By Ardo Omer
This month, we’re reading books written in verse by an author from a marginalized community. A book in verse is when a story uses poetry instead of traditional prose. The books we’ve chosen to recommend for this month use poetry to share powerful feelings and messages. In his YA memoir, How the Boogeyman Became a Poet, American author Tony Keith Jr. uses poetry to trace his journey as a closeted gay Black teen. In her middle grade historical fiction, Wings to Soar, Canadian author Tina Athaide uses poetry to explore 1970s Uganda. In her picture book, Black Boy, Black Boy, Angela Bowden (with illustrations by Ibeabuchi Ananaba) uses poetry to encourage Black boys of every shade, size, and passion to reach for the stars.
What other books in verse do YOU suggest?
1) Black Boy, Black Boy by Angela Bowden and Ibeabuchi Ananaba (Picture Book)
A powerful spoken-word poem encouraging Black boys of every shade, size, and passion to reach for the stars. Features vibrant artwork depicting famous Black men such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Chadwick Boseman, and more.
2) Wings to Soar by Tina Athaide (Middle Grade)
A historically relevant middle-grade novel-in-verse about a girl’s resiliency when faced with hatred towards refugees. Readers of The Night Diary and Inside Out and Back Again shouldn’t miss out.
It’s 1972 and Viva’s Indian family has been expelled from Uganda and sent to a resettlement camp in England, but not all of them made the trip. Her father is supposed to meet them in London, but he never shows up. As they wait for him, Viva, her mother, and her sister get settled in camp and try to make the best of their life there.
Just when she is beginning to feel at home with new friends, Viva and her family move out of the camp and to a part of London where they are not welcome. While grappling with the hate for brown-skinned people in their new community, Viva is determined to find her missing father so they can finish their move to Canada. When it turns out he has been sponsored to move to the United States, they have to save enough money to join him.
Told in verse, Wings to Soar follows a resilient girl and the friendships she forges during a turbulent time.
3) How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith Jr. (Young Adult)
Poet, writer, and hip-hop educator Tony Keith Jr. makes his debut with a powerful YA memoir in verse, tracing his journey from being a closeted gay Black teen battling poverty, racism, and homophobia to becoming an openly gay first-generation college student who finds freedom in poetry. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, George M. Johnson, and Jacqueline Woodson.
Tony dreams about life after high school, where his poetic voice can find freedom on the stage and page. But the Boogeyman has been following Tony since he was six years old. First, the Boogeyman was after his Blackness, but Tony has learned It knows more than that: Tony wants to be the first in his family to attend college, but there’s no path to follow. He also has feelings for boys, desires that don’t align with the script he thinks is set for him and his girlfriend, Blu.
Despite a supportive network of family and friends, Tony doesn’t breathe a word to anyone about his feelings. As he grapples with his sexuality and moves from high school to college, he struggles with loneliness while finding solace in gay chat rooms and writing poetry. But how do you find your poetic voice when you are hiding the most important parts of yourself? And how do you escape the Boogeyman when it’s lurking inside you?
