Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance

Synopsis: 

“A young adult anthology featuring fictional stories of everyday resistance.

You might be the kind of person who stands up to online trolls.
Or who marches to protest injustice.

Perhaps you are #DisabledAndCute and dancing around your living room, alive and proud.

Or perhaps you are the trans mentor that you wish you had when you were younger.

Maybe you call out false allies, or stand up to loved ones.

Maybe you speak your truth and drop the mic, or maybe you take it with you when you leave.

This anthology features fictional stories–in poems, prose, and art–that reflect a slice of the varied and limitless ways that readers like you resist every day. TAKE THE MIC’s powerful collection of stories features work by literary luminaries and emerging talent alike, including Newbery-winner Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestseller Samira Ahmed, anthologist and contributor Bethany C. Morrow, Darcie Little Badger, Keah Brown, Laura Silverman, L.D. Lewis, Sofia Quintero, Ray Stoeve, Yamile Mendez, and Connie Sun, with cover and interior art by Richie Pope.”

Review:

The thing that stood out to me the most after reading Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance edited by Bethany C. Morrow was that teens will be able to connect to the wide variety of characters reflected in this story. Teen readers won’t be intimidated when reading about these characters in fictional stories, rather they’ll see themselves and ways they can change the world in small ways in their own life.

Sometimes, I feel as though true-life stories – memoirs and biographies can be intimidating. Especially to a teen who’s living their life trying to just get through the day-to-day high school life. These stories show that standing up for yourself, for your beliefs, your culture, and your community doesn’t necessarily have to be a grand gesture. It can be a simple statement or choice you make to live your true life.

The diversity of this anthology is phenomenal. Not only are there authors I already love like Jason Reynolds and Samira Ahmed and new-to-me authors such as Darcie Little Badger and Keah Brown. I already know that I’ll be making sure this book gets handed off to my brother. He has become a much big reader as an adult and who just so happened to be asking for some new titles this weekend.

My Take:

As I’ve said many times on here, I’m white, cisgender, and straight so I live a very privileged life. I’m aware that I’ll take something very different from this anthology than another reader. I liked this glimpse into the world of these characters. Even though they were often treated in ways that made me infuriated. I may not have ever experienced some of these situations, but by reading about them, I can be better educate myself and have empathy for the people around me. And that’s what good fiction is all about.

If you’re looking for more suggestions of short story anthologies, check out my Top Ten Tuesday post on that exact topic!

Need to Know:

Title: Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance
Editor: Bethany C. Morrow
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Page Number: 272 pgs.