Juneteenth, when we honor the day that the last enslaved Black people in America learned of their freedom, is an official holiday now. The comics in today’s Riot Rec theme are perfect reads for that day, as they highlight the principles it stands for.
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Bookish Goods
Comics Sunglasses by ketchupize
Still looking for a Father’s Day gift? These glasses might be the right fit! This seller also has designs featuring other heroes and characters. $79
New Releases
X-Gender Volume Two by Asuka Miyazaki
In the first volume, Miyazaki found out what it meant to be X-gender and to pursue romance with a woman. This second volume has them struggling to cope and to keep in touch with their supportive new community as the COVID-19 pandemic rages.
The Faint of Heart by Kerilynn Wilson
What would you do to avoid heartbreak? Would you allow a doctor to remove your heart, even if that meant never feeling joy and happiness again? In June’s world, everybody but her has decided that is a fair price to pay to eliminate sadness. When she finds a heart in a jar, June will learn the full consequences of being the only person left with a heart.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Today’s Riot Rec theme is: Juneteenth. While these comics aren’t explicitly about Juneteenth, they do illuminate particular aspects of why it was founded and why we still have work to do to achieve true equality.
Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi and Joel Christian Gill
Kendi’s book has made a lot of waves. In the graphic novel version, you’ll meet five historical figures — from Cotton Mather to Angela Davis — who helped shape America’s views on race and racism…for better and for worse.
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez
In researching the history of slave rebellions, Hall makes a critical discovery: women played a much larger role in those revolts than was previously thought. In this powerful graphic memoir, she recounts both the women’s stories and her own, as the granddaughter of enslaved people whose life has been indelibly marked by racism past and present.
I’ll see you again next week, nerd friends!
~Eileen