River > Recent Status Updates

I appreciate Nanny's insistence on humanizing baby Elphaba.

"Unionist minister" father. Unnamed God.
Misogyny, Grine, Letta, daughter has vanished. "We suspect the worst."

Chapter "All the Secrets of the Universe" CW homophobic violence

Still just enamored.

I'm utterly charmed by this book. It feels so honest and raw, and the way Ari feels about himself is so familiar that it aches. I'm not entirely sure what the sparrows are meant to represent, but it's an interesting motif.

A surprisingly sweet story about two boys who make the end of the world hurt a little less for each other.

"I'm more than my body. More, even, than my brain.
I'm weightless.
And I'm enough."
-- "Weightless" by Sheena Boekweg

I love the variety and representation in these stories. Bodies of all colors and sizes, many genders and family compositions, and multiple genres and types of conflict. And vitally, none of the central characters are distressed or in conflict with their bodies.

This is such a compassionate, honest exploration of young people dealing with adult problems they shouldn't have to think about. Lara's investigation journal updates are clever and concise, and some of her "questions for further investigation" cut to the core of the difficulty she's facing. (Her questions are also a cool way to model inquisitive habits for young readers.)

Thoroughly enjoying this read. Autistic representation, Jewish representation, immigrant relatives, and easy, friendly acceptance of differences in communication style.

Highly informative, well-written, and scathing in its indictment of anti-fat bias and abuse. I feel less alone as a fat person in the world just for having read this much.

This introduction is impassioned and cutting, and I appreciate hearing some fire in academia.

Lots of resources mentioned in this text. I have a lot of reading to catch up on.

Excellent read. Woodson writes like she knows children, which is a rare treat in my experience. This is a wonderful story about difference, understanding, and empathy.

Thoroughly enjoying this read. The characters all feel authentically like children, which is nice vs most of my media diet.

The book asks: Who would you harbor? It asks once with a historical example - Indigenous people vs settlers - and once with the characters - the trauma of being a Black boy in America vs a White boy's discomfort.

Does this book do good work? If you meet it on its own terms, I think it does.