Maybe you know or maybe you have no idea who I even am or how you ended up on this site but Randa Abdel-Fattah changed my life when I was a kid. On more than one occasion, I’ve talked about how Does My Head Look Big In This is one of the three most important books in my life that helped redefine how I felt about my identity and about myself as a human being. So, when I heard that she had a new book coming out, I was over the moon. Of course, this was ages ago and this was when the book was coming out in Australia and I was all the way here, sad because I didn’t think I’d get to read the book. Then I found out…
Kid Lit Says No Kids in Cages + Five Books About Immigration Experiences You Should Read
Posted by Rashika • 2 Comments
I think we are all aware the world is a pile of crap and yet this past week, it seems like all of that is escalating. From refugees running away from human traffickers being turned away by Italy to prove a point to incredibly young children being separated from their parents after escaping unimaginable horrors, the world truly sucks. Sometimes it can be incredibly overwhelming when many of us sit in the protection of our own homes feeling like we are unable to do anything. There is always something you can do though. Whether it is calling your representatives (no matter how shitty they are) or donating your time/money.
Authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz put together the “Kid Lit Says No Kids in Cages” campaign. Donations will go to 6 different organizations working to support detained immigrants. You can donate and find more information out HERE.
Five Books About Immigration Experiences You Should Read
I am also sharing a short list of books about immigration experiences you should read. I made a list of 10 books last year you can also check out here.
1. Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz
Jasmine de los Santos’ world is turned upside down when in the process of applying to scholarships for college, she discovers that their visas expired ages ago.
2. Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
Following the events of Pearl Harbor, Sumiko and her family is shipped off to an internment camp while her grandfather and his eldest brother are separated from them to be ‘questioned’.
3. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
This graphic novel is one of my all-time favorites and one that captures the immigrant experience so beautifully.
4. The Radius of Us by Marie Marquardt
This is the only book I know of that has an MC from El Salvador (or a Central American country in general) and it touches on immigration issues and racism in America.
5. American Street by Ibi Zaboi
When they immigrate from Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by US immigration authorities, leaving her to navigate the US and her cousins by herself.