Black Love is Beautiful

The human race is wired for connection and we spend most of our lives seeking out good relationships. Everyone has the desire to know and be known by those we love. The movies we watch, music we listen to, and books we read all help shape our concept of love. We read romances earnestly hoping to catch a glimmer of ourselves in a love story. Romance readers often seek validation of their own worthiness of love in these titles. Black teens who are fans of romance mainly find books with the lived experiences of white characters and may conclude that there isn’t space for their love stories to exist. This sentiment is further solidified when the black characters included in these narratives often play the role of supportive best friend or sidekick with minimally fleshed out back stories. The lack of romances centered on the experiences of black teens can lead to a false assumption that these stories are unimportant. However, the love stories of black teens are vitally important to creating an inclusive literary community where black love is visible and celebrated. Stories about black love highlight the wholeness, beauty, and humanity in black people. They also recognize the ways the external pressures of living in a sometimes-inhospitable society can affect a love relationship. These stories are not just built from commonalities in experiences but also from the ability to see past the harmful labels attached to being black. The friendships and mutual affection in the following titles celebrates the beautiful and timeless complexities in black love. Bryant, Elise. One True Loves. Balzer & Bray/Harperteen, January 4th 2022. 9780062982865. Lenore Bennet is tired of playing the role of effervescent supportive friend, hidden girlfriend, and undecided college student. Her parents have given her the task of picking a sensible major she can commit too during their short family cruise. Lenore is avoiding her family and experiencing sea sickness when she meets Alex Lee at a teen mixer. Things get off to a rocky start when Alex asks Lenore to reprise her role of unknown girlfriend so his ex-girlfriend will see that he has moved on. Lenore quickly exits stage left only to meet Alex again when their families are seated together at dinner. Their family’s mutual adoration creates the necessary space for a simmering hatred to mellow out into a slow blooming love story. Clayton, Dhionne. Blackout: Even Love Stories can glow when the lights go out. Quill Tree Books. June 22nd 2021. 9780063088092 A couple that has recently broken up marks the beginning of a collection of stories about black love. They showed up for the same internship but a blackout in New York forces them to work together to try to get home. Readers are introduced to the love stories of other couples as the uncouple makes their way through New York. The theme of friendship turning into a sincere connection resonates in all of the stories in this collection. Colbert, Brandy. Voting Booth. Disney-Hyperion. July 7th 2020. 9781368053297 Duke has just turned 18 and is trying to vote in his first election. He meets Marva when he learns he’s at the wrong polling place. The two set off on a madcap adventure to help Duke vote and Marva to find a beloved missing feline. Over the course of a day the two bond over voting snags, trips to the beach, and new perspectives. This title also deals with loss in a self-affirming way. Miles, Shanna. For All Time. Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers. September 28th 2021. 9781534485976 Fayad and Tamar have a love built on commitment and friendship. However, serious health concerns and college ambiguity are starting to dig at the foundation of their relationship. A trip to a psychic pushes Tamar and Fayad into a series of dreamscapes where their connection remains the same but the timeline of the romance shifts. Now Fayad and Tamar are running out of time and need to solve the riddle of their complicated romance. The swoon worthy interactions and time jumps in this title will have readers on the edge of their seats. Pink, Randi. Angel of Greenwood. Feiwel & Friends. January 12th 2021. 9781250768476 Angel and Isaiah live in the prosperous black part of Greenwood, a suburb of Tulsa Oklahoma. They get to know each other when they start working together on the neighborhood bookmobile. Isaiah has long had a crush on Angel but is shocked to find that she is a devotee of Booker T. Washington. Isaiah is firmly in the camp of W.E.B. Dubois continues to have engaging conversations with Angel that only deepens his affection for her. When a horrible riot breaks out in Greenwood, they put aside their ideologies and attempt to save their community. The courage to hold on to love in the midst of a toxic storm of racial violence is brilliantly portrayed in this novel. Richardson, Rhiannon. The Meet Cute Project. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Reader. January 12th 2021. 9781534473522 Mia is a dedicated swimmer and mathlete who wants nothing more than to shave a few minutes off her swim times. Unfortunately, her sister Sam’s wedding is putting a kink in her plans and now she has to find a date for the wedding. She’s also now being pressured to volunteer with the local gardening club with her mother. Her friends come up with the meet cute project in an attempt to find her that coveted date. The only person who seems to understand her dilemma is fellow gardening volunteer Gavin. This story is a delightful blend of cosplay, love, and friendship. Rigaud, Debbie. Simone Breaks All the Rules. Scholastic Press. June 1st 2021. 9781338681727 Simone has never had the freedom to do the things normal teenagers do. Her over protective Haitian American parents have planned everything for her including her date for the prom. While Ben is a nice guy, he’s not Simone’s first choice. Simone is planning her own prom coup when she learns that she has more in common with Ben than she thought. This is a sweet romance that centers on friendship and a love for the Mets. Watson, Renee. Love is a Revolution. Bloomsbury YA. February 2nd 2021. 9781547600601 Nala is trying to support her cousin’s activism when she goes to an open mic night and meets Tye. She is immediately drawn to Tye and tries to conform into an image that fits the profile of an activist. However, Nala isn’t an activist, vegetarian, or part of an anti plastic crusade. She’s just Nala and soon learns that being true to yourself is real self-love. The characters in this story learn to look past assumptions and create space for a more nuanced view of each other. Yoon, Nicola. Instructions for Dancing. Delacorte Press. June 1st 2021. 9781524718961 Evie Thomas’s faith in happily ever after's ghosted when her father decided to marry another woman. Evie is getting rid of her romances at a free library when a chance meeting with a new neighbor gives her the strange ability to know how every romance around her is going to end. Evie is hoping to avoid any more disastrous love visions when she meets Xavier at his grandparent's dance studio. The two enter a dancing competition to drum up business for the studio. Their time together starts out as a friendship begins to morph into the romance Evie is trying to avoid. Evie must decide if love is worth the risk even if she thinks she knows the outcome.

Long time no blog!

So I'm in the spin cycle part of my educational journey. I'll be graduating in December! Yeah me ! What has that meant as far as blogging? Well it means I haven't had the chance to blog as much as I would like to. I've been living the life of a full time student, full time worker, and part time sleeper for well over 2 years now and I have to say I'll be glad when it's over. I've taken this labor day weekend to actually do some of the things that renew my spirit, hence the crazy meschugena knitting marathon that spawned this pair of fingerless gloves in a day and a half. I knit like it was my job! It felt sooooo good! I can't explain it. Wait I can, I think. It's the feeling you get when that 72% dark chocolate you've been craving since moses was a baby, not only goes on sale but is by one get one free. I was blessed with the knitting trinity. Lime green silk/cotton yarn, time, and the ability to find the correct needles and gauge for the project! I won't be cold in the branch anymore! I love it! Well I'll be posting some pictures of my first ever Ohio State Football game and the awesome experience shortly!

Join us again friends, when the fearless knitter will demonstrate how to cable knit without a cable needle! (yes, you can do this too!)

Desi

I made a difference!

Yep, I'm a blood donor. Just saved like 3 lives in 30 minutes. It's all in a days work for me. All kidding aside I donated blood for the first time in my life. I've tried several times before but this is the first time that the nurses could find a vein on me. So what did it feel like? It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I did feel a little bit woozy at first but then I started discussing 80's hair bands with the nurse and that diverted my attention from the slightly fuzzy headed feeling I was having. I felt really good about my donation and the lives that might be saved with it. Also I now know that I am beautiful inside and out cause by blood was pretty. Lovely rich wine color just choc full of life sustaining antibodies. I knew eating all that spinach would come in handy!

Now I wasn't just giving blood during my vacation. No way! I finished two hats and started a scarf. i have been in love with the color green lately. I can't seem to stop myself from knitting in green. Maybe I'm trying to channel a renewal in my own life and green brings to mind new birth and coming alive!




I also went to a Kem concert and he has a completely awesome show. Here's a no where to hide by Kem.

Enjoy

Desi

Oh What a night

Last night I couldn't get to sleep at all. no. no I couldn't get to sleep. I went out dancing for the first time since 1985! it was great because it was Ladies' 80's which meant that it was free for me! Sadly I did not have an adidas track suit or a huge gold chain with a clock attatched to it. It was still fun. So after dancing my behind off i went home only realize that I couldn't find my phone. I thought it must be in my car or in the house. I finally found in outside the club this morning. Yep my phone spent the night out in the cold and the rain. It still works I'm hoping to figure out away to dry it out. Post a comment if you have some ingeneous ways to accomplish this task. So this morning I've been binging on journey, prince, and glee of course. I'll have to regulate my music diet to prepare for my upcoming spanish oral quiz and composicion! I do solmenly swear and declare that I will give a 50 page disertation on the merits of having a foreign language requirement for english major. I mean really if I'm majoring in english maybe i really like it. Maybe my idea of fun is not four quarters of spanish? I'll use this time of testing and trial to stretch my brain and grown into an international spanish speaking sensation. probably not. Here's a nod to the 80's

How's your knitting life!

Well it's sad to say my knitting life has been lackluster as of late. I'm learning spanish and writing business correspondence letters. Who has the time to pick up the sticks? I do! Knitting is vital to my sanity. I've realized that I have to have balance in my life. So what I have decided to do is to knit when homework is through! What an incentive to finish projects early! So here's what I've been working on!







But wait! There's more! I'll be posting the pictures for my fair isle creation and green hat shortly.

Hasta Luego!

Winter Blah Blah Blah

Sometimes, winter and be a real bummer! I am thoroughly hating the temperatures right now. When you add up the minutes I spend walking to class in sometimes frigid temperatures you can understand why I'm not such a huge fan of winter. I like the cozy aspects of winter but I miss being able to walk around in just a hoodie and jeans. So I decided to look at some photos from my trip this summer to cheer me up. Hopefully they will remind you of warmer days.

Adios Mi Amigos!

How I'm feeling!

Happy Thursday guys! I think poison sums up my feelings exactly. I heard this song last night on my drive home from the gym!



Check-ya later tater

Desi