Books By Trans and Non-binary Authors

Since we're halfway through Pride Month and I'm still Getting asked for recommendations for books by trans and non-binary authors I've decided to suggest some. Some of these are ones I own, ones I have read then fallen in love with, ones that were released fairly recently and they are on my TBR lists as I type.

Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas

 

This story follows Yadriel in his quest to be accepted as a brujo by his family. After his cousin dies him and Maritza set out to find his portaje to send him to the afterlife so that he can come back for Dia de Muertos, instead he finds Julian, sets out to find answers and prove himself to his family. In the process Yads falls in love with Julian, but knows if he is dead he has to send him to the afterlife too. If you're into YA, love Latinx stories about brujx and love rom-coms this might be just for you.  By the end of the book you would have fallen in love with Yadriel/Julian and will be asking Aiden for a sequel.

Trigger Warnings:

Blood magic (referenced)

Character abuse (off-page)

Deadnaming of a trans character.

Death (parental)

Gender dysphoria.

Homophobia.

Misgendering of a trans character.

Transphobia.

Felix Ever After - Kacen Callender

Felix's story is a Trans coming of age story that is very deeply rooted in struggles that Trans people face daily. It also show how things can be if a Trans person's deepest fear comes true and having to live with the fact that someone could commit such an act of violence. In this story Felix learns that he is worthy of love and it can come from an unexpected place. I full on ugly cried by the end of this book and I fully endorse all ugly crying. One of the amazing things about this book is that it takes place during pride month and it makes the story that much better.

Trigger Warnings: 

Transphobia

Allusions to homophobia

Allusions to deadnaming

Assorted bullying

Catfishing.

All Boys Aren't Blue - George M. Johnson

George M. Johnson wrote this beautiful Memoir Manifesto that is an ode to being a queer black boy. Their story is amazing from cover to cover. George writes a testament to how people in their family affirmed them from day one and guarded their agency all the way into their adulthood. Last year, George announced that they were non-binary and they would be going by they/them pronouns, which is also a testament to how as we are on life's journey, we learn things about ourselves and adapt to those discoveries.

Trigger Warnings:

Blood

Cancer

Death (in family)

Homophobia

Incest

Physical assault

Racism

Rape

Sexual content

Sexual abuse

Slurs

Violence

 

An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon

An Unkindness of Ghosts follows a woman named Aster who lives on an Antebellum ship in space that has been seemingly wandering for many years. While reading through her mother's notes she finds similarities between the death of the Sovereign and the death of her mother. In the process of reviewing all of the evidence Aster discovers that there may be a way off of the ship and she has to decide whether to lead a revolt against the ships caste system or continue to experience abuse at the hands of the new Sovereign. Rivers was so able to seamlessly blur gender roles in an environment where you otherwise wouldn't be able to do it. I love that there was an understanding of the characters implied gender identities without it being overstated. 

Trigger Warnings:

Child abuse (Sexual, implied)

Homophobia.

Lynching.

Sexual assault (mentioned)

Slavery.

Suicide (mentioned)

The Death of Vivek Oji - Akwaeke Emezi

This book tells the story of Vivek in flashbacks that describe incidents and encounters up until his death. The story also covers the aftermath of his death and the toll it took on the family. In Vivek's mother's search for answers you discover what can happen if a female relative is reincarnated as male and the consequences of not carrying on the reincarnation name tradition. There are many themes and tropes explored in this book, especially as it it pertains to traditional Igbo spiritual practices. 

Trigger Warnings:

Alcohol

Death

Homophobia

Incest (first cousins)

Infidelity

Lynching

Murder

Rape

Sex

Sexual assault

Transphobia

 

My Review of "Clap When You Land" by Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Acevedo has definitely proven she is a literary force with the first two books. The Poet X was beautiful story written about a Dominican girl, named Xiomara who wants to be a poet. In With the Fire on High a seventeen year old Puerto Rican girl named Emani who has a daughter and has the gift of cooking. In WTFOH Emani explores the possibilities of the opportunities her cooking can present to her while also raising a kid. Both of these books explore the stories of strong Afro-Latinx young women and Clap When You Land explores the story of four strong Dominican women. 

Clap When You Land is a story of sisters, one named Yahaira who lives in New York with her mother, the other named Camino who lives in Dominican Republic with her Tia Solana. They have no idea about each other and their father has died on his flight on the way to visit Camino for the summer. After it is confirmed that there are no survivors they are forced to live with the fact that their father had two families and find a way to exist together and heal.

Like The Poet X, Clap When You Land is written in verse. If reading Acevedo doesn't teach you that verse is a beautiful way to write a novel something is wrong. In this novel even the most heartbreaking, the most devastating news was beautiful. When Tia told Camino about Yahaira it was beautifully done. Every part of this book was done so beautifully that the emotions felt while reading it was powerful.

One of my favorite things about Acevedo is she she is definitely not afraid of writing queer characters and I'm glad that in this book one of the main characters is queer. Yahaira has a girlfriend named Dre who has a green thumb and kinda been her comfort through everything. Dre is a character that breaths life into the love story that is woven into the story and through Yahaira's grief she finds solace in Dre.

I feel that there is power in the resolution of this story, because the death of their father throws both of them into emotional turmoil and also takes a toll on their extended family. To see Yahaira come to terms that she has a sister, her mother reconcile with the fact that her husbands daughter needs her compassion and to see Camino get the family she always wanted even though it took her father to die to get it. The way the story ended is perfect, beautiful and simple despite the journey it took to get there.

My thoughts on "All of Us With Wings" by Michelle Ruiz Keil

 I think that many of the people who have read this book have leapt to conclusions. Yes the book is problematic, but I also understand why the author wrote the book this way. This book is definitely not the best I've read by far, its not a terrible book. It is however the author's debut novel so I was not expecting a lot. For a YA novel it was definitely was better than I was expecting. I think this is one path to healing for the author and honestly it wasn't all horrible.

In the Author's Note Michelle Ruiz Keil did include a trigger warning stating that the book contained themes of sexual abuse and drug use. Keil says that like Xochi she was a runaway, she is also a survivor of abuse and this book was one path to her coping with her trauma. In this novel she wanted to explore those things while also incorporating mythical characters. 

This book tells the story of seventeen year old Xochi who's mother abandons her and after her grandma Loretta dies she runs away to San Francisco. After a few weeks in SF alone she meets a Pallas, the twelve year old daughter of Leviticus and Io. She becomes Pallas' governess and friend. Leviticus and the rest of the gang introduce her to the Rock & Roll lifestyle. One night after Lady Frieda's Equinox party Pallas and Xochi accidentally summon these mythical creatures named Waterbabies. The creatures begin exacting revenge against all people who have hurt Xochi, but in the end she is forced to deal with her trauma on her own.

What I liked about this book was that it covered themes of abuse, the results of that trauma and then deals with the subject of redemption. The author in my opinion did a good job at portraying the behavior of the Waterbabies as manifestations of the hurt that Xochi experienced, they were able to determine who could and could not be redeemed. Her mother could be redeemed, Evan could not, and Evan surrendered his life because he recognized that he was irredeemable. There is also the theme of free love, the way the characters acknowledged that it is sometimes flawed, but it can be beautiful. Oh yeah and there was a random Star Trek reference that made me happy. In the end Xochi becomes part of this found family, agrees to try with her mother and knows it could take some time to heal.

Although there were some good moments there are some really bad ones too. I definitely did not agree with Leviticus being a love interest, it is statutory rape no matter how you try to slice it. He should not have been the choice for a love interest. Kylen kept accusing Xochi of lying about her age, when in fact she hadn't mentioned her age at all. Xochi was supposed to be Bi representation, but the only time it's ever brought up it's a drunken afterthought. There are other queer identities represented which kind of makes up for it, but not much, I wish she could have been left to explore more instead of being hung up on Leviticus.

I would recommend this for a person who is looking for an 80s Rock & Roll narrative that is problematic and sort of adventurous. If you don't mind themes of trauma, abuse and drug use, it might be fine for you. If not, I would avoid this one, its not a must read. I think that its just survivor's road to recovery with a little bit of mysticism to keep you going and that's about as deep as it goes.

Ten Years of Janelle Monáe's Masterpiece "The ArchAndroid"

Exactly ten years ago today Janelle Monáe and the Wondaland Arts Society released an album that was for many the whole package. The music was amazing, the story was interesting and the dramatics were unmatched. This was a follow up of her Metropolis EP was also a continuance of the Metropolis Epic. The Metropolis EP was suite one and The ArchAndroid are suites two and three respectively. For me, I became effectively obsessed with this album, the eclectic sound, the orchestrations, Janelle's rapping and vocals was just the perfect package.

The ArchAndroid is an 18 track mammoth of a concept album with some of the best visuals in life. Not only was the album artwork stunning, but the videos that came with it were as well. The album tells the story of Cindi Mayweather  and Anthony Greendown as we all know. Janelle's future narrative about an Android who falls in love with a human has spawned some imaginative, downright crazy fan theories and fan fiction that is actually beautiful. A lot of the theories are derived from the insert above that is a kind of bazaar letter from the Vice Chancellor of The Palace of the Dogs Arts Asylum. Some fAmdroids/fAndroids (as her fans are called) theories involve intricacies I could never think of. After all these years we are still trying to piece together the story, I think Janelle likes it that way.

I'm going to list my favorite tracks cause I can do that. The whole album is magnificent, but I do have some favorites. Suites II Overture and Suite III Oveture of course are a musicians orchestrations dream, this was the reason many of us wanted to join the ArchOrchestra back then. Dance or Die cause Janelle showed she had bars. Locked Inside, Oh, Maker, Make the Bus and Wondaland were catchy AF, they were bops for sure. Come Alive, Mushrooms and Roses because your fave could never. Say You'll Go and BabopbyeYa are just two more examples of all that orchestration I love so much. The Album is just full of eargasms, lol don't judge me.

Ten years has passed and some still have yet to discover the mysteries of this masterpiece and some of us are always noticing new things. There are people who are just discovering it. Let's not speak of those who had the chance to give it, its due recognition  and didn't (*cough Recording Academy *cough cough). If you asked me if this album stands the test of time I would say "Yes, damn it give Jane all the awards for the times you paid her dust".  I may be a little biased cause "Hey fAmdroid here". Honestly, if she learned to play a violin while standing on her head, I'd love her even more. Yes, I still listen to this album faithfully, its a classic in my book, and yes I might be a little biased, but who's gonna check me?

Singing Praises for "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson

I have to admit that I didn't really know what to expect going into this book, I was definitely anticipating it, but I didn't know how George was going to see fit to tell his story. When I opened up the the book the first thing I read was the Author's Note. I find it quite important to know the author's intent. In the Author's Note George States "Please know that this book was crafted with care and love, but most importantly to give a voice to so many from marginalized communities whose experiences have not been captured between the pages of a book". I think he accomplished his goal with this book.

In the introduction of the book he tells the story of his birth and how it was a foreshadowing of his life. He goes on to speak about gender and gender identity. George also goes on to talk about society, the binary and how the world would be if children weren't just pushed into a gender identity because of their genitalia. He takes us on quite a journey into what he thinks of the intersection of his blackness, his queerness and the need to embrace them both.

Through the book he talks about his journey as a black queer kid to a black queer adolescent and a black queer adult. In the book he talks about his relationships with his Nanny, mother, father, brother and various cousins "The Village" as he calls them. George also discusses his how his family supported him and stood by him no matter how different he was. Specifically his Nanny made sure he was loved and kept him company when he became more and more isolated. The Village made sure he was safe, loved and knew that they always had his back.

As he continues on his journey in the book, he describes relationships with the family members that were a part of his "Tribe". These are family members who he realized were black and queer like him. There are a few of them described in the book - Hope, G.G., Thomas among others. George noticed Hope was different and forged a bond with her as he got older. G.G., George's older brother became closer when George got older and are close now. Thomas was his cousin who George found out was gay during an encounter. He struggled to tell the story about Thomas because he was killed for his queerness and that tragedy was hard for him. 

I mostly personally related to in his college years, being a queer person that went to an HBCU, not having the language to label myself and also not really wanting to adhere top labels builds character.

Even though he knew his identity, navigating certain conversations was not fun. The difference is that he made it through his Greek process I did not. Lol, I guess I just wasn't built for that shit. He found family, brotherhood and deeper kinship in his brothers. This bond was tried when one of his brothers died suddenly. All in all he was able to navigate it a little bit better than I did, but his journey to that point was a trying one. 

After reading this book I felt amazing, it was like I saw myself and other black queer people in those pages. I was filled with joy that so many of us would be able to read this book and identify parts of themselves in his story. Maybe his story will be inspiration for others to tell their stories, so that we may be able to identify with these stories in ourselves. After reading this book there is a feeling of kinship with those like us and maybe just maybe it will connect us through our similarities. Maybe it will help some of us feel less alone.

03.15.20 - Childish Gambino Review

I definitely can say that I remember exactly where I was when I first bought Childish Gambino's very first album. As a fan I can definitely say where I was when I first heard his music, honestly at the time I didn't know his name, but I did like his style. I was just the type of nerdy Black person who could get down with his brand of nerdy backpack raps. The funny part is when I bought his first album, I was in the only place that sold explicit albums in town looking for Drakes album. That day I walked out of the store with two albums not one and don't regret it for one moment. When I got back to my dorm that day I listened to both albums and of the two I liked Camp better. I also figured out that I had already heard a fair amount of his music, thanks to the other Black nerds on ECSU's campus.

Fast forward nine years, four albums, fourteen films, fifteen TV shows and an Addidas campaign later. I am still and avid fan and have witnessed Donald Glover switch between his rap persona, his writing, his acting and his business persona. His rap persona is somewhat a mystery to some people as he defies genres, is somewhat of a recluse and is not very active at all on any social media platforms. When something Donald Glover/Childish Gambino is released not only is it an occasion, but also proof of life because of his efforts to stay out of the limelight.

As I type I do seem to remember Childish Gambino being the one for surprises long before many artists. I remember the very vague visuals for Because the Internet, and the film script that was supposed to go along with the album. The pop-up secret concert in the desert, where they confiscated the phones of all who attended (supposedly because some snapshots surfaced shortly after) before Awaken, My Love came out. This instance is no different.

On March 15, 2020 at midnight Childish Gambino opened up a web domain www.donaldgloverpresents.com with a cover graphic and a play button. There was no option to fast-forward, rewind or repeat. There were no song titles just a stream with 12 songs playing on a loop. Naturally, fans were excited and were willing to take what was given. Some of the songs we already recognized off the bat, Algorhythm, Time, Die with You, Warlord and Saturday (some of which were featured in the Amazon exclusive Guava Island).We listened and listened, at midnight that night the stream disappeared so we were not able to return to it afterward.

A few days later we got news that Childish Gambino had released the songs as an album called 03.15.20. Needless to say we were ready, we knew it was coming. Now we have the tracklist info on deck.

1. 0.00 - Intro

2. Algorhythm

3. Time

4. 12.38 - Vibrate

5. 19.10 - Beautiful

6. 24.19 - Sweet Thing/Thank you

7. 32.22 - Warlords

8. 35. 31 - Little Foot, Big Foot. Get Out the Way.

9. 39.28 - Why Go to the Party

10. 42.26 - Feels Like Summer

11. 47.48 - Don't Worry About (The Violence)

12. 53.49 - Stand Tall

Right now I'm still listening to the tracks and letting each track stand on its own. The album while it has its tempo and transition issues is still a pretty solid effort. There are some really amazing moments through out the album in its entirety, Right now the songs could stand alone or be listened to in the context of the album. I take them either way. My standouts change everyday, but as of now my favorites are Algorhythm, Time, 32.22, 42.26, and 47.48. The album as a whole is a solid effort and at least for the most part Childish Gambino stuck to a blueprint and gave us some music that will stick.

Albums I Discovered During The Quarantine

In these times we have been quite cooped up and are stretching to find things to do. If you are like me you have began to do things you always wanted to do and never have time for otherwise. This time has become a time of self-care and discovering hobbies. Most of us are catching up on the things we've missed, for me its music that has definitely crowded my hard drive and I never quite got to.

So here is my list of Albums I discovered during the Quarantine:




Blue Bird EP

Most people Jasmine Cephas-Jones because of her role in the Broadway Musical Hamilton. Some know her as Anthony Ramos' fiance. I know her as a singer-songwriter, actress and just all around amazing person in general. I have actually had the pleasure of meeting her and Anthony on the press run for his album. She definitely is a character.

Blue Bird is actually an EP, but this collection of songs are amazing. I love the EP as a whole. I knew it was going to be quite an event when I first heard her first single Wild Thing. The song is catchy as hell, she did kinda fuss at me on Twitter because I took so long to listen to it. My bad Sis. All jokes aside its a great song. My other favorites on this EP are Moonlight, Gone Girl and Alice.

All in all its an amazing debut for a beautiful song bird, we can tell Anthony to take a seat for a little while.


Jardín

I discovered Gabriel Garzon-Montano while on one of my very frequent visits down a COLORS session rabbit hole. This subsequently lead to me finding more about him including his 2017 album Jardín. The French - Colombian singer from Brooklyn was signed to Stones Throw Records after Mayer Hawthorne heard a song of his in a record store and sent them his music. 

Jardín is easily one of the most catchy complete albums that I have listened to in it's entirety. This offering from Montano is heavily R&B influenced and dedicated to Prince. Who can argue with that? No one. Like I said the songs hit and they're catchy as hell. I do have favorites though, as with any album there are standouts. My standouts are Sour Mango, Fruitflies, The Game, Crawl and My Ball. That is damn near the whole album. Quite frankly you can easily listen to these songs all the way through and not feel bad at all.

Juliet EP

Next Town Down is a group that formed in 2016 so you can say they've been together for four years give or take. I started following them in 2017 when I discovered their five part harmony covers of popular songs. You can still check them out on YouTube. I kinda fell off and didn't realize that the youngest member had finally turned 18 and they had come out with two EPs since first coming across their music.

There are two things that I noticed about them that has changed over the years, they have a more polished more modern sound and they have definitely matured. They are not teenagers anymore with the exception of Leon they're grown and it shows in the subject matter. Juliet is the second EP from NTD and it does not disappoint. There are a few really cool features from a few well know artists the most notable is 6lack.

Of course with every album there are still a few stand outs the same is true with an EP. My Standouts are Notice, Easy (feat. 6lack), Because I Love You and Wonderin'. Call me nostalgic, but the reason I liked them in the first place is their amazing ability to do five part harmony and I think Notice, Because I Love You and Wonderin' showcase those abilities. All in all it's a solid project and they will most likely continue to improve with time. Only time will tell.

So far these have been the albums heavily on repeat and are ones that I tend to return to on a daily basis. They're fresh right now and they're going to be in rotation for quite a while. There are so many albums that I own that I failed to listen to. As long as we're here there will be updates most likely daily depends on what vibe I'm on.