Today I'm sharing the best book I read in July.
Of the 13 books I read this month, I had three 5-star reads:
Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
I highly recommend The New Jim Crow, but it was my Best of the Bunch the first time I read it. So I will pick something else instead!
The chapters of Piecing Me Together are very short, so it was hard not to read just one more... and one more... and one more. Watson manages to cover a lot of ground in not a very long book, and she does it at a level that's accessible for young adults — I would argue this is even more of a middle school-level book language-wise, even though the protagonist is a high school junior. We see the complex situations Jade has to navigate, like how she feels slighted by the women in her mentorship program for Black women and girls because they make her feel like a charity case, even though she also benefits from the program, and also her mom is encouraging her to take advantage of the program while feeling ashamed that she can't provide the same things that Jade's mentor can. As time goes on, Jade finds ways to speak up for herself. It's an empowering read that doesn't downplay the realities of Jade's life. Definitely recommended!
What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Getting the Love You Want, Imperium, and White Fragility
Five years ago I was reading: Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, Okay for Now, The Princess Bride, and Nervous Conditions
Ten years ago I was reading: Angela's Ashes
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