skipa's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lispylibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Overall: 44/60 stars=3.5 stars which rounds to 4 stars.
I really enjoyed the anthology. It is definitely a necessity to any school library, but I hope that it makes its way into many hands of students, teachers, administration, and parents. Fresh Ink is a wonderful and quick look in to cultures that we may not all be familiar with, but it also shows how on the inside we are all the same. I could see myself in most of these characters and found them very easily related to.
Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds: 2 stars
Cute. A sweet story of two neighbors who have grown up near each other and of course have fallen for each other but one is about to move away.
Meet Cute by Malinda Lo: 2 stars
Honestly, I would have given this story one star, but it gets two because it is takes place at a comic-con in Denver, when the lights go out. That's basically the entire story for you. The main characters wander around lost. It was a bit hard to follow most of the time, but cute.
Don't Pass Me By Eric Gansworth: 4 stars
I loved how this story showed our main character stand up for not only what he believes in, but for his people and race. He grew up on an Indian Reservation and has now been thrust into middle school with all kinds of students. During a health class lesson where the boys are told to color in body parts, he is only given "Peach" and "Burnt Sienna" to color the body he is given to work on. He realizes that these colors do not represent him and finds a way around it, upsetting his teacher, but showing a great display of character.
Be Cool for Once by Aminah Mae Safi: 4 stars
Shirin is a typical "good girl." She gets good grades, listens to her parents, and doesn't go out. This time though, she uses a powerpoint to convince her parents to allow her to go to a concert where she runs into her mega-crush, Jeffrey. After some crazy prompting and following her best friend's advice, she does the impossible and reveals her feelings to him. This story was a fun look into every "good girl's" mind and how they try to please their parents as well as do what they want and has a great display of that inner struggle.
Tags by Walter Dean Myers: 4 stars
Well then... After reading this one you feel a bit douche-y giving it less than 5 stars but it is heart-wrenching and great. It was a bit hard to follow at first, but after some glancing back and forth, it is a good, quick play. Fans of Jason Reynolds' Long Way Down and Angie Thomas or Nic Stone will enjoy this one. It is about four dead kids who are trying to be remembered by tagging walls before they get forgotten, but they come to find out that one was killed by one of the others in their "hallway."
Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan: 5 stars
I LOVED this story! The main character is worried about introducing her girlfriend to her grandmother, whom she is very close to. Yasaman invites her girlfriend over to her grandmother's house for dinner after she has spent weeks learning how to cook authentic Persian food. It was an eye-opening, sweet story about worries we all have about introducing a significant other to family, but a delightful look in to a different culture as well. Grandmothers are always the same sassy characters, though, and this one was no different.
A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel Jose Older: 0 stars.
I didn't care for this story at all. It felt sloppy-like it was just pulled out of a book and thrown in with no real context or relativity. I just wasn't taken by it as with the other stories.
A Boy's Duty by Sharon G. Flake: 3 stars.
This story is about a boy who ran away from his family farm where he learned how to work hard and had a family for a life on the streets. He has spent most of his time on the street stealing and pick-pocketing, but has come to feel regretful about it. He tries to do better by staying and working in a Mom and Pop type restaurant that he painted a mural of the galaxy in. His old, thieving friends come and try to convince him to take up his old ways, but this time his choices are different.
One Voice: A Something in Between Story by Melissa de la Cruz: 5 stars
I think this story is so important right now as we are in a time where immigrants and women both feel out of place. Yen-Yen is studying at Stanford and is personally hurt by some cruel graffiti painted onto a wall in the quad. As the story continues, she struggles with having an undocumented family and not wanting to have to leave Stanford as well as with being sexually harassed and still feeling attacked by the graffiti that is still in the quad. She finds hope in a rally where others try to spread positivity. I thought this story was relatable in any situation and explores how we should try to see the views of others before we make assumptions.
Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang, Illustrated by Thien Pham: 5 stars
A GRAPHIC STORY IN AN ANTHOLOGY!? YES!!! *fist pump* This simply drawn story has a HUGE voice. It starts off with a group of friends playing an adventure game (reminded me of D&D) when Owen, our main character, wants to be a Samurai in the game. After an argument about him being a samarai, he leaves to a party across the street, where his two friends follow him. After a bully makes his friends leave, Owen punches him and wins his friends and the interest of a girl. A great demonstration of standing up for your friends and not backing down.
Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar: 5 stars
I LOVED this story as well! It exemplifies inner strength and fighting for something that you want, know you can have, and deserve. It is about a trans-gender boy who has very recently come out. He only wants to be accepted on his swim team by the other boys. I loved that Tommy had a supportive mother because this can show not only teens but parents how to support a teen in an extremely sensitive time. Tommy shows up to practice after his coming out Facebook post and races one of his friends hoping to beat him to prove that he can be just as good-if not better on this boys' team than the his performance on the girls' team.
Super Human by Nicola Yoon: ALL OF THE STARS! (OK, ok, five.)
OMG! When do we crown Nicola Yoon? Seriously, it is like everything the woman writes is magical. She takes a simple idea-a superhero who wants destroy humans instead of saving them-and makes it so much more. This particular hero is also black. And this hero is also tired of humans being so concerned with race. And this hero makes us think about so much more than just race. Nicola shows us the arguments and counterarguments that can be used to save humans, which are used when the Syrita is sent to convince X, our superhero, to change his mind. It was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! A perfect short story and way to end this anthology.
I really enjoyed the anthology. It is definitely a necessity to any school library, but I hope that it makes its way into many hands of students, teachers, administration, and parents. Fresh Ink is a wonderful and quick look in to cultures that we may not all be familiar with, but it also shows how on the inside we are all the same. I could see myself in most of these characters and found them very easily related to.
Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds: 2 stars
Cute. A sweet story of two neighbors who have grown up near each other and of course have fallen for each other but one is about to move away.
Meet Cute by Malinda Lo: 2 stars
Honestly, I would have given this story one star, but it gets two because it is takes place at a comic-con in Denver, when the lights go out. That's basically the entire story for you. The main characters wander around lost. It was a bit hard to follow most of the time, but cute.
Don't Pass Me By Eric Gansworth: 4 stars
I loved how this story showed our main character stand up for not only what he believes in, but for his people and race. He grew up on an Indian Reservation and has now been thrust into middle school with all kinds of students. During a health class lesson where the boys are told to color in body parts, he is only given "Peach" and "Burnt Sienna" to color the body he is given to work on. He realizes that these colors do not represent him and finds a way around it, upsetting his teacher, but showing a great display of character.
Be Cool for Once by Aminah Mae Safi: 4 stars
Shirin is a typical "good girl." She gets good grades, listens to her parents, and doesn't go out. This time though, she uses a powerpoint to convince her parents to allow her to go to a concert where she runs into her mega-crush, Jeffrey. After some crazy prompting and following her best friend's advice, she does the impossible and reveals her feelings to him. This story was a fun look into every "good girl's" mind and how they try to please their parents as well as do what they want and has a great display of that inner struggle.
Tags by Walter Dean Myers: 4 stars
Well then... After reading this one you feel a bit douche-y giving it less than 5 stars but it is heart-wrenching and great. It was a bit hard to follow at first, but after some glancing back and forth, it is a good, quick play. Fans of Jason Reynolds' Long Way Down and Angie Thomas or Nic Stone will enjoy this one. It is about four dead kids who are trying to be remembered by tagging walls before they get forgotten, but they come to find out that one was killed by one of the others in their "hallway."
Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan: 5 stars
I LOVED this story! The main character is worried about introducing her girlfriend to her grandmother, whom she is very close to. Yasaman invites her girlfriend over to her grandmother's house for dinner after she has spent weeks learning how to cook authentic Persian food. It was an eye-opening, sweet story about worries we all have about introducing a significant other to family, but a delightful look in to a different culture as well. Grandmothers are always the same sassy characters, though, and this one was no different.
A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel Jose Older: 0 stars.
I didn't care for this story at all. It felt sloppy-like it was just pulled out of a book and thrown in with no real context or relativity. I just wasn't taken by it as with the other stories.
A Boy's Duty by Sharon G. Flake: 3 stars.
This story is about a boy who ran away from his family farm where he learned how to work hard and had a family for a life on the streets. He has spent most of his time on the street stealing and pick-pocketing, but has come to feel regretful about it. He tries to do better by staying and working in a Mom and Pop type restaurant that he painted a mural of the galaxy in. His old, thieving friends come and try to convince him to take up his old ways, but this time his choices are different.
One Voice: A Something in Between Story by Melissa de la Cruz: 5 stars
I think this story is so important right now as we are in a time where immigrants and women both feel out of place. Yen-Yen is studying at Stanford and is personally hurt by some cruel graffiti painted onto a wall in the quad. As the story continues, she struggles with having an undocumented family and not wanting to have to leave Stanford as well as with being sexually harassed and still feeling attacked by the graffiti that is still in the quad. She finds hope in a rally where others try to spread positivity. I thought this story was relatable in any situation and explores how we should try to see the views of others before we make assumptions.
Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang, Illustrated by Thien Pham: 5 stars
A GRAPHIC STORY IN AN ANTHOLOGY!? YES!!! *fist pump* This simply drawn story has a HUGE voice. It starts off with a group of friends playing an adventure game (reminded me of D&D) when Owen, our main character, wants to be a Samurai in the game. After an argument about him being a samarai, he leaves to a party across the street, where his two friends follow him. After a bully makes his friends leave, Owen punches him and wins his friends and the interest of a girl. A great demonstration of standing up for your friends and not backing down.
Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar: 5 stars
I LOVED this story as well! It exemplifies inner strength and fighting for something that you want, know you can have, and deserve. It is about a trans-gender boy who has very recently come out. He only wants to be accepted on his swim team by the other boys. I loved that Tommy had a supportive mother because this can show not only teens but parents how to support a teen in an extremely sensitive time. Tommy shows up to practice after his coming out Facebook post and races one of his friends hoping to beat him to prove that he can be just as good-if not better on this boys' team than the his performance on the girls' team.
Super Human by Nicola Yoon: ALL OF THE STARS! (OK, ok, five.)
OMG! When do we crown Nicola Yoon? Seriously, it is like everything the woman writes is magical. She takes a simple idea-a superhero who wants destroy humans instead of saving them-and makes it so much more. This particular hero is also black. And this hero is also tired of humans being so concerned with race. And this hero makes us think about so much more than just race. Nicola shows us the arguments and counterarguments that can be used to save humans, which are used when the Syrita is sent to convince X, our superhero, to change his mind. It was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! A perfect short story and way to end this anthology.
thebooknerdscorner's review against another edition
4.0
I love all of the #weneeddiversebooks anthologies that are coming out now; it really brightens my day. I mostly enjoyed "Fresh Ink," but the stories were a little short, so sometimes it was a bit hard to get a grasp on the characters. As promised by the fact it is a part of We Need Diverse Books, there were so many different types of people represented throughout from different sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, genders, cultures, etc.
Now, I will individually give a brief blip on every story individually:
"Eraser Tattoo" by Jason Reynolds:★★★
This is one of those stories that if it would have been written as a full length novel, I feel like I would have loved it. The characters seem cool, but I wish I could have had more time with them. Despite this, the feelings evoked were strong despite the length of the story and strong messages were displayed. Jason Reynolds did an amazing job of showcasing the distaste of the white folks that were moving into the house as the black family were moving out in a few masterful sentences. His writing always blows my mind, but I still feel that this one needed to impact me harder overall.
"Meet Cute" by Malinda Lo: ★★★
This was a cute lesbian romance that takes place at a convention. It features genderbending and racebeninging iconic characters for cosplays, which I thought was super fun. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of Star Trek, so this story wasn't super engaging to me.
"Don’t Pass Me By" by Eric Gansworth:★★
The message in this one was punching me in the face! The story is about a boy of indigenous descent in a health class learning about puberty, which is an interesting premise. This story really focuses on the fact that most North American schools are generally biased towards white people and how minorities feel that they often have to hide their true selves. The writing style was just too aggressive for my liking.
"Be Cool for Once" by Aminah Mae Safi: ★★★
This one was centered around a Muslim girl with controlling parents who has a forbidden crush on a boy in her class. It had a cute set-up and a decent premise, but I was just slightly bored and have read other stories that have a similar vibes.
"Tags" by Walter Dean Myers: ★★
The message of this one was super relevant and I love the fact that it was written as a one-act play. I think this one would have to be performed live for me to truly grasp the beauty. This story features a group of four that were killed in various ways due to the brutality and prejudice that exists in our world. Also, I loved that they included a deceased author in their anthology and dedicated the book to them.
"Why I Learned to Cook" by Sara Farizan: ★★★★★
This one was such a wholesome story. I loved the Persian American protagonist who was also bi. This was a cute tale of trying to impress ones girlfriend with their cooking skills and coming out to a traditional elder of a community. By far the cutest story in the anthology for me.
"A Stranger at the Bochinche" by Daniel José Older: ★
A story such as this one should have been right up my alley, but to be honest, I was completely lost. I didn't know what was going on and I didn't care enough to reread to try to figure it out.
"A Boy’s Duty" by Sharon G. Flake: ★★★★★
This was a historical fiction tale of a homeless African American boy who doesn't want to give up on his dreams, but is placed in situations that cause him to make poor choices. I loved the historical lean on this one and the writing style.
"One Voice" by Melissa de la Cruz: ★★★★
I enjoyed this contemporary of tale of hate crimes happening on a college campus. The story focuses on a girl and a boyfriend, and much of the story is just a conversation between the two. One of the things that stuck out to me was the dialogue that focused on the differences between males and females and how they tend to act in circumstances in our modern society. It's funny though, because when I first started reading this one, I thought this story was about a gay couple. Oops.
"Paladin/Samurai" by Gene Luen Yang:★★★★★
I must admit that I'm a little biased towards the graphic novel format of this story. I'm also a bit biased towards the D&D like game that the characters were playing within. This anthologies had several stories targeted towards different nerd groups, which I really appreciated.
"Catch, Pull, Drive" by Schuyler Bailar: ★★★★★
This was by far the most enlightening story in the collection for me. The story is about a transgender boy who just came out and is now facing his first practice competing with the boys. Schuyler Bailar himself is a trans man who competed as a NCAA Division I swimmer. He sounds super interesting and I should really look more into him. This story contains a lot of hate (which can be hard to read), but also so much hope.
"Super Human" by Nicola Yoon: ★★★★★
I'm so glad that this one ended the anthology. I really like Nicola Yoon as an author and I feel that she wrote this story to be so dismal, yet so hopeful. It focuses on brutality towards people of color and showcases a superhero of color who has been mistreated. This was my favorite story of the collection and I hope that others love it just as much as I did!
Overall, even though I didn't love many of the stories, this anthology was totally worth reading! I love diversity and learning about culture different than my own. I would recommend this to pretty much anyone, but especially for high school teacher's classrooms.
Now, I will individually give a brief blip on every story individually:
"Eraser Tattoo" by Jason Reynolds:★★★
This is one of those stories that if it would have been written as a full length novel, I feel like I would have loved it. The characters seem cool, but I wish I could have had more time with them. Despite this, the feelings evoked were strong despite the length of the story and strong messages were displayed. Jason Reynolds did an amazing job of showcasing the distaste of the white folks that were moving into the house as the black family were moving out in a few masterful sentences. His writing always blows my mind, but I still feel that this one needed to impact me harder overall.
"Meet Cute" by Malinda Lo: ★★★
This was a cute lesbian romance that takes place at a convention. It features genderbending and racebeninging iconic characters for cosplays, which I thought was super fun. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of Star Trek, so this story wasn't super engaging to me.
"Don’t Pass Me By" by Eric Gansworth:★★
The message in this one was punching me in the face! The story is about a boy of indigenous descent in a health class learning about puberty, which is an interesting premise. This story really focuses on the fact that most North American schools are generally biased towards white people and how minorities feel that they often have to hide their true selves. The writing style was just too aggressive for my liking.
"Be Cool for Once" by Aminah Mae Safi: ★★★
This one was centered around a Muslim girl with controlling parents who has a forbidden crush on a boy in her class. It had a cute set-up and a decent premise, but I was just slightly bored and have read other stories that have a similar vibes.
"Tags" by Walter Dean Myers: ★★
The message of this one was super relevant and I love the fact that it was written as a one-act play. I think this one would have to be performed live for me to truly grasp the beauty. This story features a group of four that were killed in various ways due to the brutality and prejudice that exists in our world. Also, I loved that they included a deceased author in their anthology and dedicated the book to them.
"Why I Learned to Cook" by Sara Farizan: ★★★★★
This one was such a wholesome story. I loved the Persian American protagonist who was also bi. This was a cute tale of trying to impress ones girlfriend with their cooking skills and coming out to a traditional elder of a community. By far the cutest story in the anthology for me.
"A Stranger at the Bochinche" by Daniel José Older: ★
A story such as this one should have been right up my alley, but to be honest, I was completely lost. I didn't know what was going on and I didn't care enough to reread to try to figure it out.
"A Boy’s Duty" by Sharon G. Flake: ★★★★★
This was a historical fiction tale of a homeless African American boy who doesn't want to give up on his dreams, but is placed in situations that cause him to make poor choices. I loved the historical lean on this one and the writing style.
"One Voice" by Melissa de la Cruz: ★★★★
I enjoyed this contemporary of tale of hate crimes happening on a college campus. The story focuses on a girl and a boyfriend, and much of the story is just a conversation between the two. One of the things that stuck out to me was the dialogue that focused on the differences between males and females and how they tend to act in circumstances in our modern society. It's funny though, because when I first started reading this one, I thought this story was about a gay couple. Oops.
"Paladin/Samurai" by Gene Luen Yang:★★★★★
I must admit that I'm a little biased towards the graphic novel format of this story. I'm also a bit biased towards the D&D like game that the characters were playing within. This anthologies had several stories targeted towards different nerd groups, which I really appreciated.
"Catch, Pull, Drive" by Schuyler Bailar: ★★★★★
This was by far the most enlightening story in the collection for me. The story is about a transgender boy who just came out and is now facing his first practice competing with the boys. Schuyler Bailar himself is a trans man who competed as a NCAA Division I swimmer. He sounds super interesting and I should really look more into him. This story contains a lot of hate (which can be hard to read), but also so much hope.
"Super Human" by Nicola Yoon: ★★★★★
I'm so glad that this one ended the anthology. I really like Nicola Yoon as an author and I feel that she wrote this story to be so dismal, yet so hopeful. It focuses on brutality towards people of color and showcases a superhero of color who has been mistreated. This was my favorite story of the collection and I hope that others love it just as much as I did!
Overall, even though I didn't love many of the stories, this anthology was totally worth reading! I love diversity and learning about culture different than my own. I would recommend this to pretty much anyone, but especially for high school teacher's classrooms.
walrus420's review
inspiring
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
embe94's review
4.0
Some shorts I liked better than others, but it’s a great collection of stories featuring more than your usual Cishet white protags. Definitely gonna follow up with some of the authors.
emelynreads's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
lexyg's review
4.0
Algunas de las historias, como la de Nicola, fueron simplemente fantásticas! De hecho, creo que esa fue parte de mis tres favoritas. En serio, la narrativa, la facilidad de envolverme con sus palabras: simplemente magnífica. Aunque, algunas otras hubieran funcionado mejor como historias más largas porque me quedaron mil dudas y siento que eso me obligó a restarle una estrella.
amuzoo's review
3.0
3.5/4 stars
also read for my school's readathon!
it's a very short read, just a compilation of a bunch of short stories. it's definitely diverse. my one thing is that some of the stories are ABSOLUTE BANGERS (like the last one, "Superhuman"), while others are just a bit slow/boring.
also read for my school's readathon!
it's a very short read, just a compilation of a bunch of short stories. it's definitely diverse. my one thing is that some of the stories are ABSOLUTE BANGERS (like the last one, "Superhuman"), while others are just a bit slow/boring.
kidsquid's review
this is definitely aimed at a much younger demographic. there's some interesting stories, but too much young teenage love for someone my age.