verse+ I've read this year. (+ because there are other forms, like scripts, peppered throughout the text)

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the same powerful voices as others in the YA genre, Yulieta will be another name to add to the list of characters that have ambition, drive, and creativity in addition to the strength of voice to lend itself to causes that she believes in. In this case, a teacher who inspired her with the works that he brought into the classroom is both having to defend the books to the PTA and Board and then is unceremoniously suspended because the students created a guerilla theater performance to protest the failure of freedom of speech and restrictions in the classroom. First they performed during lunch but then they performed after the school play which didn't sit right with the director of the plays, a woman who has given Yuli issues regarding the play, specifically because she didn't "fit" (re: Black and Latina) for the part in Our Town and seemingly, beyond.

Her strength comes from a mom fighting lupus but also her own frustrations growing up as well as her older brother who is involved in activism himself with a father who died in Iraq.

There are PLENTY of beautiful prose and poetry tucked among the pages that beg to be read aloud. It's perfect for fans of The Poet X for sure.

"The diligent daughter / who washes and scrubs / toilets and tubs. / Who dusts and vacuums / fans and floors. / The honorable hija / who always comes when called. / Who sets the table and serves / everyone else before serving herself. / The good girl / who follows all the rules / and knows how to smile / and stay positive / to keep Mami stress-free / for the sake of "her health.""

"... Since then, I keep my copy / of Shange's play with me at all times. / I've written notes in the margins / annotated pages with emojis and Post-its / highlighted favorite lines in pink and yellow, / memorized whole monologues for audition and / just for fun, / dog-eared pages I read and reread / when I need to feel a little less alone. / No matter how tattered / and torn it gets I refuse to buy a new copy / because this copy was a gift from Mr. G. / who let me keep it / (even though it was part of a class set) / after we read the last scene aloud / in class and I cried so much / he had to send me to the counselor to calm down."

"I cried / because it's a play that allows Black girls / to be imperfect / while still being worthy / of love / and friendship / and forgiveness / it's about how we hurt / and learn to heal / from heartbreak / and loss / and how / we find our way / back to ourselves / in order to survive. / I cried because it made me / realize that Black girls / like me / with stories like mine / do have a place / on stage / in the theater / and in the world."

[Messy Mama Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a coming-of-age story that explores systemic racism in depth. There are instances of blatant racism, as well as microaggressions and just the general trauma experienced by people of color every day. The main character, Yuli, is just trying to do the thing she loves most, theater, but she is held back by a racist theater teacher who has the power to shape her success. This is all taking place in Texas amid book bannings and controversial curriculum decisions.

Pros: I really enjoyed the different styles that the chapters were written in. My favorite being the "The Parts... Plays" chapters. These did a lot to sum up the complexity of each character, how they play so many roles for the different people in their lives. Each of these roles is highly influenced by race, socioeconomic status, and birthplace, etc. The way these chapters are presented adds so much depth to the story, and I really enjoyed that.

Con: In the initial setup up I would have liked to experience or be shown more of how we concluded that the teacher was racist. Don't misunderstand me here: she absolutely is, and Yuli is absolutely being kept from things that would reward her for her talent because she is not white. BUT I wanted to see that happen on the page, even experience Yuli coming to the conclusion on the page. I think when we interact with racism, there is typically a "spidey sense" about it that makes it very obvious, but in a book, that doesn't come across as well.

I think Jasminne did an amazing job of capturing life for a young girl of color in predominantly white spaces, and although I don't think this is a book that would help White folks understand what that is like (unless this is something they read with an adult and talk through some of the more complex topics), I do believe it is a book that will help other young BIPOC kids feel seen and less alone. As a not-so-young woman of color, there were so many moments in this where it felt like I was reliving my own childhood experiences, and though emotional for me, I appreciated that!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yulieta Lopez dreams of becoming a theatre star and performing on Broadway. Unfortunately, the backwards, restrictive, and racist Texas community in which she lives refuses to see the potential Yuli has inside. Despite practicing hard all summer and nailing her audition, Yuli is cast as the understudy to the lead role, who is to be played by a stereotypical Southern Belle with blonde hair and fair skin. Snide comments, inappropriate requests, and an overall disregard for equity threaten to turn Yuli away from her dreams for good. But luckily, with a supportive family and friends, Yuli finds a way to build herself the table she was never invited to join. This emotional story is told in the first person from Yuli’s perspective, which gives readers clear insight into the ways in which every microaggression Yuly receives lands in her body and her spirit. Written in a poetic style, the novel vascillates between verse, text messages, and play scripts depending on the context and whose voices are involved. This approach, coupled with the overall layout of the book in acts rather than chapters, reinforces the connection Yuli has to theatre as a focal point of her life. Descriptive, lyrical phrasing paints a vivid picture of Yuli’s environment, and the transition Yuli undergoes from being a passive observer to an active participant is distinct and memorable. Readers who have ever felt ostracized, particularly as a result of their skin tone, will empathize deeply with Yuli’s plight, and people with the ability to make a change will feel inspired to do so upon completion of this book. Accessible, honest, and important, this novel delivers a clear and unapologetic look at the intrinsic biases in the United States that are preventing forward progress, especially in the arts. This is a thought-provoking and insightful addition to library collections for young adults and older readers, alike.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yuli López is finding out who she wants to be and who she refuses to become. She will not be reduced to “angry Black girl” as she learns how to harness her fire with the help of a chorus of role models — her mother, her aunt, her favorite playwright, her favorite teacher and her seemingly fearless big brother.

When her high school drama teacher cannot imagine her in the lead role of Our Town, Yuli feels the limits others place on her. In Mr. González’s classroom she and her friends finally find a place that feels safe, surrounded by voices that reflect their own. In times of mounting pressure and uncertainty, she clings to Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. In Shange’s characters, she recognizes her own possibilities and hears echoes of her own values and upbringing.

When the board removes Mr. González’s books by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and enby writers, she and her friends begin to plan. Guided by her brother’s encouragement, she is able to name their performative protest: guerilla theater. Capture an audience when they least expect it, before defenses are up, where they can’t look away, or deny the truth of the performance and power of the words.

Told in a blend of poetry and prose, the novel follows Yuli as she writes, performs, and organizes. She wrestles with her anger, learning how it threatens to consume her and how it might also carry her forward. Yuli is a light that shines even when others try to dim it. She’s a teenager who knows what it means to stumble, to test and protest, and to again burn bright.

Thank you Jasminne Méndez for Yuli’s story; Dial Books and Penguin Young Readers Group for publishing it; and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

[Deborah Zeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yulieta Lopez is furious. Furious at her drama teacher who won’t cast Black students in lead roles. Furious at the school board for targeting her favorite teacher over “controversial” books. Furious that her only escape plan is to stay quiet until she can finally leave Texas behind.

Yuli knows how to play her parts well—the obedient daughter, the selfless girl who always puts others first. But when her anger starts to burn brighter than her fear, silence is no longer an option. Fueled by righteous rage, Yuli and her friends launch a guerrilla theatre group that shakes up their school and sparks real conversation. And as the curtain rises, Yuli steps into the role she was always meant to play—her own.

This was an incredible foray into YA Novel in Verse. However it wasn't just NiV, it had some prose and some parts were written like a play, with stage directions included. I read it in one sitting and want to go back and reread it again. Yuli's passion for fighting for what she believes in, while trying to squash her anger and fire builds across the pages so much so that as the reader I could feel her frustration at not being able to express her voice, her desire to be seen. Mendez addresses so many issues that kids and teachers are facing in Texas, especially book bans. She nailed exactly how Ss/Ts feel about the suppression of their voices and how others think their voices are the only ones that matter. I had never heard of guerilla theater before and found it a very intriguing way to share one's voice.

This is another of my top ten for the year. I cannot wait for it to come out and add it to the collection.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel in verse. Yuli is of Dominican descent, and lives in Texas. Her great passion is theater, but no matter how brilliant she is in auditions, the drama teacher will never give her--or any of her BIPOC friends--a lead role. That makes Yuli angry, like many things. She's angry that the drama teacher asks her and the only other Black girl in the play to straighten their hair for the show. She's angry that a viciously mean white girl, Lana, always gets the lead role and never gets in trouble for the racist things she says--and laughs about. When her favorite teacher, Mr. Gonzalez, has his classroom library confiscated because the books are "dangerous"--including a book that Yuli loved so much, the teacher gave it to her and she carries it always ("For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf")--Yuli is incandescent with rage. People are always telling her to calm down, but is that really the answer? Is there any way she can find that she can let her rage out in a positive way that makes a difference in the world?

This really gets to the heart of the racist things Yuli--and so many kids like her--must cope with on a daily basis. And what a lot of kids not like her are also dealing with, when it comes to the ludicrous, power-grabbing book bans going on in this country. I loved that Yuli had such good friends and such a supportive family, and a wonderful teacher who had to fight every day for the kids he valued and helped so much. I hope this book gives some kids ideas for ways to non-violently fight back when things like this happen in their own lives. Thanks to Libro.FM for a free educator copy of the audiobook.

[Mikayla Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of My Anger is a powerful novel with a combination of poetry, prose, and scenes written as play scripts. This is Yulieta Lopez’s story, or Yuli as she is called. Yuli struggles with the inherent and blatant racism around her as an Afro-Latina teen in Texas and the choking anger she feels as a result. Though there are many battles being faced and fought in this book, the main one is the fact that the school board is trying to ban books that they have deemed “controversial,” which her favorite teacher Mr. Gonzalez teaches. These are diverse books that show all students that their voices matter, and that they are important and deserving. Yuli is inspired by her parents’ activism in the past and her brother’s current activism at his university to form a social justice and guerilla theatre group to use art as a form of activism and fight to stop the book bans. I love stories that are formatted uniquely like this, and I felt that it contributed beautifully to the message and Yuli’s story to incorporate sections in verse and play scripts. I also loved how Spanish was intermixed naturally in the dialogue. This story is so important because it shows how truly destructive book banning is (it is directly telling certain types of people that their voices don’t matter and should be silenced). It also emphasizes the importance of taking up space and owning the parts of you that make you who you are, standing up to those who are abusing their power, and the necessity of causing “good trouble.”

[Amaris Castillo]

The tone of Jasminne Mendez’s YA debut, 'The Story of My Anger,' is set ablaze in the prologue.

“My name is Yulieta Lopez

and this is the story of my anger,

and how it became

a five-alarm fire I tried

to smother silent…”

Yulieta doesn’t want to play the part of an angry Black girl. But there’s a lot happening around the Texas teen that boils her blood. Yuli is angry about her racist drama teacher who looks over Black students for lead roles. She is angry that her favorite teacher and his livelihood are being threatened over the literature works he introduces to her and her peers. Soon, this fury erupts and Yulieta decides to take action.

'The Story of My Anger' (out now from Dial Books) is a powerful novel-in-verse about the need to find and use your voice, and it’s one that will connect with women of color who are used to navigating difficult and unwelcome spaces. Yuli’s anger is palpable, and rightfully so. Mendez, herself a poet and playwright, brings a crystal-clear authenticity to her protagonist and the complicated world of high school theater. The threads about book banning and tensions between students and administrators is very timely for the climate we’re in, which in turns deepens the story further.

Ahead of the book’s release, Mendez spoke with the Dominican Writers Association about writing about anger, book banning, and much more. You can read our full conversation here: https://www.dominicanwriters.org/post...

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This YA novel tells the story of Yulieta, an Afro-Latina who lives in a Texas town where being anything but white and straight brings about intolerance.

Yuli’s anger begins at not being cast for any main roles in school plays because she doesn’t “look the part”. Then her beloved teacher has books removed from his classroom because they are deemed inappropriate. So Yuli channels her anger into activism to see if she can bring about change to the bigotry and racism that is running rampant through their school and community.

The novel is told in a variety of styles from lyrical prose to a script. It really adds to the urgency of some of the scenes and the author did a beautiful job with it. I liked that it highlighted several marginalized groups and book banning which seems to be gaining in popularity recently. I will be recommending this to my teenage students.

This novel really hit me hard as I’m a brown girl (South Asian) who was also told the same thing by my drama teacher in high school. It made me SO sad and I pretty much realized that acting wasn’t in the cards for me… until I went to college and I was cast as a lead in the play where my cousin was blonde, my uncle was brown and the lead male was white and the story was set in colonial times. That director didn’t care about race, only who was right for the role. If only he knew what that meant to me.

Take time to read the author’s note at the end. It’s worth it.

Thank you to @penguinteen @penguinrandomhouse @netgalley for a #gifted early digital copy of this book. Perfect read for Latin Heritage Month and Banned Books Week

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The theater is the one place where I can hear myself think. The one place where anything and anyone is possible. The one place where I believe in magic.”
🎭
Yuli is angry. Her drama teacher is racist, her favorite teacher’s books are getting banned, and she’s forced to stay quiet for fear of being seen as the angry Black girl in her conservative Texas town. When Yuli and her friends start a guerrilla theater social justice club they make some headway until the fire of Yuli’s rage grows and can no longer be contained. This gets Yuli suspended, but she decides to speak at the school board meeting, finally using her voice to fight injustice.
🗣️
This is a YA novel in verse debut by @jasminnemendez and I cannot praise it enough. The mix of poetry, conversations, and drama scripts will appeal to all different types of readers. So many students will see themselves and their story on these pages. Mendez does a great job of showing how to channel rage in a healthy way and the ending was very realistic. In these awful days of book banning, more racist actions occurring and fearful news it’s books like these that give us hope. This one is perfect for fans of I Am Not Your Mexican Daughter, The Poet X and This Book Won’t Burn. This novel releases September 16.

CW: racism, racial slurs, physical assault, microaggressions, censorship, death of a parent (off page), police brutality, chronic illness, medical content

[Pat Trattles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book with the intention of only reading a chapter or two but once I started I couldn’t put it down. Chores took a back seat and I finished reading it in a matter of a few hours. The novel in verse style interspersed with play script format was perfect for telling Yuli’s story. A Black Latina student in a predominately white school she only feels seen in her English class where Mr. G. has filled his classroom library with a selection of diverse books which he has integrated into his curriculum to broaden minds and expose students to stories from other traditions. But when the school board boxes up all those books and carts them away Yuli and a few friends decide to act. While the political message was a bit heavy handed at times Mendez powerfully showed that all students are enough regardless of their individual identities. The one downfall of this otherwise perfect novel was the use of the F-bomb throughout. Its use adds absolutely nothing to the text. It is an unnecessary filler word and I am at a loss to understand why today’s authors insist on using it. But that’s how people talk you say. True, but they also use um, you know, like etc. and any author who wrote those fillers into their dialog would find their books quickly put into the DNF pile. For this reason I am only able to give 4 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Glenda Nelms · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Everything's bigger/in Texas,/except the straight white Texan's ability/to imagine a world where they are not/the center of the universe,/which is why, I think, they keep making laws/and they keep changing the rules/to keep the rest of us "in our place"/to keep the rest of us/small."

The story of my anger is the 1st Jasminne Mendez book that I read. it's emotional, timely and powerful. Written in verse, it follows Yulieta and her fight against racism and book banning at her school. Yulieta loves theater but who struggles to control her rage in the face of unfair casting, a racist school environment, and a school board that is determined to keep Yuli's beloved books out of her favorite teacher's classroom. There's a diverse cast of characters in the story: Yuli is Black-Latine, Aleeyah is Black, Mr. Gonzalez is Hispanic/Mexican, and Madison is non-binary.

The theatre director even asks Yuli and Aleeyah if they would straighten their hair because all those curls are too much for the stage. Also fueling Yuli’s anger is the sudden removal of all the books in Mr. Gonzalez’s classroom and the eventual suspension of the Mexican teacher of English and Ethics Studies. Yuli and several like-minded students form a social justice club called ACT Now, Activism-Collaboration-Transformation. I'm looking forward to buying this book next month.

[Janelle Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of My Anger is a very timely book that will leave readers feeling empowered. It tackles themes of social justice, identity, censorship and power in a manner that young adults can easily understand and relate to. Though this book is labeled as a “novel in verse”, Jasminne Mendez does a brilliant job playing with storytelling structures throughout the book including poetry, prose and playwriting which all blend into a beautiful and engaging flow of the story.

The main character Yuli is a junior in high school balancing her role at home as a daughter of a parent with a chronic illness and the younger sister of a brother who is an activist on his college campus. In school, Yuli is also learning how to advocate for herself and her friends as they experience challenges of being seen and valued within the Drama Club. Yuli goes on a journey of transforming her anger into power and using theater as activism when her favorite teacher Mr. G and his curriculum is targeted by the school board.

What I appreciate the most about The Story of My Anger is that it gives an honest depiction of activism. Mendez leaves readers with tangible steps they can take at any age to fight against systems of oppression, racism, censorship, etc. but also gives honest insights about the challenges, frustrations and long road ahead of social justice work.