Much has already been written in the vast universe of Literature about being a Teen, but how often do you get a round Puerto Rican queer teen girl protagonist, kicking ass, being vulnerable and charming and nerdy, discovering love and herself and intersectional feminism, all in a tight 300 pages? The story was sweet but also couched in a surprising amount of education about allyship, intersectional feminism, queer politics, and more. I was not expecting my YA fun read to make me examine my own privilege and well-meaning [queer but white] feminism, but here we are, and I am better for it.
The book never comes across as "preachy," just honest, and Juliet was such a well-written and engrossing character that I'd love to hang out with.
Juliet Takes A Breath is fantastic, and should be hand-delivered to every high school library. Insert your own dad joke about the book being a "breath of fresh air" here.
(Note: the back says Ages 14+ or Grades 9+ and I think that's about right. There is a so-so amount of cursing and discussion of sex and masturbation, which might be a bit much for middle school).
The book never comes across as "preachy," just honest, and Juliet was such a well-written and engrossing character that I'd love to hang out with.
Juliet Takes A Breath is fantastic, and should be hand-delivered to every high school library. Insert your own dad joke about the book being a "breath of fresh air" here.
(Note: the back says Ages 14+ or Grades 9+ and I think that's about right. There is a so-so amount of cursing and discussion of sex and masturbation, which might be a bit much for middle school).