Watch Us Rise

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

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Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan give us a story that any reader can relate to on some level and be empowered by as the two main characters seek justice and freedom from bullying, a universally-relatable theme that was delivered crystal clear.

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Deblovestoread

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#BookReport #WeeklyForecast ACOSF was good but too long especially the sex scenes. It was my March #Bookspin. Force of Nature was better than The Dry IMO. All the others were good reads. Focusing on challenges the rest of the month particularly BBRC. Will finally finish Mythos for February #Bookspin and start Witches for March #Doublespin.

Cinfhen, TheAromaofBooks

Cinfhen Woohoo š™š¸» fabulous 3y

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 3y

40 likes1 stack add2 comments

megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

I posted a few questions to get us started. Any other observations you‘d like to discuss?
#YABuddyRead

catebutler, kspenmoll, Deblovestoread, SaturnDoo, JaclynW, Butterfinger, Tracyantoon

Tracyantoon I enjoyed the book! Thanks again @megnews for the copy! One other thing that struck me about it was that Chelsea, despite her strong feminist stance, never saw the struggles Jasmine went through with her weight, finding clothes in the right size, etc. It showed we all have room to grow and learn and nobody will get it right all the time. 3y

Tracyantoon I also loved the parents in this book-especially Jasmine‘s. They gave the girls space to explore their beliefs and encouraged the exploration of their culture and activism through their art. So great!!ā¯¤ļø¸ 3y

Tracyantoon Isaac also had an interesting role in the book. He seemed to have to defend his stance on feminism from both his girl friends on the group-he insisted he wasn‘t their mascot- and to outsiders looking on-assuming he was in it to impress a girl. Loved that they had such a great supportive male friend!! 3y

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megnews @Tracyantoon I liked the parents‘s supportiveness too. Chelsea and Jasmine‘s shopping trips reminded me how often I‘m in a store and think there should not be a plus size section, all the styles should just continue going up in size. I have never understood why it‘s like that and I can‘t believe it hasn‘t changed by now. 3y

kspenmoll Issac was a great character- loved when he insisted he was not a mascot just as @Tracyantoon said. They were fortunate in their parents but then they would not have confidence in their voices if they did not have such supportive parents. 3y

Butterfinger The boy who harassed Chelsea should have been reprimanded. That bothered me. 3y

megnews @Butterfinger how could I forget? That principal‘s attitude ticked me off. 3y

JaclynW @megnews They really should change the way clothing is separated. I like your idea. That part was an eye opener for me. I honestly had never thought about that. I learned many things from this book. 3y

JaclynW @kspenmoll @Tracyantoon Agreed! Isaac was a great supportive friend. The parents were awesome too. I wish more were like that (on both accounts). 3y

JaclynW @Butterfinger @megnews OH! Yes! That "popular" guy who liked to harass the girls.... I so badly wanted to see him get a consequence. But. As is typical, nothing. So aggravating. Was that the point of the authors? To show that despite all efforts and progress, we have to continually deal with this. Sigh. ?? 3y

JaclynW I liked several things about this book. It was a clever format with the blog entries and the different perspectives. It really expanded our horizons because of this. The book is almost literally a blueprint to how young people could become real activists. What courage and bravery it takes to be on the front lines. Thank you for bringing this to my attention @megnews! š 3y

JaclynW And I apologize for being late. March has been crazy! 3y

megnews @JaclynW you‘re welcome. And I do think the point was it‘s an ongoing fight. I live in a very progressive community and school district. When my daughter was in 4th grade she was advocating for a new school lunch because the kids were tired of green hot dogs. The principal called me. I was left scratching my head. So no matter how ā€progressiveā€¯ something is, there will still be opposition or disagreement on how to go about things. 3y

JaclynW @megnews So true. "Going against the grain" is a tough road. You win some and lose some. It really is an ongoing battle. 3y

30 likes14 comments

megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

What song would you add to the Write Like a Girl playlist?

Picture by @kspenmoll

#YABuddyRead

catebutler, Deblovestoread, SaturnDoo, JaclynW, Butterfinger, Tracyantoon

Tracyantoon Fight Song! By Rachel Platten 3y

megnews @Tracyantoon you beat me to it! That‘s what I would add too. 3y

Butterfinger @Tracyantoon exactly what I was going to type. How funny. 3y

JaclynW Roar, Katy Perry - Stronger, Kelly Clarkson - Scars to Your Beautiful, Alessia Cara - Beautiful, Christina Aguilera 3y

megnews @JaclynW lots of great additions! 3y

29 likes5 comments

megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#YABuddyRead

catebutler, kspenmoll, Deblovestoread, SaturnDoo, JaclynW, Butterfinger, Tracyantoon

Tracyantoon I think we are all multi-faceted which is what makes this world so great. I think it would be exhausting and boring to be 1 thing all the time. 3y

megnews I‘ve always been a wear what‘s comfortable, wash and go, and no or only light makeup kind of person. It was hard for me when my girls were so concerned about clothing brands and perfect hair and makeup because I saw it as catering to societal norms that cater to men. I had to learn something from my girls that they wanted to look good for themselves not boys. Which was the lesson I wanted them to learn all along. (edited) 3y

kspenmoll In HS I did want to look good for my boyfriend. It took some years for me to just feel comfortable and dress for me. I always was light on make up if I wore it at all, but that was my personal preference. I have 3 sisters & while we are all different, we have supported ourselves to stay true to who we are. 3y

Butterfinger I find that I don't have any trouble being a feminist especially with my husband. He came from very traditional roles, but when he couldn't keep a job, those roles were thrown out the window. 3y

JaclynW When I read this part in the book, I remember identifying with just about every single one listed. @Tracyantoon I agree with your statement about we are all multi-faceted. 3y

24 likes5 comments

megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Please share!
#YABuddyRead

catebutler, kspenmoll, Deblovestoread, SaturnDoo, JaclynW, Butterfinger, Tracyantoon

Tracyantoon The first line that I laughed at and set the tone for the book for me was about the names of lip gloss: ā€Pure Doll and Diva-licious. Ewww. The patriarchy is even showing up in the names of my lip gloss? Unbelievable.ā€¯ 3y

marleed There‘s a line from Eat, Pray, Love that I recall every time someone talks about mosquitoes- and it‘s been 14 years since I read the book. Something like: Those mosquitoes were so big they wore combat boots and could f* a chicken. 3y

kspenmoll @Tracyantoon You nailed it.š‚š‚ 3y

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mrp27 The poems and blog posts were the only thing I liked about the book. 3y

Butterfinger The poem that Chelsea wrote where she crossed out the sexist words from a memo and added her own words. That was impress 3y

Butterfinger impressive. 3y

megnews @Butterfinger yes, I like creative poetry forms like that 3y

JaclynW @Butterfinger I had never seen a poem written like that. It was very impressive. 3y

JaclynW "If you make it about you and not us, what are you really fighting for?" 3y

JaclynW I really like Chelsea's talk at the funeral. Specifically the parts where Jasmine's dad taught them to look closely at "community organizing" (building real relationships) and the part where he encouraged the kids to never back down, raise your voice, be an ally, and be on the front lines pushing everyone to learn more, listen more, speak up when it matters, and show others h 3y

JaclynW What it means to fight for real equity. 3y

JaclynW (oops I hit send on accident twice!) 3y

JaclynW I loved learning about women I hadn't known about that are famous feminists and poets mentioned in this book. I loved the t-shirts they made - I want one! 3y

Butterfinger @JaclynW I want one of their t-shirts too. 3y

22 likes14 comments

megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Chapters alternate between Jasmine and Chelsea, Renee Watson‘s writing and Ellen Hagan‘s. Thoughts on this?
#YABuddyRead

catebutler, kspenmoll, Deblovestoread, SaturnDoo, JaclynW, Butterfinger, Tracyantoon

Tracyantoon I think the dual narrative was important for the story as it provided 2 different perspectives on feminism. I did at times have a hard time differentiating between the 2 characters‘ voices though. I would have to go back and look at the chapter heading to be reminded who was talking. 3y

megnews @Tracyantoon I think 2 perspectives was important too. I also didn‘t find their voices distinct enough at times which is sort of odd with two different authors. I generally love novels told from different perspectives and can even keep 4 voices straight but this one was difficult. 3y

kspenmoll I thought the structure made the focus on each character more in depth & gave us more background. Helped see their individuality. I too sometimes had to check who was talking though. Enjoyed all the poetry, bookstore venue- reminded me if some passionate students I know.(I teach in a HS.) 3y

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Butterfinger I also had trouble differentiating between the two voices. Their issues were different, but there was just something too simi 3y

Butterfinger similar. The poetry and essays were so enjoyable. 3y

mrp27 I ended up DNF'ing the book. Usually this would be my cup of tea but I couldn't get into it. The voices and story just never felt authentic to me. š• 3y

megnews @mrp27 and I forgot to tag you. Sorry! I did not like this as much as I imagined I would. I‘m also having trouble bringing myself to finish CandyMakers for #mgbuddyread. If I didn‘t have to lead discussion in a week, I probably wouldn‘t! š‚ just can‘t seem to get into it. I was expecting more magical like Willy wonka. (edited) 3y

mrp27 No worries about the tagging and I‘m glad it‘s just not me that didn‘t love this one as much as I thought I would. I agree about Candy Makers too! 3y

JaclynW @Tracyantoon @megnews @kspenmoll @Butterfinger I agree with you. I liked the dual perspectives a lot. It helped to make it a deeper look into what being a feminist looks like for different women (young and old). I also got confused at times as to who was speaking. I had to flip back several times. 3y

JaclynW @kspenmoll @Butterfinger I loved the poems and essays too! 3y

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Butterfinger

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

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At first, I didn't like it. Chelsea was getting on my nerves because I saw my young self in her and I now realize how irritating that know-it-all attitude must have been. When Jasmine finally tells her off, I saw Chelsea grow and become humble. Then, I could really adore them both as individuals and a team. The poetry rocked. Absolutely rocked. And, once more, Renee Watson proves an own-voice novel can be written without vulgar language.

Butterfinger #YABuddyRead @megnews 3y

45 likes1 comment

ravenlee

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

I started this one today, and I‘m not sure about it yet. Largely I‘m concerned about reading a book with a parent dying of cancer. Given my last year and my mom‘s recurrence (she‘s in remission again but it was a hell of a year to get there), I don‘t know that I can do this. #YABuddyRead @megnews

Butterfinger I say go ahead and drop it. It is pretty heavy. Sending positive thoughts. 3y

megnews Perfectly understandable. Take care of yourself. 3y

ravenlee Thanks @Butterfinger @megnews I‘m bailing on this. Interesting premise, but I just can‘t. Parents dying of cancer is a big no for me. 3y

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Butterfinger

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Dad falls asleep before the final round. I lay my head on his chest, like I used to do when I was little. I can hear Dad's heart beating. I listen to his drum beat on and on. He is my favorite song. ā¯¤ļø¸ā¯¤ļø¸š¢

#YABuddyRead @megnews

kspenmoll Just love this.š’•š’” 3y

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kspenmoll

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#YAbuddyread #March #dilemma

megnews

megnews As I read, I was wondering when she‘d realize that. 3y

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ravenlee

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Next up, in no particular order, just need to read the tagged before Sunday for #YABuddyRead.

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megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Don‘t forget! Discussion next Sunday. I‘ll post questions around noon. Join in the conversation when you can.
#YABuddyRead

catebutler, kspenmoll, Deblovestoread, JaclynW, Butterfinger, Tracyantoon

32 likes

kspenmoll

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#YAbuddyread

Jane Austen would approve, albeit on a more genteel note.

megnews

peanutnine Love that mug! ā¯¤ļø¸ 3y

Amiable Great mug! 3y

ScientistSam Great mug! 3y

Nute Love the connection between the book you‘re reading and the expression on your coffee mug! 3y

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Deblovestoread

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Teenage Friendship Activism

Want to play @megnews @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Chrissyreadit ?

ShyBookOwl

MeganAnn Stacked! š‘¸š¸»š‘¸š¸»š‘¸š¸» (edited) 3y

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kspenmoll

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#toptenplaylist #writelikeagirlblog #YAbuddyread

Just loving loving this book! #shoutout

megnews

Deblovestoread Loving the book and this playlist. ā€You Don‘t Own Meā€¯ is one of my all time favorite songs and love that it made the list. 3y

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kspenmoll

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Love the blog Jasmine & Chelsea founded at their progressive HS - here is a small snippet from one post. #hearmyvoice #roar #artforchange #womensideas #create #activist #watchusrise #YABuddyread #March

megnews

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kspenmoll

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#MarvelousMarch #Readathon #shesaid #mysterysetinFrance #Bruno #audiomystery #youngCharlesDickens #LiteraryCrew #sundaybuddyread

Ambitious to a point. Especially since reading during the week can be minimal with work. But it‘s daylight savings time Saturday so I will have more sun in the evening. Ever the optimist, that‘s me. 3books are buddy reads with allotted pages so that makes this doable. Goal: finish WUR by 21st. Others: Continue.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa, TheBookHippie, Librarybelle, Andrew65, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Librarybelle Good luck! 3y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I keep forgetting the time change!! 3y

TheBookHippie š¤¨š¤˛š¸»š™¸š¸¼ā•ļø¸ā•ļø¸ā•ļø¸ā€ļø¸ā€ļø¸ā€ļø¸ā€ļø¸ 3y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Enjoy the longer evenings and your reading time. 3y

Andrew65 Great to have you with us, good luck šš‘¨ Our clocks don‘t change until the last weekend of March. 3y

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megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

pick

Excited to discuss this with #YABuddyRead later this month.

catebutler, kspenmoll, Deblovestoread, JaclynW, Butterfinger, Tracyantoon

kspenmoll Me too! 3y

JaclynW I'm excited too. I'm about 30% in. 3y

49 likes2 comments

megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#YABuddyRead

catebutler, kspenmoll, Deblovestoread, JaclynW, Butterfinger, Tracyantoon

38 likes

Zoe-h

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

pick

There is no way to put everything I felt while reading this book into words. There were so many good poem and quotes, I had to restrain myself from posting more. This is probably in the top five books I‘ve read this year. 5āļø¸

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Zoe-h

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

I just thought this was a great poem worth sharing!

kspenmoll So much in this book is wonderful!!! 3y

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megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Great t-shirt, Chelsea!

#YABuddyRead

catebutler, kspenmoll, Deblovestoread, JaclynW, Butterfinger, Tracyantoon

catebutler Love this!! š™š¸¼ 3y

JaclynW š‘¸š‘¸š‘¸ Yes! 3y

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Tracyantoon

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Thanks @megnews for the book! Just got it today. Excited to dive in for our March #YABuddyRead. š�°ā¯¤ļø¸š“š¨š¤“š™¸ā€ļø¸

megnews You‘re welcome! Hope you love it! 3y

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megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

@Tracyantoon you‘re the winner of the next #YABuddyRead book! Congratulations! Send me you address and I‘ll mail it off. Megnewson @ Gmail.com

Tattooedteacher Congratulations 3y

Tracyantoon Oh wow! I never win stuff! Thanks!š I will email you my info. 3y

Butterfinger Congratulations @Tracyantoon Renee Watson is one of my favorites. 3y

48 likes3 comments

megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Don‘t forget to grab the March #YABuddyRead. Let me know if you‘d like to be tagged. Discussion 3.21. All welcome!!

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, Johanna414, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, thegirlwiththelibrarybag, TheBookHippie, Readingismyescape, BarbaraJean, mrp27, Nute, Deblovestoread, SaturnDoo, Chrissyreadit, JaclynW, amber_ldsmom, ravenlee, shellleigh33, Butterfinger, IndoorDame, sblbooks, Roary47, Tracyantoon

TheBookHippie It was so good!!! 3y

megnews @TheBookHippie it sounds great! Feel free to discuss with us. 3y

Deblovestoread Got my copy yesterday! 3y

See All 8 Comments

catebutler Please tag me! 3y

Chrissyreadit This book sounds so familiar. I think I read it when it came out. 3y

JaclynW Please tag me! 3y

Butterfinger Yes, please. 3y

kspenmoll Please tag me! In my TBR 3y

40 likes8 comments

megnews

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

@sblbooks you‘re the winner of the #YABuddyRead prize! I‘ve got your address so I‘ll get March‘s book in the mail to you. Congratulations!

sblbooks Thank you so much! 3y

Butterfinger Congratulations @sblbooks I hope you both have a great day. 3y

megnews @sblbooks you‘re welcome! I just dropped it off at the post office. 3y

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kspenmoll

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#JoyousJanuary #Readathon #Jan16to24
Either finished or met my goal with books I started during this #readathon. I should finish MMD by next Sunday. Hoping 2 ch each in WMR,FO, GofY, IBC. The other two MOBS & IILAD, finished.
Thank you @Andrew65 for sponsoring this. So nice to participate & distract myself in these Covid times. š’ā¯¤ļø¸

Riveted_Reader_Melissa, TheBookHippie, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Great reading! 3y

Andrew65 Well done, š¨¾š�‚š�³š‘¸š‘¸š‘¸ Pleased to hear it helped. 3y

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kspenmoll

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#BrownArtChallenge #KeepLiving #CreateArt #artivists
ā€Keep living...Go out and find some inspiration.Create some art in response to what you see.ā€¯Jasmine‘s dad to she & her friends,Chelsea the poet,Nadine the singer,Issac, the visual artist.Jasmine is the writer and actress.They just found out his cancer had returned.Museums he sent them to for inspiration:Bronx Museum,Studio Museum,El Museo del Barrio.The Schomburg,where dad works, off limits!

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kspenmoll

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#booksandcoffee #integrateyourshelf

ChasingOm

umbrellagirl That mug š¨ 3y

kspenmoll @umbrellagirl Gift from my in AK. I love it too! (edited) 3y

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Andrea313

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

I ordered this book when everything first shut down and it was mis-delivered to my office address. š™ Today I was actually able to head to work for a couple hours, which meant I was finally able to get this in my hands! Can't wait to read it after my 7-month wait! ā¯¤ļø¸š“

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JoScho

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Even though I will be teaching middle school art next year, I still want to have books available for my kids to borrow from my classroom. I ordered these by black authors to start my collection since before I taught elementary school and have no books appropriate for this age.
I am excited to read these as well.
#teachersoflitsy #readblackauthors #blacklivesmatter

PaperbackPirate That‘s awesome! š’™ 4y

JoScho @PaperbackPirate āŗļø¸š–¤ 4y

94 likes2 comments

Ravenpuff

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

3 likes

cosmicv1bes

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

pick

words can‘t even begin to describe how much i loved this book. the feminism in Watch Us Rise speaks to me on a much different level than other books i‘ve read before. the actions taken by chelsea and jasmine are so in check with my beliefs and i felt so inspired while reading this. the book also goes through real high school problems, which made the book feel more realistic. this might be my favorite book ever! everyone should read this.

3 likes

ReadingMaria

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

pick

Book 6/50. Such an inspirational book, full of passionate characters. Rating: 5/5

23 likes

Moia

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

#tbr
It's been a long time

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RealLifeReading

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

One of the last few slices of homemade funfetti birthday cake and my current read - this brave and exciting book which addresses so very many important topics from racism to body shaming to feminism. What a great read this is!

rather_be_reading funfetti is my fav!! 5y

AlaMich Funfetti is definitely having a cultural moment! It looks yummy! 5y

RealLifeReading @rather_be_reading it‘s so cheerful! 5y

RealLifeReading Thanks @AlaMich š€ 5y

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silentrequiem

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

so-so

This was a disappointment. I was totally here for the premise of this book, but the execution was awful. This was not an intersectional or nuanced feminist story. The characters were called out several times to be more reflective and deliberate, and to check their assumptions. They never did. Chelsea was annoying af, and was so militant to the point of being unlikeable. So disappointed.

I did like some of the poems.

Kristy_K I had high hopes for this book but it seems most everyone who has read it has been disappointed. 5y

silentrequiem @Kristy_K Have you read Moxie? Not as intersectional but so much better written. 5y

Kristy_K @silentrequiem I haven‘t but I‘ll look it up. Thanks! 5y

32 likes3 comments

Lovesbooks87

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

pick

Jasmine and Chelsea are high school seniors who are tired with the whole woman and girls are viewed. They have decided to form a club called Write Like a Girl were they can express how they feel and about social injustice. The book follows the girls their whole senior year and shows how strong they are even when faced with challenges. I heard the book Moxie is a lot like this book. I am going to have to check it out!

Lovesbooks87 This is my first book in the #24b4monday readathon! 5y

Andrew65 A good start. š 5y

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Shay

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Snow day reading! About halfway through this one, which comes out today. Badass feminist YA. And I desperately want one of the t-shirts they are making for their protest!

3 likes

RebL

Watch Us Rise | Renée Watson, Ellen Hagan

Jasmine is intersectional with a dynamic storyline & Chelsea is comparatively flat. I look forward to hearing the take on this book by the teens in a YA program at work & meeting the authors. #WeNeedDiverseBooks
~
An apple & a Rice Crispies Treat are my current #24in48 snack, but the book has me wanting good bread & olives. I‘m going to have to burn the midnight oil to come close to 24, but I sure love trying!
#tfob authors

24in48

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