The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho

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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy : Racism, Injustice, and How You Can Be a Changemaker by Emmanuel Acho
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Stop what you are doing. Download this book and listen to it with your children while you drive around town. Ask Alexa or Hey Google to play it while cooking dinner. Discuss it around the table or at game night. Make time for this book that dives into an incredibly important topic. It’s worth it. With everything that’s happened in our country this year, kids (and adults!!) need to understand what racism is, how to be anti-racist and where racism comes from (a great history lesson!). If ever there was an essential book… this is it! Recommend for ages 8 as “together read”.

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy : Racism, Injustice, and How You Can Be a Changemaker by Emmanuel Acho, (List Price: $17.99, Roaring Brook Press, 9781250801067, May 2021)

Reviewed by Michelle Uhlfelder, Sundog Books in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi
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WOW! Everyone should read this book. No matter what you think you know, you probably don’t know enough. Clear and accessible non-history book with history in it. As a former teacher, I wish more content was available in this well-thought-out and clear package. There isn’t room to get bored or lost for readers. There are built-in moments to breathe, reflect, and even chuckle. a great strategy for tough material. No matter what lens you view America through, this book will have an impact on your focus. It’s not enough to not be racist, be actively anti-racist.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi, (List Price: 18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316453691, March 2020)

Reviewed by Susan Williams, M. Judson, Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina

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Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Graphic Novel Memoir) by Colin Kaepernick

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Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Graphic Novel Memoir) by Colin Kaepernick
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Change the Game follows a young Colin Kaepernick as he navigates late high school, and his lack of offers to play college football. He confronts the societal obstacles in his way head on and continues to fight for and believe in himself. Great for young athletes who are looking for an inspiring story of overcoming challenges, both in the outside world and in their own heads.

Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Graphic Novel Memoir) by Colin Kaepernick, (List Price: 24.99, Graphix, 9781338789669, May 2023)

Reviewed by Alex Einhorn, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat

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The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat
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Christina Soontornvat’s graphic memoir depicts the challenges & joys of middle school life as a Thai-American in Texas centering around her dream of making the school’s cheer squad. For fans of Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl, Jerry Craft’s New Kid or any of Raina Telgemeier’s many graphic novels.

The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat (List Price: $24.99, Graphix,, 9781338741308, November 2022)

Reviewed by Elese Stutts, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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I am Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges

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I am Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges
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Elementary school. Ruby tells her story, as she experienced it, when she was just six years old. Adapted for the youngest readers, this edition has beautiful illustrations that demonstrate Ruby’s words. There is a glossary to help children learn key terms. For older readers, the author and illustrator have included their own personal notes of what inspired this version. This is an excellent book to help encourage family discussions about America’s history of education. This is a children’s book. It is told from the eyes of a child. It is illustrated showing the world through a child’s eye. It is beautiful! I loved Ruby’s sass, especially when it came to her very old name. I loved her innocence and her spunk. She is, indeed, Ruby Bridges, the First!

I am Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges, (List Price: $18.99, Orchard Book, 9781338753882, September 2022)

Reviewed by Nicole McManus, My Sister’s Books in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina

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Muhammad Najem, War Reporter by Muhammad Najem

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Muhammad Najem, War Reporter by Muhammad Najem
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A Syrian kid living through the Syrian civil war decides to interview other kids his age using his phone to document what’s going on. He shares it on social media like YT Tw and FB. He felt like he was being targeted by bombs for his news videos. Tense, informative, serious, sad, but also has happy moments. Read it all in one sitting. Hard to put down.

Muhammad Najem, War Reporter by Muhammad Najem, (List Price: $12.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780759556904, September 2022)

Reviewed by Eliza, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Maybe An Artist, A Graphic Memoir by Liz Montague

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Maybe An Artist, A Graphic Memoir by Liz Montague
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This graphic memoir should be put into every middle and high school library in the country! As kids we are often told to do what we love, but there’s so much pressure on kids to succeed before they get a chance to figure out what success may look like for them. In this book Liz Montague documents the stress of trying to become something she wasn’t and how she eventually acknowledged and achieved her dreams of becoming an artist. I loved her illustration style — it is so simple and so effective!

Maybe An Artist, A Graphic Memoir by Liz Montague, (List Price: $17.99, Random House Studio, 9780593307823, October 2022)

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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I Color Myself Different by Colin Kaepernick

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I Color Myself Different by Colin Kaepernick
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What a great way to share with a young child why they are different and why they matter. Colin learns he was chosen and was adopted into a family of loving people. Great colorful illustrations and a wonderful message. For kids and adults

I Color Myself Different by Colin Kaepernick, (List Price: $18.99, Scholastic Inc., 9781338789621,  April 2022)

Reviewed by Gina Norris, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Passport by Sophia Glock

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Passport by Sophia Glock
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As though growing up wasn’t tough enough on its own. Let’s add a sink-or-swim Spanish immersion school that you transfer to years after your classmates start learning Spanish, even if your parents yank you out after their great experiment (you) fails. Add constantly moving house from country to country, AND your parents don’t even tell you what it is they do (because it’s <redacted>). This memoir told in graphic novel is for young people looking for their people, trying to avoid the watchful eye of their parents, and trying to (depending on the sibs) live up to or escape the shadow of the older sibs. Oh and maybe get a first kiss out of the deal. The art conveys much depth to an already affecting story, particularly in the opening chapters where the sense of place is established.

Passport by Sophia Glock, (List Price: 17.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316459006, November 2021)

Reviewed by Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina


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