In the Silences

So much accurate representation of various aspects of the LGBT community all in one book! Bravo to the author for clearly knowing what she was talking about.

In the Silences was one of the best YA books I have recently read. It was well researched and written. There were many topics discussed and debated throughout the story, especially by the main teenage characters, Kaz and Aisha. While Kaz was dealing with gender identity, Aisha was the target of racism. Throughout the story, they tried to enlighten, not only each other about their struggles, but their family and peers as well. Together they formed a formidable team.

As I was reading this book, I kept thinking about the song “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” (from the musical South Pacific). This song was about racial prejudices-how children were not born to hate and fear-but were carefully taught to do so. The author effectively demonstrated these prejudices in action…by children and adults alike. The author also demonstrated how the actions of just one person can make a difference. Kaz tried to right these wrongs by becoming a type of superhero to Aisha.

I think teenagers, as well as adults, will enjoy reading this book especially with the many comic book characters interspersed throughout the storyline. Superhero characters are very popular and relatable. Perhaps anyone who reads this book will take on that superhero role and make a difference to those that are simply targeted for being who they are.

I was fortunate to teach in a very diverse multicultural school. Books such as this one were the norm, not the exception. But in many less diverse schools, that is not the case. The information and messages contained within this book are important and should be in all school libraries/classrooms to be read and discussed. Highly recommended!

What an amazing book! It deals with very serious issues of insidious brain-washing that leads to non-acceptance, stereotyping, marginalization and discrimination on multiple levels and is breathtakingly brilliantly written.

Aisha Warren, and African-American, has just moved into an overwhelmingly white neighbourhood. She meets Kaz Adams and the two become instant friends. Kaz is struggling with gender issues trying to get a grasp on what she is.

To write more of the synopsis would be actually narrating the story, and that would never do justice to this book.

The racial issues that Aisha faces are heart-breaking. The relationship between Aisha and Kaz is caring, nurturing, supportive, uplifting, protective, loving and totally #goals. Both the MCs are assertive and amazing. Written in first person from Kaz’s PoV, it made us admire and empathise with Kaz, but fall in love with Aisha.

Definitely a must-read.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It dealt with topics that I did not know a lot about l. It deals with race, gender and sexuality. I feel as though I have learned a lot from reading this book and for that reason alone I feel like it should be available for every young adult to read to educate themselves on the difficulties others are going through at this time. With Aisha dealing with race issues and Kazs gender struggle, it is very informative. There are some hard moments to read and it is based on true facts but there are some uplifting moments. It is a sweet G rated young adult novel and I think it is one that everyone should read.

This was very, very good. Gold has a way with using aspects of her character's personalities to help really get across what they are feeling, or even to foreshadow. It always makes for an interesting read. With this outing, it's no different. She uses her characters' love for comics as story elements in fun and creative ways.

Kaz Adams has a bit of a secret, well, two actually. One is that they don't know whether or not they are male or female; the second is that they are hopelessly in love with their best friend Aisha Warren. They're also starting to tune into some of the more racist attitudes in town because they're so in tune with Aisha and an infamous police shooting that occurred extremely close to their suburban (and very white) neighborhood. Kaz is working through their feelings for Aisha and their coming out in terms of their gender identity in private, but they realize in so many ways that Aisha isn't afforded that luxury. Kaz must navigate all this, be there for the person they love most in the world, and tell her how they feel.

I love how complex this book is; there is a lot of stuff crammed in these 2000 pages. Even far out of my teens, there's a lot of things that Kaz goes through in her learning to be a good ally that I see a lot in myself. Kaz also becomes a teacher when it becomes their turn to reveal their gender identity, too. It is a great balance that is wrapped up in the fact that Aisha and Kaz want to protect their people. It's reiterated throughout the book in so many ways that Aisha and Kaz are soulmates, but it doesn't get too dramatic about it. It's in all of their interactions, spoken and not, that they just are meant to be together. And I love it because its just so gosh darn sweet.

This is a straightforward romance with a lot of complex issues to help beef up some of the fluff. Throw in some comic book nerd-isms, and you've got a pretty great YA novel.

I wavered quite a bit before requesting this novel and in the end I’m glad I did because it was an enjoyable story as well as giving me a lot to think about. Kaz is in the eighth grade when Aisha and her family move in across the road. Their first meeting of her is tainted with a man yelling at Aisha for not controlling her dog even though it’s not actually her dog. It’s not long before Kaz realises that Aisha would be subject to this kind of treatment on a regular basis because she’s one of the few black kids in a predominantly white neighbourhood and school. Kaz adores Aisha and develops a crush her but holds back from telling her because they’re not secure in their own identity yet.

Aisha comes from an educated, open and supportive family and has been out as a lesbian since she was twelve. Kaz, their mother and brother don’t have the same kind of relationship but fortunately their grandfather’s wife, Milo, is wonderfully woke and willing to learn what she doesn’t know. Kaz hasn’t figured out where their comfort in themself lies. They are cis female but not always sure that’s how they feel.

There are so many complicated aspects in these two young people’s lives, over and above the normal difficulty of teenage-hood, that they have to learn about and face. The racism that Aisha has to deal with is often subtle and covert which is so much harder to identify and fight because there is enough leeway for deniability. Kaz has an incredible journey to trying to figure out how they see themself and how they want others to see them. The beauty in this novel is seeing how Aisha and Kaz assist each other in their respective process of discovery and each other’s battles.

Speaking as a white person, we often don’t see or acknowledge the privilege or advantage that the colour of our skin affords us. Often, it is only when we have a good friend, partner, spouse or child that we begin to notice the inconsistencies of treatment, even when our environment purports to be one of equality. This is one of the aspects that this novel gets across in a way that is engaging, thought-provoking and enlightening.

I’ve made it sound a little heavy but in fact the sweetness of their relationship counterbalances the more serious aspects.

Book received from Netgalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

A powerful and important young adult book that examines gender, sexuality and race and how they intersect.
This is the story of Kaz and Aisha who become best friends over their mutual love of comic books and dogs. As they begin to wonder if the friendship is something more , Kaz realises that things may be more complicated than either of them imagined. Aisha has been out to her family for years, and they accept her completely but Kaz not only has to figure out changing feelings for Aisha, but also if she is a boy, a girl or something else entirely, since it seems to change almost every day. If that is not enough, she has started to notice that Aisha being black sometimes means she is treated differently, and so she begins to confront her own internal biases and try to make the world a better and safer place for the girl she loves, starting with school.
At the heart of this book is a really strong and sweet romance between Kaz and AIsha, based on friendship, trust, acceptance and attraction, but the journey to that romance is not an easy one for either of them and I loved how willing they were to fight for it and for each other. Clearly the book is not all sweetness and light, there are some truly hard hitting moments , and I admire the author for the way she handles them. It is a very thought provoking book, not just for the young adults it is aimed at, but for the grown adults too, and one that I would recommend wholeheartedly .Any book that could provoke the emotions this one did while I was reading is sure to stay with me for some time.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

First of all, I have to say that this book is really, really important. For several reasons. Any white person should read this, especially if they’re cis and straight. And I will now explain why.

There are two main themes in this book, gender identity and race. Kaz is a white teen who’s mainly been around other white people all of their life. Until Aisha moves into their neighbourhood, a black bisexual girl who makes Kaz question everything they’ve learned about race and especially black people. The two of them soon become best friends, learning more about each other and their environment as they grow older.

Kaz learns a lot about race and racism, and the reader learns alongside them. Kaz learns how to be an ally step by step, what to look out for, what to say to which people, where and how to win arguments. How to help black people. Racism is portrayed in so many forms, the outright, obvious racism, but especially the subtle that people might not notice. Unless they are on the receiving end. This story makes the reader more sensitive to the latter kind of racism, the one that is pretty much anchored in every white human. That has been taught for generations and that we might not notice, but the people suffering under it notice only too well. Aisha, who is really smart and wants to become a doctor, is underestimated by almost every white person she meets, especially teachers. She gets angry, but knows that she can’t really do much about it. But Kaz can and they do.
Aisha and her family help the white people who are willing understand, help them becoming better. And Kaz helps protecting Aisha anywhere they go together (which is pretty much everywhere).

And Aisha helps Kaz figuring out their identity. While Aisha’s family is accepting her the way she is, Kaz’s family is a whole other thing. Kaz’s brother, Brock doesn’t even really try to understand Kaz or Aisha, he is racist and a queerphob but says about himself that he is neither. Their mother’s way to acceptance is a long one, but I’m pretty sure she’s trying her best. Luckily, Kaz has their grandmother Milo’s support. Milo is such a great, fierce character who doesn’t take shit from anyone and constantly wants to learn how to make the world a better place for minorities. Kaz is figuring out their gender through the whole of the story and is nonbinary, but they don’t want to label themselves.

So Aisha and Kaz learn a lot from each other, but from friends and family as well. They actively look for sources that might help them understand, they talk a lot to accepting family members and to a trans lesbian college professor as well. Just… there is so, so much to learn in this book. About gender and race and the history of both (in the US). There are definitions, explanations, examples, etc. It’s informative and helpful with characters that will make you cry.
Plus there’s a lot of superhero stuff mixed in with the story.

Generally, this book was really, really diverse. Kaz is nonbinary, Aisha is a black bisexual girl who has two lesbian aunts and a trans cousin, they have trans and gay friends, there’s the trans lesbian college professor, an Asian American girl, a queer Indian American girl.

So yeah, I hope this explains why especially white people should read this. And when they did, think about what they’ve just learned from this book written by a nonbinary author.