Books about Black boys – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] The Lies of the Ajungo, by Moses Ose Utomi

A Kindle displaying the cover of The Lies of the Ajungo lies on a kitchen table next to a full blue glass of water.

(Buy this book here) There is no water in the City of Lies. Let me make this easy. 5 stars, ten out of ten, gold medal, everybody go buy and read this now. Why are you still here? Fine, let me explain… This short, sweet West Africa-inspired fairy tale is my second favorite 2023 readContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Lies of the Ajungo, by Moses Ose Utomi”

[REVIEW] The Ballad of Perilous Graves, by Alex Jennings

(Buy this book here.) (Disclosure: I met Alex aka @magicknegro at Under The Volcano 2022 and have been known to message him whiny existential writer complaints on occasion. This is still an honest review and I bought my own copy of this book because Paying Writers Cures Foolishness.) The publisher blurbs for this book allContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Ballad of Perilous Graves, by Alex Jennings”

[REVIEW] The Windweaver’s Storm(TJ Young and the Orishas Book 2), by Antoine Bandele

A Black woman's hand(my hand) holds up the Kindle cover of The Windweaver's Storm up against the cloudy blue and white sky. The cover shows a teenaged black boy and girl pointing at a giant female figure made of lightning and fire in the distance.

(Buy this book!) One of my most anticipated new reads for 2022 is finally here and let me say the important part first– it did not disappoint! When we last saw teenaged magic student Tomori Jomiloju Young, he had survived remedial magic summer camp, traveled to the spirit realm, made a bargain with Olokun himselfContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Windweaver’s Storm(TJ Young and the Orishas Book 2), by Antoine Bandele”

[Booklist] And No-one Kills The Black Boy: A Selection of Black Boy Heroes

A young Black boy sits against a white wall with a notebook and pencil in his hands, staring into space pensively

Black boys are precious. Let me say that again. Black boys, and the men they grow into, are precious. It happens to be International Men’s Day today. As a result, the internet is full of Things About Men, good, bad, political, personal, and all points in between. I find myself thinking about the men IContinue reading “[Booklist] And No-one Kills The Black Boy: A Selection of Black Boy Heroes”

[REVIEW] Starlion: Thieves of the Red Night, by Leon Langford

A Black woman's hand holds up the colorful anime-style cover of Starlion: Thieves Of The Red Night in front of a office window overlooking the Boston Seaport district.

(Buy it here from Bookshop.) What do you get when you cross Sky High, The Avengers and Yu-Gi-Oh? Toss in a little Harry Potter and Percy Jackson too and apparently, you get this fun middle-grade superhero fantasy novel by indie author Leon Langford. It’s about Jordan Harris, a supernaturally gifted Black boy in an alternateContinue reading “[REVIEW] Starlion: Thieves of the Red Night, by Leon Langford”

[Review] M.C. Higgins, The Great, by Virginia Hamilton

(Buy it HERE.) I read this book because I felt like I was missing out on something. I’d heard nothing but glowing reviews of this from folks who read it in school and loved it. That, plus its inclusion on a lot of #blackboyjoylit lists made me expect this to be a very different middle grade coming-of-ageContinue reading “[Review] M.C. Higgins, The Great, by Virginia Hamilton”

[REVIEW] The Gatekeeper’s Staff(TJ Young And The Orishas Book 1), by Antoine Bandele

A black and white ebook standing on a cement block, underneath a halo-shaped fluorescent light.

(Find it HERE.) I LOVED THIS. Before I get into the review, let me just say–if you know a pre-teen boy who loves magic and adventure, get him this book. If he’s Black, get him two copies. This is the first book I’ve read in 2021 that made me want to clap and cheer andContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Gatekeeper’s Staff(TJ Young And The Orishas Book 1), by Antoine Bandele”

[REVIEW] A Bastard’s Degree In English, November St. Michael

(Buy it HERE.) 🍁⠀⠀3 things: ⠀⠀1) I haven’t been adulting particularly well lately. Spare a good thought in the direction of this reader when you can. ⠀⠀2) November is Native American Heritage Month and for the rest of the month I’ll be reading and reviewing indigenous writers and their work.⠀⠀3) But before that–what better thingContinue reading “[REVIEW] A Bastard’s Degree In English, November St. Michael”

[REVIEW] Represent! #1: It’s A Bird! written by Christian Cooper

A tablet with the cover of the comic Represent! It's A Bird displayed

🐦⠀Chris Cooper should be famous for being Marvel Comics’ first openly gay writer and editor, for introducing some of the first canon gay characters in major comic books, and for his editing work on Blade, The Punisher, and Star Trek comics.⠀🐥⠀Instead, on May 25th, 2020, the same day that George Floyd was killed, Cooper becameContinue reading “[REVIEW] Represent! #1: It’s A Bird! written by Christian Cooper”