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https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2020/06/29/hard-noc-life-batman-pride-forever/
On the last Hard NOC Life of Pride Month, Shawn, Dominic, and Keith re-contextualize Joel Schumacher’s contributions to the legacy of Batman. http://traffic.libsyn.com/thenerdsofcolor/HNL199.mp3 In the wake of Schumacher’s passing, the hosts look back at the late director’s mid-90s Batman sequels with a new lens. Was the negative reaction to the Schumacher era the beginnings of the […]
Author: Lisa Naffziger / Iron Circus Comics
In the opening chapter of Naffziger’s Minus, there is an intimate sense of familiarity. I’m a little more than a decade apart from the days when my family was taking me to college, but watching Beck’s in the passenger seat of a car travel across the plain planes of Illinois as her father takes her to her first year of college, it elicited a particular sympathetic response. An understanding of a young teen ready to leave the shelter of home and family in an attempt to start fresh. A kinship with Beck carrying a stuffed cat named Minus, the novel’s namesake, around as a reminder of simpler times during the weird transition. The shared panic when Beck finds herself alone in a gas station after hearing gunshots and her dad is no where to be found.
Minus is a graphic novel told in six chapters about Beck that follows her in the aftermath of a seemingly random shooting, as she attempts to navigate a world she is not familiar with (being home-schooled and from a small town that is widely different from the bustling city of Chicago) and figure out what happened to her father.
Beck’s crash course to the wider world unfolds in a steady set of stages that transform the typical coming-of-age transitional story into a coming-of-age thriller. Beck’s hesitant moves throughout the world feel realistic and easily replicated, which is to say, I could very conceivably see a teen with a similar background to Beck respond in a very similar manner, and I appreciate that.
As the story progressed though, I struggle with the execution of certain narrative beats. There certain meetings that felt just a tad bit contrived and a broke suspension of disbelief just a tad by how interconnected everyone was by the end. And this isn’t necessarily an indictment, because sometimes life really does take place in a small world, and Minus does provide some interesting commentary on how that becomes the case thanks to social media and the lack of it. But there are explanations that take too long to get clarification on, explanations that don’t feel satisfying, and I was a little uncomfortable that some of the more glaring things about the story that weren’t put in focus, particularly the fact that Beck, by all appearances, is not white and there are implications there. There are plot points that seemingly gloss over this fact, and end of the graphic novel barrels through some exposition at a ridiculous pace that it’s hard to parse completely.
Credit where credit is do, the book’s art is incredible. Naffziger’s illustration skills are poignant, and the book is visually interesting all the way throughout. But the narrative hook, the driving force of the novel left me with a litany of questions and wondering what exactly were the main takeaways about the nature of family that is presented in Minus. More than anything else, I was just confused by the final two chapters, by the creative and tonal decisions that were made.
It’s odd. I was hooked by the premise, and that opening sequence that started the story, but by the end I mostly felt my face contorting wondering where exactly everything went off the rails.
7.0 “Stuffed Cat Toys” out of 10
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The post A Review of ‘Minus’ Shows a Great Start but Dull Finish appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
We’ve been rocking with our own Bookstagram Instagram page for a while, @BNPLit, and love to share the written word for the ‘gram with book lovers. Last year, we shared some of our favorite bookstagramers with smaller followings that were rocking to the beat of their own drum, making waves with their own aesthetic and their own reading picks.
It’s a new year and as ‘Rona has locked down the world over, so many of us have found more time on our hands for our favorite past time: reading. We wanted to spotlight five more folks who are sharing the best parts of their reading adventures on Instagram. You know, for the culture!If you’re knee deep in the tags for reading material on Instagram, here are some standout pages you’ll love and want to follow too!
1.) Dos Lit Worms
Elissa and Eddie, self-described as “two Lit Worms reading and discussing all things books” are the friends I didn’t know I had. Their curated page is one to follow if you love speculative fiction and their range is diverse. They read all of our BIPOC faves from Charlie J. Eskew and Zoraida Córdova to tried and true authors in paperback like Brandon Sanders and Robin Hobb. I repeat, Elissa and Eddie have the range! Hailing from Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, I’ve seen these two happily engage the bookstagram community and, in turn, be accepted in tothe fold.
Look they also have a dog, a corgi!!! That I’m waiting to see in more photos to come with books, maybe? (No pressure, you two) I’ve enjoyed seeing their book hauls and their visits to independent book stores like Harriet’s Bookshop and Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books. For The Culture! While these two don’t just read authors of color, I know that whenever I see them pop up on the timeline, I can also count on seeing some books by us for us!
2.) Ps I Still Read You
Lydia is a reader, writer and professional fangirl operating out of Florida. In my heart, I’ve dubbed her a queen of YA in bookstagram land. Her username, @ps_I_still_read_you is a sweet reference to P.S. I Still Love You, the sequel to, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han. This endeared me to her as I recently finished reading the (fantastic!) series this year after watched the first two Netflix film adaptations. Her bookstagram is one to follow for the best that YA has to offer if you want teens of color, girls present as captains of their own ships and offerings about young people including great middle school grade books.
She’s active as a reviewer with reviews on Common Sense Media, Good reads, and her own website. Reading while Black usually goes hand in hand with activism: she’s been curating a Read Black Lit Database a crowdsourced list of books by black authors, starring black main characters that you should check out. I’ve already dubbed her as an honorary cousin, and she’s welcomed at any cookout my folks throw–you know when ‘Rona is done wrecking the world.
3.) Baker Street Shelves
This fellow reads mostly crime fiction and horror but he isn’t confined to those genres. Included in his feed are YA, graphic novels, manga, and more. You find masters of their craft like Stephen King and Jim Butcher. You’ll also find fresh takes on the famed detective Sherlock and Holmes by way of Watson and Holmes – A Study In Black and even Clare O’Dell’s Janet Watson Chronicles with Black queer women as detectives. (His username should point you in the right direction of the fandom he reps!) His mini-reviews are short but precise, with no wasted words. No flowery language. No upselling.
Personally, as a reader, I’m not big on reading much of the mystery genre, yet I acknowledge how transformative it can be and how often it gets adapted in other mediums like television and film. Like the book in the Instagram post above, our friend often picks up reads by female authors, including them in his reading journey and I find interesting recommendations to check out from time to time. This is the bookstagram page to follow if you want reading material that touches upon the dark side of human nature but isn’t stuck there.
4.) Lulu’s Book Journey
Lulu’s Book Journey is the most family-friendly bookstagram account to follow on this list: parents and educators will eat this one up! This one follows the reading journey of precious Lulu and her mommy and it is chock full of mini reviews, adorable selfies with books and many images dedicated to history celebrating all people with a focus on Black folks and other people of color. There is no shortage of books about kids of color with cover after cover of brown and Black faces. Each month brings new activities, new important people to learn about and new worlds to find oneself in new books.
Kim, Lulu’s mom has been quoted saying, “I have learned more Black/Latinx History from reading books with Lulu than I ever learned in grade school, middle school, high school, or even college! This is why diverse books are so important because these stories are often lacking in our children’s schools.” This is most certainly in the top three in most wholesome children’s book bookstagram. It is a page I love to follow along to see Mom, Lulu and their little family including Lulu’s sisters from time to time. For additional reading, they have a website with more in depth reviews and additional info on who they are as a family unit.
5.)Books Over Brekkie
So I’m not one hundred percent sure who runs the Books Over Brekkie page over on Instagram but my best guess is that it’s a fabulous Black woman with international flair who loves reading and eating! What I do know for sure is that person enjoys the written word, good breakfast and uplifting women, especially ladies belonging to the African Diaspora.
This page is full of beautifully shot photos of what’s being read, photos of orgasmic plates and bowls of what was eaten that day and photos of awesome women reading. Women who, as Maya Angelou once poetically said, are “grabbing the world by the lapels…and going out and kicking ass” in their respective careers. Follow this lovely soul if you want a touch of beauty in your feed and wouldn’t mind more Black and Brown women solidarity along with small, bite-sized reviews!
Cover Photo Credit: cottonbro from Pexels
ROLL CALL: Who are your favorite bookstagrammers? Who are the best-kept secrets that consistently give you greatness every time you venture into bookstagram land? Let us know in the comments!
Read our site’s other literature reviews on our Literature tag. Follow our bookstagram to see what we’re currently reading.
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The post 5 More Bookstagram Pages Book Lovers Will Want To Follow appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.