Perhaps my favourite was Meet Cute by Malinda Lo. I was extremely pleased that Fresh Ink had some romance stories they were wonderful and exactly what I craved for. STORIES THAT SAY: LOVE WITH COMPASSION AND COURAGE Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi follows a Muslim-American at a rock concert who bumps into her crush, and wonderfully portrays the ups and downs of having a crush, the messiness of feelings, and being true to how one feels. Paladin/Samurai is a short graphic story by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Thien Pham, about a group of friends playing Swords and Spells (a nod to Dungeons and Dragons), including a biracial Japanese-White American who experiences erasure when he wants to be a Samurai, not a Paladin, and his friend who stands up to a racist bully. One Voice follows Jasmine in college, and how two racist experiences motivate her to speak out, stand in solidarity and protest, and to live her truth without fear. Better yet, I was pleased with the uplifting ending that concluded with an optimistic note about bravery and solidarity.Īnother excellent story was One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz, a brief sequel to her other book, Something in Between. Catch, Pull, Drive was absolutely brilliant and poignant, and explores the main character’s experiences and thoughts about coming out and the experiences that followed it. I was surprised, and then amazed, that the story is written by Bailar himself, the first openly transgender competitive swimmer in the United States. Although all of the stories within Fresh Ink have this underlying theme, this message was particularly pertinent in Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar, a story about Tommy, a transgender boy who swims competitively and faces ostracism in the swimming pool. Whilst reading the stories in Fresh Ink, a distinct message that stood out to me was the importance of living your truth. From contemporary stories to historical stories to science-fiction stories, Fresh Ink features twelve stories written by some of diverse YA’s most brilliant voices. Told with hopeful narratives to heartbreaking ones, this book is a celebration of difference, empathy, acceptance, and living one’s truth.

My review:Ģ018 has been a year of diverse anthologies, and Fresh Ink is one of the good ones. This collection will inspire you to break conventions, bend the rules, and color outside the lines.

Thirteen of the most accomplished YA authors deliver a label-defying anthology that includes ten short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written–whose next chapters are up to you.īecause these stories are meant to be read. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink.

Gene yuen lang