The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Prejudice & Racism

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

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The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
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Jackson really gets better with every book! I was hooked from page one on this updated version of Carrie, and I think Stephen King would be proud to have inspired this. Maddy is biracial and outcast from her peers and miserable at home with her abusive father. Racial tensions dividing the town of Springville come to a head on prom night, and the results are…explosive. Do not miss this amazing YA thriller!

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson, (List Price: $15.95, Quill Tree Books, 9780063029156, September 2023)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes

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The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes
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Being the star athlete and leading your team towards an undefeated season is a dream. But when one of your biggest fans is brutally attacked by the police, your focus shifts. You want to be there for him and not just under the Friday night lights. What you don’t expect is for the town to turn on you, treating you like you’re “just a football player” and nothing more. This story feels so real and so now, especially with the way athletes, young and old, are standing up against injustice and police brutality. Powerful story and an on-time read.

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes, (List Price: $17.99, Viking Books for Young Readers, 9781984836755, September 2025)

Reviewed by Morgan Gayles, The Book Worm Bookstore in Powder Springs, Georgia

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Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam

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Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam
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This book can eat away at you. So beautiful, written in verse with such vivid, raw and gripping emotion. What happens one night when teenagers get in a fight and one white boy ends up in a coma? Everyone involved is part of the tragic story, but what continues to the wrongly accused is heart-thumping and beyond wrong. This is a story 400 years in the making, and why we still have to tell it is the real tragedy. How can our country get better? How can we heal? I wish everyone would read it so we can have some much-needed conversations. The butterflies scattered throughout the book helped me breathe through some tough parts and offered real hope. “Butterfly, if you’re in here with me, then you have to go back out there and change the world” I hope the butterfly succeeds.

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam, (List Price: $15.99, Balzer + Bray, 9780062996497, December 2021)

Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in , North Carolina

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This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed

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This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed
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An incredibly timely read! Noor Khan has moved to a new town and is dismayed to discover that many of her new school’s library books have been pulled from the shelf. As she mobilizes her new classmates to fight back, she realizes she might actually be in danger. I loved the way Samira Ahmed cites real books that have been banned over the past few years throughout the book. Perfect for teens to read alongside Fahrenheit 451!

This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed, (List Price: $18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316547840, May 2024)

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

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Kneel by Candace Buford

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Kneel by Candace Buford
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I have never cared so much about football as I have while reading Kneel. This is a fantastic debut.

Kneel by Candace Buford, (List Price: $11.95, Inkyard Press, 9781335454355, July 2022)

Reviewed by Cat Chapman, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

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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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The Black Queen by Jumata Emill

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The Black Queen by Jumata Emill
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This is an absolutely promising and thought-provoking thriller debut that questions numerous sensitive issues, including racism, underage sex, teenage pregnancy, corruption, white privilege, and child abuse.

The Black Queen by Jumata Emill, (List Price: $12.99, Ember, 9780593568576, December 2023)

Reviewed by Michelle Weiler, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina

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True True by Don P. Hooper

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True True by Don P. Hooper
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I loved this book. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t wait to find out how Gil’s story would unfold. I loved the way Gil used Sun Tzu’s The Art of War as a guide to help him navigate the often hostile world at his new, mostly white prep school. It kept the plot moving enticingly and kept me wondering what his next step would be. But ultimately, it was his deep connections to his family, his friends, and his community that made this book sing for me. Wonderful!

True True by Don P. Hooper, (List Price: 18.99, Nancy Paulsen Books, 9780593462102, August 2023)

Reviewed by Ruth Goldstein, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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In the end, and in the beginning, all we really have are our stories. In Ghost Boys, Jerome’s story, Sarah’s story, Grandma’s and Kim’s and Emmett’s stories are all one: The story that only the living can make the world better. This story, their story will haunt the reader long long long past the final page. Sure to be a winner this award season, Ghost Boys is an absolute must-read.

Ghost Boys by Jewel Parker Rhodes, (List Price: 7.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316262262, September 2019)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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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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Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

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Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
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A beautiful book that made my heart ache in the best ways. Another masterpiece from Applegate that teaches us a little about ourselves while weaving a tree and the community where it lives.

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, (List Price: 8.99, Square Fish, 9781250233899, March 2023)

Reviewed by Rayna Nielsen, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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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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The Talk by Alicia D. Williams

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The Talk by Alicia D. Williams
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Charming black kids growing up together, neighborhood friends through the years. But as they grow and age from chubby-cheeked helpers and adventurers into young men and women, still respectful and helpful, just looking more adult, the parents and grandparents sit them down for "the talk". That not everyone will see their fun-loving enthusiasm, or a hoodie or earphones as childhood innocence by default. Briana Mukodiri Uchendu’s pastels show such expressiveness, from hugs of closeness, to silly play and gap-toothed smiles of children, to heartbreaking empathy. Now I know black families and brown families have to know about the talk, but this is a great conversation starter for people who may not need to have the talk to know that not everyone is so fortunate, and maybe that window will help them be better allies.

The Talk by Alicia D. Williams, (List Price: $18.99, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 9781534495296, October 2022)

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

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The Getaway by Lamar Giles

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The Getaway by Lamar Giles
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What an incredible book! Giles rachets up the tension immediately in this story of paradise gone wrong. The staff and families living at Karloff County’s most famous resort are living happily in harmony until people start to vanish without a trace. As the world outside starts to crumble, young Jay and his friends try to find a way to get themselves and their loved ones to safety – whatever that may mean.

The Getaway by Lamar Giles, (List Price: $19.99, Scholastic Press, 9781338752014, September 2022)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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