by Mahogany L. Browne with Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatwood
Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III
Forward by Jason Reynolds
5 stars
A phenomenal collection of poetry focused on race, identity, equality, and justice.
The book blends elements of history, resistance, injustice, and anti-racism. It also explains various concepts such as privilege, intersectionality, and stereotypes.
Each poem is accompanied by a full-color illustration by Taylor. The illustrations pair perfectly with the message of the associated poem. At the bottom, the poem’s theme is also noted.
I loved that each poet brought their unique style to the collection. They work beautifully collectively while covering their own topic and message. A few of my personal favorites were Acevedo’s “Unfurling People” and Gatwood’s “In Between, There is Light”, “What’s In My Toolbox?”, and “A Me-Shaped Box”.
A great collection to educate and inspire young readers and poets to keep learning, resisting, writing, and putting in the work.