alyssabookrecs's reviews
1038 reviews

What great fun this was. A bad boy dinosaur lover, an evil motorcycle, and glasses of chocolate milk for days. Can’t wait to read the next Harriet Porber book!

I absolutely loved Messy Roots. Laura’s illustrations, storytelling, and dialogue go hand-in-hand to tell her story as a queer Wuhanese-American trying to find their way. So glad I finally picked this one up!

Really enthralling book about Palestinian Ahed Tamimi's experiences incarcerated at 16-years-old in an Israeli prison for daring to hit an IDF soldier who refused to get off her land. Tamimi's experiences behind bars as a minor is really haunting, as well as the continual systemic targeting and oppression of her West Bank village and community. I leave this review with her words: “What would you do if you grew up seeing your home repeatedly raided? Your parents arrested? Your mother shot? Your uncle killed? Try, for just a moment, to imagine that this was your life. How would you want the world to react?”

Straight to jail for making me think Tao might not make it

Listen… this isn’t bad at all. In fact, it was quite enjoyable and had a surprising amount of depth. Even for those not into monster romance, I’d still recommend for the romance girlies 😋

This would have been a stronger book if Levy’s republished op-eds were shown in conjunction with another firsthand account (preferably by a Palestinian) or more historical background. Still, Levy is a great writer, and I did find myself quite engaged with what I was reading.