Tag: #queer

Review: Super Late Bloomer by Julia Kaye

Goodreads Blurb

A highly personal collection documenting the early months of artist Julia Kaye’s gender transition.

Instead of a traditional written diary, Julia Kaye has always turned to art as a means of self-reflection. So when she began her gender transition in 2016, she decided to use her popular webcomic, Up and Out, to process her journey and help others with similar struggles realize they weren’t alone.

Julia’s poignant, relatable comics honestly depict her personal ups and downs while dealing with the various issues involved in transitioning—from struggling with self-acceptance and challenging societal expectations, to moments of self-love and joy. Super Late Bloomer both educates and inspires, as Julia faces her difficulties head-on and commits to being wholly, authentically who she was always meant to be

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

It is a powerful comic that lets us experience all Julia went through with her gender transition throughout a year. This comic collection gives you first-hand account of how a transgender view themselves, struggle, and worry, but through it all, they stand strong and help others see they can. You see the happy moments and the sad moments that can bring you down. Julia is a strong woman who stands tall and does what makes her happy. Thank you for sharing your story, and please continue to share it.

Goodreads Author Biography

Julia Kaye is an award winning artist and illustrator whose webcomic Up and Out has garnered hundreds of thousands of readers and wide critical praise. Her commitment to activism has led to collaborations with non-profit organizations such as The Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline. Her work has appeared on Webtoon, GoComics, Buzzfeed, and the Disney animated show Big City Greens. Julia lives in Los Angeles.

Review: The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

Goodreads Blurb

Jake Livingston is one of the only Black kids at St. Clair Prep, one of the others being his infinitely more popular older brother. It’s hard enough fitting in but to make matters worse and definitely more complicated, Jake can see the dead. In fact he sees the dead around him all the time. Most are harmless. Stuck in their death loops as they relive their deaths over and over again, they don’t interact often with people. But then Jake meets Sawyer. A troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school last year before taking his own life. Now a powerful, vengeful ghost, he has plans for his afterlife–plans that include Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about ghosts and the rules to life itself go out the window as Sawyer begins haunting him and bodies turn up in his neighborhood. High school soon becomes a survival game–one Jake is not sure he’s going to win.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

It is a young adult horror story that involves a teenager who can see ghosts and who becomes a target of the ghost of Sawyer Doon, a student who shot students in his high school. The story mentions topics such as identity, race, racism, and LGBTQIA+. Jake is the only black student at St. Clair Prep. Making friends and feeling accepted at the school is hard for him. The teachers and students make racist comments and treat him differently. I think the author added some significant elements that would spook anyone. He also added some mystery to the book by having Jake try to figure out why he kept seeing Sawyer and what it was he wanted from him. The hatred within Sawyer was not going to win. Jake realized he had people who truly cared about him for who he was. It’s a spooky story that will keep you on edge.

Author Biography

Ryan Douglass is an author from Atlanta, Georgia. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling YA horror novel, The Taking of Jake Livingston, and the poetry book Boy in Jeopardy.