A review by saschadarlington
Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA by Nova Ren Suma, Emily X.R. Pan
5.0
I had many thoughts as I read the stories in Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA, one of the biggest was that I didn’t know I needed this book in my life at this time. Maybe that sounds hokey, but there’s something about reading stories from different cultural perspectives that place the current world in context. While almost all of these stories are set in the United States, it is not the one of my daily life, but still one of a shared humanity.
Some of the stories resonated more with me than others. For instance, the very first story “Risk” is about Marnie, a high school girl who becomes a lobster. It’s metaphor beautifully executed. “Sweetmeats” is a very different take on Hansel and Gretel set in current times as two girls are kidnapped by a witch, but no one believes them. “Solace” vies for being my favorite story. It’s about Laila who lost her younger brother and has punished herself since. The writing is stunning, so poetic and evocative, and it brought me to tears as I read it. Just a beautiful story that resonates with hope. And “Resilient” is probably my second favorite because it made me think and feel. It depicted the resilience of the human spirit and had me caring about the characters in such a short space of time. It was visceral, showing me a landscape that made me feel sad. So many thoughts went through my mind while reading this story, which is definitely the sign of a good story. In the midst of all of these thought-provoking ones, we have “Break,” which, on its surface seems light and romantic until you get to the guts–the stark realization of how people are sometimes dismissed for their color or ethnicity via a supposed compliment. “Monsters” is about Milagros who has come to New York from Venezuela; she sees monsters. Monsters take all forms and some people see them, some don’t. Are all of the monsters evil or just misunderstood? And what of the people who don’t see the monsters or don’t believe?
Besides the stories themselves, there is an introduction to each story by well-known authors; each story is followed by the writer’s thoughts about their story, its origins; and lastly the editors have included thoughts and prompts to give the writer/reader ideas.
Like I said above, I didn’t know I needed this until I found it. An exquisite exploration of own voices that will continue to resonate with me.
I would recommend Foreshadow for readers who like short stories, particularly literary ones. YA readers who are open to reading literary short stories would enjoy this book as well. And, I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to read diverse voices.
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Some of the stories resonated more with me than others. For instance, the very first story “Risk” is about Marnie, a high school girl who becomes a lobster. It’s metaphor beautifully executed. “Sweetmeats” is a very different take on Hansel and Gretel set in current times as two girls are kidnapped by a witch, but no one believes them. “Solace” vies for being my favorite story. It’s about Laila who lost her younger brother and has punished herself since. The writing is stunning, so poetic and evocative, and it brought me to tears as I read it. Just a beautiful story that resonates with hope. And “Resilient” is probably my second favorite because it made me think and feel. It depicted the resilience of the human spirit and had me caring about the characters in such a short space of time. It was visceral, showing me a landscape that made me feel sad. So many thoughts went through my mind while reading this story, which is definitely the sign of a good story. In the midst of all of these thought-provoking ones, we have “Break,” which, on its surface seems light and romantic until you get to the guts–the stark realization of how people are sometimes dismissed for their color or ethnicity via a supposed compliment. “Monsters” is about Milagros who has come to New York from Venezuela; she sees monsters. Monsters take all forms and some people see them, some don’t. Are all of the monsters evil or just misunderstood? And what of the people who don’t see the monsters or don’t believe?
Besides the stories themselves, there is an introduction to each story by well-known authors; each story is followed by the writer’s thoughts about their story, its origins; and lastly the editors have included thoughts and prompts to give the writer/reader ideas.
Like I said above, I didn’t know I needed this until I found it. An exquisite exploration of own voices that will continue to resonate with me.
I would recommend Foreshadow for readers who like short stories, particularly literary ones. YA readers who are open to reading literary short stories would enjoy this book as well. And, I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to read diverse voices.
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.