Fresh Ink: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology

by Lamar Giles (editor)

In partnership with We Need Diverse Books, thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors come together in this remarkable YA anthology featuring ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print.

Careful--you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written--whose next chapters are up to you.

Because these stories are meant to be read. And shared.

Thirteen of the most accomplished YA authors deliver a label-defying anthology that includes ten short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play. This collection will inspire you to break conventions, bend the rules, and color outside the lines. All you need is fresh ink.

Genres: Short Stories, Young Adult, Anthologies, Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT, Audiobook

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2018

About the author

Lamar "L. R." Giles writes books for teens and adults. FAKE ID, his debut Young Adult Thriller, will be published by HarperCollins in 2014. He is represented by Jamie Weiss Chilton of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and resides in Chesapeake, VA with his wife.

Reviews

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I’m a cis, extremely white passing reviewer. I have been able to see myself in literature and media my entire life, regardless of how much my Filipino culture means to me and how proud of it I am. So even though all of these stories are ownvoices, this review you are about to read is not. After publication, I will feature some actual ownvoices reviews here because this anthology was created to support and boost diverse and marginalized voices, therefore we should also be supporting and boosting diverse and marginalized reviewers. (If you’re a PoC who would like to have your review listed on mine, please DM me on any platform!)

“It became pretty freaking clear that, book after book, adventure after adventure, the heroes weren’t like me at all. I don’t mean short and moderately athletic with severe seasonal allergies, because I’m aware those traits might hinder one’s ability to save the city/world/galaxy. I mean black boys. More often than not, if I ran across a character who shared my race and gender in a book he was a gross stereotype, comic relief, token sidekick, or, depending on genre (I’m looking at you, science fiction, fantasy, and horror), there to die so the real hero could fight another day.”

Next, friends, this was amazing. Like, go get your preorders ready. This is so worth every single penny. And if you have some extra money, maybe you’d be interested to donating to We Need Diverse Books as well. And hopefully one day we will live in a world where every child can easily see themselves in all media. And the first step to that is showing the world how important books like Fresh Ink are, and how these stories are quite literally life-changing.

This book has so much! Black stories, Asian stories, Native stories, Persian stories, Latinx stories, Muslim stories, Bi stories, Trans stories! Contemporary stories, play acts, fantasy stories, historical stories, sweet stories, heavy stories, superhero stories! And every single one is ownvoices. What a damn blessing in 2018. I’m not sure I’ve ever been as proud reviewing a book as I am reviewing Fresh Ink.

My personal favorites were Meet Cute by Malinda Lo, Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan, One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz , and Super Human by Nicola Yoon, but I promise there is so much to love on every single page of this anthology. I have no word combination to let you all know how powerful and amazing this collection is.

I'm going to break down each short story with my thoughts, opinions, and individual star rating!

➽ Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds - ★★★★
This was so beautifully written, and it was able to evoke so many emotions from me despite this being so short. This is a story about a girl and boy who have grown up together, and who having fallen in love over the years, having to say goodbye because one of them is moving away. But while the girl and her family are moving, we also get to see a white family moving in and their disregard for the black family packing up and leaving the home they’ve known for most their lives. This was a perfect opener to this collection.

➽ Meet Cute by Malinda Lo - ★★★★★
This was perfection in every single way. Like, to genderbend and racebend cosplays, to living that constantly queer life of always questioning if the person you are currently flirting with is also queer, to all the nerdy references, to the call out of me never being able to hide my blushing, to the feeling of claustrophobia and anxiousness in hectic crowd settings. This felt like a love letter to myself in every way, and it was easily the story I most connected to. This also has such an important discussion about “geek culture” and how toxic it can be, and how gross dudes can be towards girls. And this story stars two girls whose paths happen to cross at a convention center, while a big storm causes the power to go out. And if you like The X-Files and Star Trek, you have to buy this anthology for this story alone! I can’t stop smiling just thinking about this one. I loved it. And give me all the w/w stories! Masterpiece.

➽ Don’t Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth - ★★★★
This was an amazing short story, that packed such a powerful punch. We follow a Native boy who lives on a reservation but is forced to go to a Junior High where he is in the vast minority. This story talks about how some people of color are more white passing, or people who are biracial, or how some choose to hide their heritage, and how some stand out now regardless of their wants or wishes. This also heavily talks about how white is the norm in most classrooms, and how hurtful that can be to teens who are proud of who they are and their beautiful not white skin color.

➽ Be Cool for Once by Aminah Mae Safi - ★★★★★
Friends, this was just written completely captivating for me. The conversations, the setting, the feeling of having a crush, this was just such an accurate depiction of my high school experience, and I loved it. I legit giggled tears over the Anne Boleyn conversation. Also, full disclosure here, my first kiss was at a similar concert experience as this, so this story was just completely perfect for me. All the feels. And this story’s main character is a Muslim-American teen whose parents immigrated to The United States, and the boy she is crushing over stated that his grandparents immigrated to The United States. After reading this, I instantly added Not the Girls You're Looking for to my TBR, because this was such an addicting read! I truly fell in love with this author’s writing

➽ Tags by Walter Dean Myers - ★★★★★
This was beyond words powerful. This story is told by one act in a play that I wish the world could actually see. We get to see four boys recounting the reason they died, while hoping their tags will keep them remembered. Systemic oppression is highlighted in this story, and how we allow black men and women to die because of the broken cycles we’ve never abolished. It’s a different kind of slavery, and police brutality and internalized racism enforce it. This script evoked so much emotion from me, and seeing these young men’s stories cross is something I don’t even have words for. Seriously, this is a must read. Not just from this collection, but from all the works being published in 2018. Also, I’m reporting this with a very heavy heart, but the author of this story passed away a few years ago. But I am forever thankful that his beautiful work was still incorporated into this anthology.

➽ Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan - ★★★★★
This story has a Persian bi main character, and I’ve never felt so blessed. This w/w romance was also the damn cutest. Yasi also has anxiety and is feeling a little anxious to come out to her Grandmother, who immigrated to the United States from Iran seventeen-years-ago. And every Friday night, Yasi has dinner with her, and on this particular Friday, she asks her to teach her how to cook. She then spends the next two months learning everything her grandmother knows, while also not being sure how to come out. You all, this story had the best one liners in the collection. The beautiful writing and important messages were the perfect combination. ”You don’t apologize for who you are.” And the ending was the cutest thing I’ve ever read. All the happy years. This was such a bright shining light in this collection. I loved this with my entire heart.

➽ A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel José Older - ★★★
This one had a little more difficult of a learning curve I think, just because it felt like such a fantastic, SFF world. But I still really enjoyed this one, with a Latinx main character, and I also think there was a very important discussion on how white people have stolen/taken a lot of things from people of color and try to make it their own, while also stealing credit. I also really liked how this was so very different than everything else in this anthology.

➽ A Boy’s Duty by Sharon G. Flake - ★★★
I really enjoyed this historical story that starred a black homeless boy, who’s trying to not give up on his dreams or his love for astronomy. And even though this story has its sweet moments, it was a very heavy one, too. From just reading a book about a homeless kid, to seeing everyday racism, to learning about a side character who is grieving the worst loss in this world. This was able to evoke a lot of emotions from me. And honestly? This is the type of story you read and immediately want to go out in the world and do better.

➽ One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz - ★★★★★
I loved this short story so very much. This story centers around a string of hate crimes that are happening on Stanford’s campus, and we get to see how it’s impacting a Filipina girl whose family was undocumented. This story talks heavily on the privilege that white and white passing people take for granted when they are doing something as simple as walking back to their dorms. How white people can use police and “authority figures” as a convenience, where people of color not only can’t, but they feel more afraid of what will happen if they speak out. And this story perfectly talks about how hard it is to reclaim your space once it has been violated and deemed unsafe. And this also even discusses how we sexualize Asian woman and how so many men fetishize them. Like I said above, I am so very white passing, but this is a book about a Filipina girl studying microbiology, what I got my degree in at UofM. Like, I knew from the first page I was going to completely love this novella the most in this collection. But as I read, I realized how I wish I could give this short story to every student and make it required reading. This was a masterpiece, and now I feel like such a fool for never reading Melissa de la Cruz before. Beautiful, important, and completely moving.

➽ Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang - ★★
I loved how a graphic work was incorporated into this anthology, but I just didn’t completely love this one. But I did appreciate it starting out with a D&D campaign. I also think this one didn’t pack a punch like all the rest in the collection, but it’s about a Japanese boy wanting to play as a Samurai in his D&D campaign, but his DM will only allow them to be one of five classes (which is absurd!), so he is trying to get to be a Paladin. But… that’s just the DM being bad, because Paladins and Samurais are nothing alike. Just because they both use melee weapons? I’m sorry, I really wanted to love this!

➽ Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar - ★★★★★
Schuyler Bailar is the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer. He was first recruited in 2013 to Harvard’s Women Swimming and Diving team, but after his transition he was recruited to the men’s team. And his success is such an inspiration that I honestly was crying reading his Wiki. And just knowing this makes this story even more beautiful and powerful. This story is about a trans boy who has finally come out to his school via Facebook and is now having his first day on his school’s swim team as a boy. And with that comes a brand new locker room, and new reactions from his peers. TW/CW for bullying, hate speech, transphobic slurs, use of dead name (all of these are challenged, and none are in a positive light, but it can be hard to read). This was easily one of my favorites stories in the collection, even though an ethnicity and/or culture is never brought up, but the author is a PoC.

➽ Super Human by Nicola Yoon - ★★★★★
This was probably the most perfect concluding story to any anthology every. Nicola Yoon just teleports me with her writing every time, and I need a full-length story to this immediately. Oh my gosh! But this is a powerful story about how no black person is safe from police brutality in America, not even superheroes. And one black girl unfolds the story, and has her eyes opened. This story is so relevant, so important, and is honestly a short masterpiece. I loved this so much, and it is such a shining star in this collection. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to fall in love with it.

Out of a possible 60 stars (5 stars possible for each of the 12 stories) this collection accumulated 51 stars (85%). But these numbers mean nothing, because Fresh Ink means more to me than any amount of math. This collection is so damn important, and I truly believe is life changing. This a five star read, and I implore you all to preorder and request at your libraries! Everyone deserves to see themselves and their experiences represented in book., and Fresh Ink is the anthology that the world needs.

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The quote above was taken from an ARC and is subject to change upon publication.

[jv poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this feels like I got to choose some of my favorite authors and ask each to tell me a story. I loved that the collection included a play as well as a graphic-short. While every story stood on its own, with unique subjects and topics, the thread of authentic brilliance brings them together beautifully.

I loved it so much, I've donated Fresh Ink to two of my favorite HS classrooms.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

More often than not, if I ran across a character who shared my race and gender in a book he was a gross stereotype, comic relief, token sidekick, or, depending on the genre (I’m looking at you, science fiction, fantasy, and horror), there to die so the real hero could fight another day.

I love anthologies, and I love getting the opportunity to promote authors of color and diverse books, so as soon as I learned that the co-founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement was editing this anthology, I had to grab it—and I am so happy that I did.

Before I get into the full breakdown, I’d like to give shout-outs to a few of my favorites from the collection, which were Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan, which gave me all of the happy cutesy feels; One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz, which broke my heart in the best way; and Super Human by Nicola Yoon, which reminded me that even bullet-proof superheroes are capable of having their hearts broken by this world.

→ Eraser Tattoo — Jason Reynolds ★★★★☆ ←
“No. We were five. That ain’t count. You told everybody you loved them back then. You used to kiss your juice boxes after you drank them and tell the straw the same thing.”

What an absolutely precious beginning to the anthology: a teen couple swapping eraser tattoos and memories before one of them is uprooted to another state with her family. Not only is this story hilarious, sweet, and a little bit of a tearjerker, but it also takes a moment to show the microaggressions black individuals face in even quiet moments, like the general disregard and rudeness the characters are treated with by the white couple moving into Shay’s former home. I already knew I’d love anything Jason wrote for this collection, but this was honestly the most wonderful beginning to the book.

Rep: black

→ Meet Cute — Malinda Lo ★★★★☆ ←
That was the problem with being queer. You should never assume, but if you didn’t assume, you had to ask. And asking directly was so hard to do.

Okay, no lie, this geeky little f/f story about a fandom convention just about made me squeal because one of the girls is cosplaying as a black Agent Scully, and I grew up the biggest X-Files fan, so… I was automatically dying over the little inside jokes and references. I’m not a Trekkie at all, but Malinda Lo goes easy enough on those bits that I didn’t feel like I was “missing the joke” or anything, and these girls are just so damn cute and geeky. There’s also some important internal monologuing about how hard it is to be a queer person in the dating world, especially when you don’t know if the person you’re into is queer, too! While the title for this story is perfect, it’s not insta-lovey at all, and overall, my geeky little queer heart was just so here for this one! ♥

Rep: Asian-american, black, f/f

→ Don’t Pass Me By — Eric Gansworth ★★★★☆ ←
“This color,” I said, tapping the box of Flesh on his desk. “Its name doesn’t cover everyone.”

After how cute and sweet the first two stories were, this one took me by surprise with how heavy and sad it was: a narrative of a seventh-grade Native boy in a school full of white kids in the 70s, where he has to deal not only with microaggressions and outright racism, but also the fact that of the few other Native kids in his school, many of them are light-skinned and “passing” enough to shun him, too. He stands up for himself and it is such an empowering story, but it also hit me really hard on a personal note. My grandmother (rest her soul) was half-Native, and not white passing. I remember stories she told me about feeling excluded because of her skin color or her features, and how disconnected and erased she felt from her culture in a country that has tried so hard to forget Native people. It absolutely breaks my heart that Native people have been cast aside so much, and for so long, but stories like this—and like hers—truly need to be told.

Rep: Native

→ Be Cool for Once — Aminah Mae Safi ★★★★☆ ←
Biohazard: may cause heart to burst.

This wasn’t my favorite story so far, but it was super cute, and it perfectly captured the joys of concert-going for music-loving teens, so that alone was fantastic. It features a Muslim girl and her best friend, who run into the main character’s crush at a concert and she’s forced to face down her long-held secret feelings for him. Not only is there some cute lesbian rep on the side with her best friend, but the whole scene is really sweet and humorous. There are several references to Islamic practices, too, which I found so interesting and precious. ♥

Rep: Muslim, Japanese, f/f (side characters)

→ Tags — Walter Dean Myers ★★★★☆ ←
“We got our tags on the wall and people can see we were real, and they’re thinking about us. But we ain’t resting because we got to stay ahead of people cleaning the walls.”

This is a unique piece of the collection, as it’s actually a play, and man, did this one hit me hard. It’s a story of a few dead young black men, tagging walls in the afterlife as they discuss their memorials, how they died, and how they keep their own memories alive with their tags. There’s a devastating twist at the end, and a lot of subtle commentary on the way a corrupted and damaged “justice” system terrifies and warps the psyches of marginalized individuals, particularly black men. When I finished reading the story and realized where I knew the name from, and remembered that this author actually passed away a few years ago, it added some sort of extra heartbreak to think that even in his seventies, Walter was still having to write about the same injustices and cruelty he’d witnessed his entire life.

Rep: black

→ Why I Learned to Cook — Sara Farizan ★★★★★ ←
“You never apologize for taking up space, Yasaman.”

Okay, this might have been THE cutest, sweetest, and happiest story so far. Yasaman is a young Iranian bi girl who wants to introduce her girlfriend to her immigrant grandmother, but has been too scared to do so. In hopes of preparing herself for the big event, she has her grandmother teach her how to cook vegetarian versions of authentic Persian foods, and the entire story is just filled with grandmother/granddaughter bonding and important lessons about never apologizing for who you are and what your culture is. With how much I miss my own grandmother, I’m such a sucker for grandmotherly figures in stories, so this actually brought a few happy tears to my eyes! ♥

Rep: Iranian, f/f

→ A Stranger at the Bochinche — Daniel José Older ★★☆☆☆←
He let another silent prayer rise inside him, the one said to call on one’s warrior spirits before battle, and we gathered in the thick air around him.

Sadly, this is the first story I haven’t enjoyed in this collection, and I genuinely did not like it at all. It’s a sci-fi short, but it doesn’t feel like a short story; instead, it felt like I was just reading a passage taken out of context from a larger novel. There’s no explanation to any of the action going on, you’re just dumped right into the center of it, and I had no chance of connecting with the plot or characters in any way. There’s war, rival groups, guardian spirits, and suddenly, aliens? It didn’t work for me.

Rep: Latinx

→ A Boy’s Duty — Sharon G. Flake ★★★☆☆ ←
What’s a boy’s duty to himself?

Unfortunately, this historical fiction story made two in a row that I just couldn’t quite connect to; while the last one was “too much”, this one was just a mixture of boring and plotless. A young man sits in a café, observing the people around him and thinking about his father’s farm, the thieving boys he’s friends with, and his dreams of joining the Navy and becoming a sailor during WWII. There’s just not much of anything going on, the characters are mostly wholly unlikable, and I wasn’t a fan, sadly.

Rep: black

→ One Voice: A Something in Between Story — Melissa de la Cruz ★★★★★ ←
I wanted America to want me because I was already a part of the fabric of the country.

My god, you guys… this story is heavy and relevant and so, so good. The narrator is a Stanford student whose family moved to California from the Philippines when she was a child, and she lives in constant fear of deportation. She talks about how she didn’t know her documentation wasn’t proper until she applied for college, and she had to jump through hoops to be allowed to stay, including forfeiting her rights to a scholarship she had worked hard to earn. The plot of the story follows her throughout a few days at her college in which racial slurs are spray painted on buildings and vehicles, and she laments the fact that her white-passing boyfriend isn’t able to understand why she feels so unsafe at their school. It’s just a tremendously sad and realistic depiction of something that so many people in the US are going through right now, and if there is one story in this collection so far that I find to be the most relevant to 2018’s sociopolitical climate, it’s this one.

Rep: Filipinx, black, latinx

→ Paladin/Samurai — Gene Luen Yang ★★★☆☆ ←

This little story is told through a comic strip, which is a neat addition to the anthology and a fun break from the standard text formatting. It’s about a Japanese-American teen who faces erasure from his group of friends while playing Swords and Spells (essentially D&D). While it’s a cute short, I wish more had taken place to address what legitimately jerks his friends were being, instead of it being swept under the rug at the end.

Rep: Japanese

→ Catch, Pull, Drive — Schuyler Bailar ★★★★★ ←
Beneath the surface, I am not the girl everyone says I’m supposed to be—in fact, I’m not even sure I’m a person. I’m just swimming. I am a singular action, proof that I am alive and powerful.

Oh my god, I love this story so much! It’s a first-person narrative of a trans teen who is at his first swim meet after coming out to his team and all his friends. There are a lot of transphobic terms and homophobic slurs in this one, so trigger warnings abound, but it’s such a beautiful narrative. It meant even more to me once I found out that the author is a swimmer himself, and more than that, is the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer ever and the first publicly outed trans men to compete in any NCAA men’s sport! He’s kind of my new hero. The last thing I want to point out about this story is that it also features some amazing parental love and acceptance regarding his coming out, which was so sweet. ♥ (Side note: This is the first story in the collection to not make any reference to the protagonist’s race, so I didn’t mention that in the “rep” section below, but the author is Korean-American.)

Rep: trans

→ Super Human — Nicola Yoon ★★★★★ ←
Always the wrong place. Always the wrong time. A country that did not value his life.

Okay, this story… I knew Nicola’s story would be good. I don’t think her novels are perfect, but she has a way of writing that is always capable of hitting me hard, and I expected this to be no exception, but I didn’t think it would break my heart so much. It tells the story of a seventeen-year-old black girl who is sent to attempt to reason with X, nicknamed the “Black Superman”, who has decided to forsake his humanity-saving tactics in favor of wiping out the population instead. When she learns what changed his mind, it’s absolutely shattering. I’m choking up just writing this review, thinking about the society that I live in and how utterly and completely broken this system is. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, only because this is a story that you need to soak in, to allow it to hit you in the chest the way it did for me, but I will say that it was the perfect ending to this anthology, and I will carry it with me.

Rep: black

FINAL AVERAGE RATING: 4.0/5
My star ratings for each individual story averaged out to a perfect 4 out of 5, but honestly, this is the best anthology I’ve read in my life. It is so poignant, and haunting, and gorgeous, and solidly written, that I have to bump it up to 5 stars. It deserves nothing less. ♥

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Crown Books for Young Readers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

!! NOW AVAILABLE !!

Sometimes I wonder where I've been,
Who I am,
Do I fit in.
I may not win,
But I can't be thrown,
Out here on my own,
Out here on my own
-- Out Here on My Own, Irene Cara, Songwriters: Lesley Gore / Michael Gore

Lamar Giles, editor of this YA anthology, and in partnership with We Need Diverse Books wanted, wants more stories about diversity, more stories where more people can see themselves, especially for our youth. In his youth, he says in the Foreword, that “book after book, adventure after adventure, the heroes weren’t like me at all. For him as a child, that meant more stories featuring black boys who were not portrayed as a stereotype of one kind or another. Still, that didn’t just apply to him, and when he or one of his friends found a story that they could find themselves in, it reinforced their love of reading. With that in mind, this collection includes heroes of all kinds, for all kinds of young-adult readers. There are ten short stories, one is a graphic short story, and a one-act play.

Eraser Tattoo – Jason Reynolds

A story about young love, a boy, Dante, and girl, Shay, who have grown up, more or less, together in Brooklyn, ”alive, full of sounds and smells” and they must say goodbye. The girl, along with her family, is moving away. Eraser-tattoos are exchanged as a reminder of their love.

Meet Cute - Malinda Lo

At the Denver Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, in line for a preview screening of Queen of the East, Nic sees a young girl, red wig, black pantsuit, FBI badge get in line behind her, looking angrily at her cell phone, texting, and asks her if Mulder pissed her off. The girl scowls more, asking who she is, then, as though she’s just realized, says ”Gender-flipped Sulu?” Cosplay, Star-Trek, X-Files and a power failure make for an entertaining story.

Don’t Pass Me By - Eric Gansworth

“This color,” I said, tapping the box of Flesh on his desk. “Its name doesn’t cover everyone.”

A young Native American boy living on a reservation has to attend a Jr. High comprised of mostly white students. 900 white kids, a handful of black kids, a few kids who were a blend of races, and one other Native American kid. He tries to make others understand how their avoiding recognizing who he is makes him feel .

Be Cool for Once - Aminah Mae Safi

A Muslim-American teen girl and the boy-in-the-band she is crushing on, her parents immigrated to the U.S. His grandparents were immigrants. A crush. School supplies and first kisses.

Tags - Walter Dean Myers 5 stars

A one act play with four boys, “Big Eddie” Jones, aka “SMOKE” 17; Willie Jiminez, 16 aka “2-SOON/121”; D’Mario Thompson, aka “DATRUF”; Frank Watkins, 17, aka “J-BOY”

It’s Willie’s first night in this new state-of-being, their new objective – to keep their tags looking good, it is their memorial, the way to keep their memories alive to others, to be remembered. If you only read one story in this anthology, make it this one.

Why I Learned to Cook - Sara Farizan 5 Stars

Yasi is Persian, bi-sexual, and is still in the giddy stages of early love with Hannah when Hannah declares she would like to be invited to Friday night dinner with Yasi’s grandmother. Yasi’s been learning to cook the delicious meals her grandmother prepares, all the while trying to get up the nerve to share more about who she is, sexually, to her grandmother. A lovely message, with a sweet ending.

A Stranger at the Bochinche - Daniel José Older

A beautifully written, if strange story. A stranger in a bar, the mysterious appearance of overwhelming smoke, and a missing notebook that holds secrets, designs for flying machines, rising fears that …things may become very dire indeed.”

A Boy’s Duty - Sharon G. Flake 5 Stars

His father blamed his teachers for giving him dreams that extended beyond the boundaries of their farm.

”But it was my father’s binoculars and the almanac that pulled me away from the farm first. It’s how I got the notion I wanted to be a mapmaker, plotting out every planet and star in the sky. Four years later, I’m sitting at the Lucky Linda Café, homeless.

Loss, homelessness, bittersweet and lovely.

One Voice - Melissa de la Cruz

It begins with a young Filipina girl’s car being tagged.

”A big middle finger and a particularly shocking phrase smack in the middle of my Monday morning, reminding me that—even at a prestigious cosmopolitan university, the one you had worked so hard to attend—someone will try to make you feel like you’re an imposter.”

In part, this is about the effect this has on this girl, how difficult it can be to reclaim that feeling of safety, where safety is your normal frame of mind, where walking across a parking lot or across a campus doesn’t make your heart leap in fear at each sound. In part, it is about the differences in relationships with the police or security / authority figures that non-white people have, vs. whites. In part, it tackles the way Asian women are viewed and objectified by men.

Paladin / Samurai - Gene Luen Yang

I’m not much for graphic stories, but I know there is an audience for this. This is about a young Japanese boy who wants to be a Samurai in his D&D campaign, but it is not allowed. Reading this on my kindle, since this is an ARC, the font is really tiny, about this big, so trying to read this was difficult for me.

Catch, Pull, Drive - Schuyler Bailar 5 Stars

It’s in those few sacred moments before he enters the school as a new person that he hesitates. Born female, but having just announced to the world via Facebook that from here on, he will now be male, and his new name is Tommy. The first thing he sees walking into the building are two doors marked with words that identify not just the doors, but the people who enter them. MEN. WOMEN.

This was written by the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer, per Wikipedia and thecrimson.com, as well as the first publicly documented NCAA D1 transgender man to compete as a man in any sport, he also served on the Transgender Visibility Panel to advocate for the “Trans Bill MA” before the Massachusetts State Senate.

Super Human - Nicola Yoon 5 Stars

“The Los Angeles Times headline the day after he saved her read: BLACK SUPERMAN SAVES GIRL which incites a flurry of commentaries, CNN decides he should be referred to as African American, another points out that if he was like Superman, he was ”…from another planet and therefore not human, never mind African or American.”

Meanwhile, two years passes, and the seventeen year-old black girl is convinced that she must be the one to reason with this “Black Superman” as he his vision of saving humanity has become darker, and he’s no longer sure they deserve saving.

Another one I loved, just enough superhero / fantasy story to appeal to a large group of people, with a story that was heartbreaking.

I’ve read other books by Nicola Yoon, and enjoyed her writing before, so I expected this to be good, and it surpassed my expectations.

Altogether, a fine collection of stories to enjoy and reflect on, and while this is targeted for Teens & YA, I think it could be enjoyed by almost all ages.

I haven’t rated all of these individually, but I’ve noted the ones I considered 5 Stars, but none are really less worthy, it’s just a matter of what types of stories you prefer. Overall, I consider this a 5 star collection.


Pub Date: 14 AUG 2018

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Children’s, Crown Books for Young Readers

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wish there was more of a variety of genres, but this was a great collection of short stories featuring diverse characters written by some of the biggest YA contemporary authors.

I think I expected more than just contemporary fiction stories because in the foreword, the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres are all specifically called out for their killing off of minority characters. However, the majority of these stories are contemporary with romance being a key plot point. Out of the twelve stories, there is one historical fiction, one sci-fi, and one fantasy story. Four of the contemporaries have a main focus of romance. Maybe I just needed a bit more of a mix and romance is my least favorite genre, so this was a disappointment. Regardless, some of these stories are very thought-provoking, some will make you feel emotional, and some are just great, relatable stories.

I especially appreciate that a one-act play and graphic short story were included in this collection. It's refreshing to see different formats of writing.

Now for the breakdown:

Eraser Tattoo by: Jason Reynolds
This was one of the more captivating of the contemporaries with a focus on romance. Shay is moving from her childhood home in Brooklyn to Wilmington leaving her first love Dante behind. She's giving him an eraser tattoo of her initial. There are small moments with big meanings behind them, like the white family moving into the home Shay's family is moving out of and the lack of respect they show.

Meet Cute by: Malinda Lo
Fans of X-Files or Star Trek will love this one. It is set at the Denver Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention and features a girl named Tamia cosplaying as a black Agent Scully and Nic is a gender-flipped Sulu. The power goes out during a storm and the two go looking for Nic's brother while wondering if the other is gay. It's cute. Again, romance isn't my thing. And I never watched X-Files or Star Trek, so the references weren't that exciting for me. This is probably more of a personal preference thing. I can see other readers really loving this one because, again, it was cute.

Don't Pass Me By by: Erik Gansworth

“This color,” I said, tapping the box of Flesh on his desk. “Its name doesn’t cover everyone.”

This was one that was powerful. A native American boy has to leave the reservation to attend a predominantly white junior high just beyond the border because the reservation school only goes up to 5th grade. The message present here is strong.

Be Cool For Once by: Aminah Mae Safi
Back to the contemporary romances... This one is set at a concert and features a Muslim American girl who sees the boy she likes and decides to tell him how she feels. Meh. This is one of my least favorites. And that's even with the "What fresh hell is this?" statement which is a direct line from the tv show Scream Queens. Even with that reference on top of the Anne Boleyn ones, I still wasn't into this one.

Tags by: Walter Dean Myers
This was definitely one of my favorites. In my top 3, for sure. No romance involved. This is the one-act play. Four boys are tagging walls. We find out they are dead and are tagging to be remembered. They discuss how they died.

Why I Learned To Cook by: Sara Farizan

"You don't apologize for who you are. I'm an old lady now and perhaps that doesn't mean much in the world we live in, but I exist and I shouldn't have to be sorry for that. As a woman, you have to know that. Don't ever apologize for who you are."

I enjoyed this more than the other contemporary romances so far. A Persian bi girl is learning to cook Persian food from her grandma and is nervous to introduce her girlfriend to her. This one was very sweet with a great message to it.

A Stranger at the Bochinche by: Daniel José Older
Here is the science fiction of the collection. Unfortunately, this one was lacking and is probably my least favorite of them all. This is merely for the confusion. It feels like an excerpt from a much longer book leaving me feeling like I'm missing tons of information about the world and characters. Thus, I felt like there was no science fiction in this collection at all because I want to forget about this one entirely. I was lost.

A Boy's Duty by: Sharon G. Flake
Set during WWII, Zakary leaves his father's farm to paint becoming homeless. He wants to join the Navy. He spends his time at Lucky Linda's Cafe, a 24/7 cafe where the owner doesn't quite approve of him being there. The owner's wife does what she can to help Zakary out. This one is sad, but also on the slow-moving side.

One Voice by: Melissa de la Cruz
This is one of the more topical of the stories in this collection. A girl attending Stanford's whole world shifts when racial slurs are graffitied on walls, cars, etc. She talks about discovering her family wasn't documented in the last year and the fears she faces. This one is powerful and is very relevant to today. I wasn't aware that this was a short story that takes place after the events of Something in Between, but it didn't harm my reading experience. If you are planning to read that book, maybe wait to read the short story after because it takes place afterward.

Paladin/Samurai Written by: Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by: Thien Pham
This is the graphic short story of the collection. Easy to read, and well-illustrated. This one has a group of friend playing Swords and Spells, which is the book's version of Dungeons and Dragons. The dungeon master won't let his Japanese friend call himself a samurai because it's not one of the 5 classes of the game. The DM insists he call himself a paladin. This one is really short and has a storyline involving the girl across the street tied in. I liked it for the message it carried.

Catch, Pull, Drive by: Schuyler Bailar
I really love this one. Also in my top 3. Set in 1st person, it tells the story of Tommy's first day on his swim team as a boy after having just come out as trans on Facebook. This was a very moving story. It captured Tommy's emotions very well.

Super Human by: Nicola Yoon
This was my favorite of the collection. This is also where the fantasy comes into play. X, the world's one and only superhero, has decided to give up on humanity and destroy it unless someone convinces him otherwise. The US sends 17 year old Syrita to do just that. I'm going to withhold all other details because you really should read this one. It's heartbreaking and not one I'll forget for a long time.

So there you have it. A diverse collection of short stories. Some were okay, some were excellent. It's a bit across the board, but I did like this overall.

[CW ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

My full review can read at my blog, The Quiet Pond.

A wonderful and diverse anthology of ownvoices stories. I enjoyed this so so much, and particularly so as an audiobook, and I highly recommend this anthology to everyone.

- Explores a diversity of topic through a variety of genres: contemporary slice-of-life sort of stuff, romance, science-fiction, and historical fiction.
- Also explores a variety of themes that are guaranteed to pull you in. To name a few, what 'humanity' is, the power of solidarity, how perceptions shape who we are, colourism, racism, sexism, and gender.
- Has characters of colour, queer characters, a trans character - all of the perspectives were wonderful, candid, and genuine, and there's guaranteed to be a story for everyone.

Notable stories:
- Meet Cute by Malinda Lo - Follows two girls (Asian and Black) who meet at a con and shenanigans ensue. The writing was compelling, the romance and chemistry undeniable, and with sharp jabs at how women of colour are treating in geek culture.
- Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar - This was brilliant and a highlight of the book! follows a trans boy who faces anti-trans discrimination shortly after coming out to everyone - more so, the book is based on the author's experiences.
- Super Human by Nicola Yoon - This was probably my favourite book of the whole anthology, and a perfect way to end the collection. It's about a black girl who gets chosen to convince a superhero who has decided to destroy the world.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the introduction of Fresh Ink, it's stated many reasons that we need short stories such as these. Even though I did not relate directly to many of the stories, I completely agree that we need more diversity in all writing, especially the young adult genre. All the tales had a very genuine feel to the characters and discussed extremely relevant issues facing our society today. I recommend this book to adults and young adults alike!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for providing an advanced copy of the book in exchange for this honest review.

[Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Average Rating: 3.58 Stars

Stories I Was Most Excited For: Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds; Super Human By Nicola Yoon

Favorite stories: Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi; Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan; Super Human by Nicola Yoon

Least Favorite Stories: A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel José Older; Paladin/Samuari by Gene Luen Yang

Fresh Ink is a vibrant collection of diverse stories that share personal truths, hopes, fears, and dreams. Told in short stories, a one act play, and a graphic short these stories give voice to characters whose stories are not often given the space to shine. But these author craft complex characters in dynamic relationships that draw you in.

Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds | ★★★☆☆ (3.5 Stars)
Jason Reynolds can do no wrong in my eyes - Long Way Down is one lf the best books I’ve ever read. I loved the sentiment of the story and the rich history you can feel between childhood best friends Shay and Dante. Shay is giving Date an ‘eraser tattoo’ of an “S” to remember her by because she’s moving. I loved the focus on the importance of their relationship, but the story didn’t pull me in.

Meet Cute by Malinda Lo | ★★★☆☆
This was a fun and cute story about a girl named Nic who is cosplaying at a Denver Con, when the lights are knocked out by a storm, she a fellow cosplayer Tamia go looking for Nic’s brother. I loved seeing Nic and Tamia handle the can gatekeepers who suck the fun out of everything. But I had some personal preference issues that lowered my overall enjoyment of the story. Meta pop culture references always pull me out of stories and the heavy references in the beginning didn’t help. I also think I would have liked the story more if it was written in first person. But again those are personal issues and I still really liked the story overall.

Don’t Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth | ★★★★☆
This story was much more grounded than the first two. We follow “Doobie” a Native student who is going to a white school. We see Doobie discuss passing (because many of the other native kids at school are white passing and not picked on), gentrification, and the dismantling of native culture and white-washing history. This was such a powerful and impactful story and I loved it.

Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi| ★★★★★
My first five star read and it was so adorably cute I couldn’t handle it. Shirin is a Muslim American teen having the time of her life at a concert for one of her favorite bands and she sees her crush Jeffery show up (and this is the point I got giddy). Shirin is worried about the spotlight and recognition that comes with dating ‘Mr. Popular.’ This was just so cute and fluffy and perfect.

Tags by Walter Dean Morgan | ★★★☆☆
This is a truly unique story told in a one act play about a group of young black boys who’ve died tagging a wall. I loved framing tagging as a way to immortalize themselves and create a lasting legacy, where they’re not forgotten. But I was confused at parts of the story, which is why it got a lower rating.

Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan | ★★★★★
This was one of the cutest things my eyes have ever witnessed. This was such a happy story that put me in the best mood. Yas wants to learn to cook Persian food to share with her girlfriend, Hannah, and gets lessons from her unapologetic grandmother.Yas’ grandmother was amazing. She is such a fierce lady and I aspire to be her. I loved seeing Yas gain an appreciation for her culture and seeing her grandmother love and accept her. It was just great.

A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel José Older | ★★☆☆☆
This was probably my least favorite story in the anthology because I was so confused reading it. Set in Brooklyn, this scifi story went over my head. I felt like there wasn’t context for what was happening - we just see this cult-like group that want their god to come down to Earth, and try to steal a design notebook that can help them. And there’s maybe aliens, or demons, I wasn’t sure. Like I said, I was confused.

A Boy’s Duty by Sharon G. Flake | ★★★☆☆
This story follows a young black boy in WWII, who ran away from home and wants to join the Navy. I liked seeing the life he’s built in New Orleans and the vibrant culture present in the city. I really liked seeing his artistic talent displayed and his genuinely good heart. This story really was about following your dreams, but not putting yourself above other.

One Voice by Melissa De La Cruz | ★★★★☆
Jas is a Sanford college student who’s entire college experience shifts when she sees racists graffiti spray painted across campus.Jas lives in fear of her family getting deported and this graffitti starts taking over all of her mind space. It really shows how harmful and deeply painful discrimination and racism is. But I really loved seeing Jas talk with other minority students and finding a power in their shared experieces.

Paladin/Samuari by Gene Luen Yang and Illustrations by Thien Pham | ★★☆☆☆
I’m not really a fan of graphic novels, I just haven’t found one that’s clicked with me yet. It also didn’t help that this was about a faux Dungeon and Dragons campaign game where a guy wants to play as a samurai instead of the traditional Paladin. There was also something about a part at a girl he likes house. The story felt disjointed to me, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of the others.

Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar | ★★★★☆
This was an amazing story that featured a trans boys who’s finally come out to his school and is at his first swim practice since coming out. We see the challenges he faces - a new locker room, ignorant comments from teammates - but also see his loving parents, and a friend on the team who supports him as well. This was such an inspirational story that moved me.

Super Human by Nicola Yoon | ★★★★★
I have never been disappointed by a Nicola Yoon short story and Super Human was definitely a standout for me. We follow Syrita as she’s chosen to convince disillusioned superhero “X” to restore his faith in humanity, because she was the first person he saved years ago. But X, a black superhero, has lost his faith no longer thinks that humanity is saving. The reason he’s changed his mind is a punch to the gut, and is best uncovered while reading the story. But this story was just so powerful and a perfect way to conclude this anthology.

Fresh Ink is a can’t miss collection of stories from some of YAs hottest authors that allows these diverse characters to have their truths told, in their own way.

I received a copy og the book from Crown Books for Young Readers via Netgalley in exchange fro an honest review

[This Kooky Wildflower Loves a Little Tea and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up, finding stories I could relate to require Sherlock Holmes-level detection. While I enjoyed your typical stories aimed at middle-schoolers and teenagers, they had something in common that bothered me a bit: They excluded me.

Very few books I read including black girls. When they did, however, they were stereotypical and unbelievable. Yes, the last sentence is still a problem today in 2019 (Mind you, I read these books in the eighties).

Thankfully, this generation desires a turnaround. With anthologies like Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, kids and teens begin to see themselves, not as marginalized stereotypes, but as young people with voices deserving of hearing.

Fresh Ink is an anthology published August 2018, and unlike Black Enough, it's not just about black teens, it includes the LGBTQA, Native, Middle Eastern, Asian teen community. In this review, you'll see particular representation in bold parenthesis, e.g. Black, Trans).

The stories discuss poverty, same-sex crushes/relationships, colorism, racism, and other issues kids of color or disenfranchised voices face.

Be mindful that with anthologies, you will find stories you enjoy and those you dislike. Nevertheless, you get a multitude of different voices with one goal of being heard.

Stories Involved

"Eraser Tattoo" by Jason Reynolds -Two teens face uprooted as one moves with her family. They create eraser tattoos and face microaggressions from a white couple moving into Shay's former house. Sweet, funny at times, and tender, this story's a good start. 

★★★/★★★★★ (Black)

"Meet Cute" by Malinda Lo - Nic and Tamia are two girls trapped by a power outrage as they discover more than a love of cosplay and Sci-Fi/Fantasy.  While not a big fan of cosplaying, I enjoy reading about two girls, usually displaced in that world, find each other with many possibilities ahead in love and fandom. (Asian-American, Black, F/F) 

★★★½/★★★★★

"Don't Pass Me" By by Eric Gansworth - A young, seventh-grader in the seventies discusses passing, along with racial microaggressions, and how they affect him and other Native students in a predominantly-white school. Light-skinned Native children receive better treatment than their darker-skinned classmates. (Native American ) 

★★★★/★★★★★ 

Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi - One concert enables a Muslim girl to check out her crush. Cute, but not a favorite. (Muslim, Japanese, F/F peripheral characters)

★★★/★★★★★

Why I Learned To Cook by Sara Farizan -  A young, bisexual girl wants to invite her girlfriend over to meet her grandmother. They cook vegetarian versions of Persian food as her grandmother shows her support for her granddaughter's life and love. Big lesson: Never Apologize For Who You Are. Adorable tale! (Iranian, F/F) ★★★★/★★★★★ 

Tags by Walter Dean Myers - Devastatingly haunting and real, boys tag on walls and relive their stories of their deaths. Myers presents this story as a play. My heart hurt as I discovered each story within this play. This one stayed with me for a while, so much so, my husband read it too to see why I was emotional. (Black) ★★★★★/★★★★★ (Best Story!)

A Stranger at the Bochinche — Daniel José Older Okay, so Older tends to write magical realism. Don't hate me, but I skipped this one. No rating.

A Boy's Duty by Sharon G. Flake - A young man chooses between art and "doing his duty"  (Whatever that means to several people in his life) in WW2 America while dealing with racism on the homefront. Cute and bittersweet at the same time. (Black) 

★★★/★★★★★

One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz - A young Stanford student finds out that her family's undocumented, and, with racial graffiti painted nearby, she's anxious and feels like she should not suffer in silence. She's angry and I'm glad to read more female characters angry at their circumstances without worrying about how some love interest or their parents see them. I like seeing them take action. (Filipinx, Black, Latinx) 

★★★★/★★★★★

Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang & illustrations by Thien Pham - Written and drawing in comic format, we see a group of Dungeons & Dragons friends visit a party next door. Awkwardness ensues. I failed to connect with this story. (Japanese) 

★★/★★★★★

Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar - A trans boy handles his first swim practice after coming out as trans. We feel his struggle with his decision, concern about using the boy's bathroom, and how he circumnavigates bigotry from team members. (Trans)

★★★★/★★★★★

Super Human by Nicola Yoon - A black superhero decides it's time to end the world as his disappointment in humanity crushes him, and the only one reaching him is his first save. Police brutality, racism, and other societal ills find themselves discussed. If a superhero decides to destroy us because we're not saving anymore, what have we become? Another good Yoon piece. I would have preferred a full novel because of the plot's weight. (Black) 

★★★★/★★★★★

Rating: ★★★½/★★★★★ 
I gave a half star more based on the strength of "Tags" alone. I hope to see this play on stage. It's heart-wrenching and powerful.

What I love best about these anthologies is that they make you want to seek out every novel these authors create. So do it! While varied in style, voice, too short, and not as airtight as Black Enough, each story's worthy of a read, especially in a time begging for difference.

[McKinlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

*i received a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher.*

Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds: I have read all of Jason's books and I don't think he's ever written a strict love story before and now i NEED a full length love story from him!... 5 stars

Meet Cute by Malinda Lo: So cute and nerdy! The middle kinda dragged for me, but all in all i loved it!... 4 stars

Don't Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth: This is a story about an American Indian boy letting himself feel empowered with his heritage, which is awesome, but also low-key boring... 3 stars.

Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi: This had the makings of what could be a really cute novel, but a very confusing short story. It was so rushed, I didn't really understand what was going on! 2.5 stars

Tags by Walter Dean Meyers: This is a one act play that I'm betting would be incredible to see performed! It's very sad though... 3.5 stars.

Why I Learned To Cook by Sara Farizan: Possibly my favorite? But i've loved both of Sara's books so I'm not surprised. An incredibly adorable f/f story. It was cute and sweet and i adored Yasi's grandma!... 5 stars.

A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel Jose Older: I was really bored and confused and couldn't finish this one... dnf

A Boy's Duty by Sharon G. Flake: Sweet and sad, but I liked it... 4 stars...

One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz: I skipped this one because it's a Something In Between story and i hated that book.

Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Thien Phan: It seemed pretty pointless but the art was cute... 2 stars.

Catch, Pulle, Drive by Schyuler Bailar: This is about a trans boy who publicly comes out and it's his first practice with the boys. Ramon is an effing douche bag who I wanted to climb into the story and punch... also the Coach. Other than that it was sweet and uplifting and I'd love a whole novel from him... 5 stars.

Super Human by Nicola Yoon: Surprisingly moving story about race in America... 5 stars.

[Kiera LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not really one for anthologies but I thought I'd pick this one up. Most of the stories were pretty good. I really enjoyed a lot of them ecspcially Melissa De La Cruz's short story. 3.5 stars

[Richelle Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice anthology that features diverse characters. We had a few f/f stories and a transgender story that was written by a transgender author. As a reader of color inclusion is very important to me. I wish I had a book like this when I was teenager but as an adult I still appreciated this story and hope we got more books like this going forward. Majority of these authors are new to me and I wasn't disappointed. Some stories I liked more than others but overall I was impressed with this anthology.



Listed below are the stories that stood out to me.



Meet Cute by Malinda Lo

Tags by Walter Dean Myers

Superhuman by Nicola Yoon

Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan

One Voice by Melissa da la Cruz

Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Baliar

[Kristi Housman Confessions of a YA Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book full of short stories, a comic, and play.  I'm not going to talk much about each story since they are not very long.  But I will say a little and rate each one below.



Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds   This was a sweet story about a girl who was moving away.  She was giving her boyfriend an eraser tattoo to remember her by.  4  1/2 stars



Meet Cute by Melinda Lo   Two girls meet at a con.  The power goes out and they get lost, but form a connection right away.  4  1/2 stars



Don't Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth   This was such a touching story.  A boy stands up for himself by coloring a picture at school with a color closer to his skin tone vs the "flesh" color he was given.   4  1/2 stars



Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi  A girl is at a concert with her best friend and sees the boy she likes.  She is a wreck, but decides to tell him how she feels.  4  1/2 stars



Tags by Walter Dean Myers   This is part of a play that I wish I could see.  Multiple boys are tagging and we find out that they are all dead.  They were shot and killed and talk about their deaths and connections.   4  1/2 stars



Why I Learned To Cook by Sara Farizan  This story was really touching because I was very close to my grandma.  In this story, a girl is afraid to have her grandma meet her girlfriend.  She asks her grandma to teach her to cook and then invites her over.   4  1/2 stars



A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel Jose Older  While I enjoyed this story and the writing, I felt that it needed more to really understand it.  A girl's notebook is stolen and they boy who loves her goes after it.  She ends up rescuing him.  There were mentions of Gods and aliens, so it got confusing.   3  1/2 stars



A Boy's Duty by Sharon G Flake  This story takes place during WWII.  A black boy leaves his farm and paints.  His goal is to join the navy and go to school.  He spends his time at a cafe that his friends caused trouble at.  The cafe owner's wife tries to help these boys.   3  1/2 stars



One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz   This is probably my favorite story in the book.  It's just so relevant to the time we live in right now.  A girl is at Stanford.  She found out that her family is undocumented and she is terrified of being deported.  There is racist graffiti painted there and she has to explain to her boyfriend how that makes her feel.  That words matter.  5 stars



Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang   This is a little comic.  I honestly had a hard time reading it on my kindle, so it was a bit tough to rate.  I'm hoping to reread it when the book is released.  What I could see was decent, but not great.  3  1/2 stars (could change)



Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar  This was another standout story person who recently came out as transgender.  He is now competing on the boys swim team for the first time and using the boy's bathroom.   5 stars



Super Human by Nicola Yoon   I love Nicola's writing, so I knew this would be a favorite before even starting.  In this story, there is a black superhero that is giving up on humanity.  The first girl he saved is asked to go speak to him and find out why.  This is another story that is so relevant right now.  5 stars



Overall, this was a great book that I gave 4  1/2 stars.  My three favorite stories were Super Human, Catch Pull Drive, and One Voice.  Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the chance to read this early.

[Biz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Average Rating: 3.96.

what an anthology!! This is chuck-full of beautiful (and diverse) short stories from all different genres and from so many #OwnVoices authors. I enjoyed almost every single story, which is so rare for me in anthologies.

If you want to read it but don’t want to read every story, my personal recs from this collection are “Eraser Tattoo” by Jason Reynolds, “Tags” by Walter Dean Myers, “Why I Learned to Cook” by Sara Farizan, and “Catch, Pull, Drive” by Schuyler Bailar. They were my faves, but honestly?? Every single story is worth a read, and you should let me know if/when you peruse this so that we can cry together. 😊)))

Every single story has poc rep (woot woot!!), and I marked stories that contain LGBT rep with a 🌈.

“Eraser Tattoo” by Jason Reynolds: ★★★★★
• This was so cute! I’ve only ever read Jason Reynold’s verse novel Long Way Down (which I would highly recommend), and this was just as amazing. It was such a cute, kinda sad romance with characters that were more fleshed out over fifteen pages than some books manage over an entire series.

”Meet Cute” by Malinda Lo: ★★ 🌈
• It was okay I guess?? It reminded me a lot of Ship It, but while I loved Ship It, I couldn’t summon anything other than disinterest for this story. Malinda Lo’s pieces of work are always really love-it-or-hate-it for reviewers, and while I personally like a lot of her books, this story just didn’t work well for me. Yeah, it was fandom-y, but the third-person omniscient narration was kind of weird and there wasn’t any chemistry between the two MC’s. It was also, like, twice as long as it needed to be. By the end I was just sitting there like

”Don’t Pass Me By” by Eric Gansworth: ★★★★
• This was a short and wonderfully-written story about whitewashing and Indigenous culture in America. The writing style felt a little too mature for the age of the characters, but besides that I loved every bit of it. It brought to light a lot of issues, and it’s so rare to find Native American MC’s these days. An awesome read!

”Be Cool for Once” by Aminah Mae Safi: ★★★★
• Another cute af romance!! This was so adorable and sweet, and Francesca was a hilarious character. The music aspects were also fun to read, and Shirin saying ”’What the hell is this?’” immediately when she sees her crush is a) a big mood, and b) so abrupt, yet comical.

“Tags” by Walter Dean Myers: ★★★★★
• When I saw that the anthology was going to include a one-act play, I was like,,,, really??

Now don’t get me wrong, I love theatre, but I know that a lot of readers are going to be tempted to skip this one simply for the fact that it’s in script form. If you want my advice, it’s this: don’t do that. This is definitely up there with one as one of my new short stories, and I really need to see it on a stage now. Holy crap, it was amazing and I’m pretty sure I teared up at the end.

”Why I Learned to Cook” by Sara Farizan: ★★★★★ 🌈
• This was the “papaw made 12 burgers for his six grandkids and I was the only one to show up” story but with sapphic girls thrown in there. Do I really need to say anything else? I cried. The super sweet ending is so inspiring and comforting, and this made me want to call my grandma and tell her that I love her. Stop reading this review and go tell your grandparents that you love them. Right now.

”A Stranger at the Bochinche” by Daniel José Older: ★
• Yeah,, this one didn’t work for me. It literally took me four days of opening the book, reading the first line of this story, and immediately closing the book to finally sit down and force myself to read it. The beginning didn’t draw me in and I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. The whole campfire setting might work for some other readers, but it definitely didn’t for me.

”A Boy’s Duty” by Sharon G. Flake: ★★★★
• Um, hello, I came here to have a good time and I honestly feel so attacked right now?? Who gave this story the right to rip my heart out?? This was such a bittersweet historical story about World War II and racism on the home front and it made me so emotional. It was cute and sad and the characters were so three-dimensional. A little hard-to-follow sometimes, but still a worthwhile read. Love, love, love.

”One Voice: A Something in Between Story” by Melissa de la Cruz: ★★★★★
• THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD STORY OMG. This is about a girl who is an undocumented immigrant and she goes to Stanford. It’s all about prejudice, racism, and misogyny. It was informative, wonderfully written, and so, so important. I wish it had been longer, solely for the fact that I didn’t want to let go of the characters just yet.

”Paladin/Samurai” by Gene Luen Yang: ★★★
• Meh. That’s basically how I felt about this one. I loved the D&D aspect, and the art was cute, but I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and the plot was just kind of…… there. Definitely didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.

”Catch, Pull, Drive” by Schuyler Bailar: ★★★★★ 🌈
•

This is a story about a trans boy, and his first swim team practice after coming out. And holy cow, it was a total tearjerker. We can all relate to Tommy’s struggles, and for goodness sake, I just want him to be happy. If Schuyler Bailar ever retires as a swimmer, he could totally become an author and I would read every single one of his books. This was a beautiful, sad, but ultimately hopeful story that every reader will enjoy.

(Note: readers should be forewarned that there is some triggering content in this story. The c-slur is used twice, the t-slur is used once, and the f-slur is used liberally. Tommy is also deadnamed once in the story.)

”Super Human” by Nicola Yoon: ★★★★
• What a unique and awesome story! This is about a superhero that decides that he is done with humanity and that he’s going to destroy the world, and the girl that is sent to stop him. It deals with a lot of tough topics like police brutality and racism, and I LOVED it! I ended up giving it four stars instead of five because, plot-wise, I think this would work better as a full-length novel than a short story (it was a little rushed), but besides that, it was perfect!

So there you have it! Besides the rare exception, this anthology is full of important, beautifully written stories that include topics and themes that are so relevant to today’s world. Both teens of color and lgbt teens will thrive at the opportunity to find main characters like themselves, and I really hope that this becomes a series, so that I can look forward to diverse short stories being published on the regular.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fresh Ink, an anthology edited by Lamar Giles, features short stories, a one-act play, and a short graphic novel from thirteen top YA contemporary authors including Jason Reynolds, Gene Luen Yang, Nicola Yoon, Walter Dean Myers, Daniel José Older, Melissa de la Cruz, and Malinda Lo. Each contribution to this diverse collection will inspire you think outside of the box and dare to defy conventions.

Short story anthologies regardless of the genre aren't usually my go-to, but lately I have to admit I've come across some pretty fantastic ones. When I found this collection with so many brilliant authors contributing I knew I had to try it. Luckily this diverse collection didn't disappoint. The characters we're introduced to in this variety of shorts all felt quite authentic even though we're only wish them for a short time before moving right along. The topics covered are all timely and relevant issues, even though some are set in the past and have fantastic elements. Like I've said before, I honestly wish I had read these kinds of #OwnVoices stories when I was in high school. I enjoyed all of the stories, but my favorites include "Catch, Pull, Drive" by Schuyler Bailar, "One Voice" by Melissa de la Cruz, "A Boy’s Duty" by Sharon G. Flake, "Don’t Pass Me By" by Eric Gansworth, "Meet Cute" by Malinda Lo, "Be Cool for Once" by Aminah Mae Safi, and "Super Human" by Nicola Yoon.

Overall, the stories and voices of Fresh Ink edited by Lamar Giles are absolutely necessary. While I may not directly relate to all of them, it's incredibly valuable to see writing that reflects all sorts of lives and experiences for young people. Plus, I think I've found some great new-to-me authors to explore.

Thanks again, NetGalley.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

AH-mazing. You can never go wrong with short stories in a collection focusing on diversity with talented and popular young adult authors who do what they do best- storytell in their own unique ways. Luen Yang does a graphic short story. de la Cruz continues a story of immigration that was a previously-published book and so on. There's romance and sentimentality, history, humor, and cooking. Each is a powerful standalone but together is an epic collection and Giles hit it hard-- a fresh take, cool title, and awesome cover for a phenomenal collection. And you can't go wrong by making Reynold's "Eraser Tattoo" the first story in the colection but including the deceased (and epic) Walter Dean Myers too.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This came on my radar because I heard some of the stories were in comic form, but when it turned out to have just one 8-page strip I almost decided to pass on it. But I'm so happy I didn't.

This #ownvoices anthology has diverse authors telling stories about diverse characters. Unlike a lot of anthologies, the quality of the stories is remarkably high and consistent. For comic book geeks like me, in addition to the Gene Luen Yang strip, there is a cosplay romance at a convention, a post-apocalypse sci fi adventure, and a prose superhero story that is the star of the book. The other stories are more grounded in reality, but are just as uplifting and/or thought-provoking.

Recommended.

[mytaakeonit · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome anthology! As a teacher, I really appreciate having short, high interest texts for my students. Love that this includes a short screenplay and a graphic novel! Perfect for teaching fiction structures! :)

[Eri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an e-galley off of netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I can't even give the stories individual ratings because they each earned between 4 to 5 stars from me so collectively this book was just five stars.

I loved each of these stories for different reasons, a couple of them were by authors I already liked so I didn't expect anything less. When I read the intro by Lamar I never felt so connected with a fellow reader. I am a black girl and when I was reading books growing up, I had the same feelings.

I always saw black girls as either stereotypes in books or the first person to killed off. I never saw a black heroine or a black main character where they were the hero or struggling with their identity or anything like that. So it was refreshing to read these stories and I didn't just see my black characters, I saw all kinds from Asian to Indian. I even saw queer characters (as a queer girl of color I was so happy to see that) and I just couldn't put the book down and this is one of my most anticipated releases of the year so I didn't expect anything less.

I love that I have another book in my collection where I see myself (the collection is growing now) and I hope everyone goes and picks up this anthology when it's released.

<3 <3 <3 <3

[Reggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s late, so I’ll need to check my math later, but I think my average rating per story is 3.8. Let’s round up for fun.

Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds
Made me cringe, self harm trigger, anti-climactic but cute rom 3 stars

Meet Cute by Melinda Lo
5 stars diverse and cleaver and adorable and dripping in fan culture cuteness

Don’t Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth
Nice rep, I think? kinda boring, meandering, slow moving plot. Good message about race, but not sure the point of anything else happening here. 3 stars

Be Cool for Once by Aminah Mae Safi
3.5 stars suspend disbelief but liked the ending made me lol & enjoyed the convo w/ love interests. Mention of f/f romance.

Tags by Walter Dean Myers
5 stars play script nice format, interesting revealing pace, touching/twisty ending.

Why I Learned to Cook By Sara Farizan
F/f romance, middle eastern heritage (Iran American protog)Persian. Good old people. Acceptance. Made me swell with joy. 5 stars.

A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel José Older
Wtf 1 Star confused 🤷🏽‍♀️

A Boy’s Duty by Sharon G. Flake
Was really into but I don’t get the motivation or ending? 2.5 stars

One Voice A Something in Between Story by Melissa de la Cruz
Immigration. College. Racism. Explaining POC POV to someone who doesn’t get it 5 Stars

Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang, Illustrations by Thien Pham
3.5 stars

Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar
Trans. Feel for character. Tw for dead name. Athlete. Empowering. Moving. 5 stars

Super Human by Nicola Yoon
Shook. 5 stars

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the introduction, Lamar Giles, editor of FRESH INK: AN ANTHOLOGY, talks about not finding himself represented in literature as a child. Or when black young men were characters, they were stereotypes, sidekicks and murder victims. I grew up in a very white small town, never thinking about race until I saw the miniseries Roots. Like Giles, I was a voracious reader. I remember seeing the book ROLL OF THUNDER HEAR MY CRY in the library, passing it over because I had no interest in reading about a black girl. A metaphoric lightbulb flashed in my head, as I wondered how black kids felt always reading about white kids.

FRESH INK is such an important book of short stories, from some of the top names in YA lit including a graphic short story and a one act play. Readers are treated to stories of minority (in the USA) races, religions, sexual orientations and gender expressions in genres from contemporary to historical fiction to fantasy. FRESH INK would be a perfect anthology for students. There’s something for everyone and the stories of family, acceptance, love, life and death are universal.

I’ve read most of the writers prior to FRESH INK, so these never before published short stories were an extra treat for me. I hope everyone decides to give FRESH INK a try. You won’t be disappointed.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of FRESH INK in exchange for my honest review***

[☆Dani☆ ☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story collection was awesome! I loved the diversity and reading about different perspectives and situations from different authors. Well written and recommended!

[laura (bbliophile) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently working on my review, but this was a really good one.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to this collection a lot of authors have been added to my TBR.

Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds - girl is moving across country leaving her boyfriend behind ★★★★
Meet Cute by Malinda Lo - two girls are stuck together during a convention power outage ★★★
Don’t Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth - in a majority white school, some can pass others won't ★★★★
Be Cool for Once by Aminah Mae Safi - while attending a concert, a girl meets up with the boy she has a crush on ★★★★★
Tags by Walter Dean Myers - structured like one-act play, four boys are tagging walls ★★★★
Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan - a girl prepares a meal for her grandmother and girlfriend ★★★
A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel José Older - a boy needs to recover a stolen notebook ★★★
A Boy’s Duty by Sharon G. Flake - runaway boy tries to survive before enlisting ★★★
One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz - a girl attending Stanford's whole world shifts when racial slurs are graffitied ★★★★
Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang - a group of friends stop playing Swords and Spells to check out a party happening next door ★★★
Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar - first day on his swim team as a boy after having just come out as trans on Facebook ★★★
Super Human by Nicola Yoon - a superhero gives up on humanity and decides to destroy it unless someone convinces him otherwise ★★★★★

[Mar at BOOKIVERSE · Rating 5 out of 5]

‪This a was precious diverse gem!‬

‪If you are curious about YA literature or if you are already fan you should read this book!

These thought-provoking and beautifully crafted stories ‬about YAs dealing with gender identity. sexual orientation, race, prejudice and discrimination will warm your heart and soul!

Since I’m a SFF reader I especially loved “Tags” and “A Stranger at the Bochinche” but all the stories were fantastic!

I discovered great authors in this anthology and cannot wait you read all their books!

SEARCH NO MORE! Fresh Ink  will satisfy ALL your YA curiosities and cravings!

[Gary Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Fresh Ink, editor and We Need Diverse Books co-founder Lamar Giles anthologizes twelve short fiction pieces in which a character’s race or gender presents an obstacle, threat, or challenge. Although the collection is uneven in quality and appeal, it will hold the interest of most young readers, while the best stories—in my opinion, those by Eric Gansworth, Nicola Yoon, and Sara Farizan—will be valuable to teachers looking for high-interest, contemporary short stories with literary merit.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written for anyone who doesn't "fit a certain mold," this is an important book. I enjoyed some stories much more than others, but that's to be expected. I love this book for it's thought provoking messages. Thanks to Random House for donating to We Need Diverse Books.

The stories included are:

Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds. There were some powerful moments in this one, but I couldn't get past the fact that eraser tattoos are painful and not very safe and she wouldn't quit pressuring him to get one.

Meet Cute by Malinda Lo. Pretty romancy, but takes place at a Fantasy Convention, so that's fun.

Don't Pass Me By Eric Gansworth. A boy is leaving his reservation school to attend public school for middle school and high school. Powerful.

Be Cool for Once by Aminah Mae Safi. Another romancy one. This one didn't resonate with me as well, but it was cute.

Tags by Walter Dean Myers. A one-act play. Pretty sad.

Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan. Romancy, but I loved this one. I felt connected to the main character. It was more complex than some of the other stories here.

A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel José Older. I'm clearly not the target audience for this one. I had no idea what was going on. 🤷

A Boy's Duty by Sharon G. Flake. Another good one. So sad, but a little hopeful.

One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz. Pretty real story about some racist incidents at Stanford. Wow. This one made me think.

Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang. Fun to have a graphic novel included. They aren't usually my thing, but this was good!

Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar. He knocked out of the park with this one. Please keep writing, Schuyler! This made an impact.

Super Human by Nicola Yoon. This was my favorite of the whole book. Perfect one to end on. Perfect last line.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Overall a very stunning anthology, with a wide range of diverse voices telling personal tales that ranged from contemporary (most of them) to sci-fi and fantasy. This broadened my horizons and let me explore new voices and diverse identities. While some stories were better than others, I enjoyed most of them, with a few stand-outs that I absolutely loved. I recommend for those looking for a short story collection full of beautiful representation.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanna marry all of Jason Reynolds' stories.

[Taylor (Books&Beanies) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fresh Ink is a collection of short stories with diverse characters by popular young adult authors such as Jason Reynolds, Nicola Yoon, Sara Farizan and Sharon G. Flake. Lamar Giles composed this collection of stories because the characters are not the norm. This book contains African American, lesbian, and transgender main characters, which would be the meaning of this collection of stories. In the foreword, Lamar Giles explains his feeling towards reading, and how with every book he read, he could never find a relatable main character, which led him to compose this book. Everone can relate to at least one character from one of these stories. I think this book was done wonderfully and the stories in it were great.