Staff Picks
Broader Bookshelf 2024 | Read a graphic novel by a marginalized author or illustrator (Fiction)
- Sarah C.
- Wednesday, January 17
Collection
Broaden your reading horizons with the Broader Bookshelf 2024 Reading Challenge! All these titles fulfill the prompt to read a "graphic novel by a marginalized author or illustrator (BIPOC or LGBTQIA+)."
Moonshot
The Indigenous Comics Collection. Volume 1
Published in 2020
Comic book stories showcasing the rich heritage and identity of indigenous storytelling, from dozens of creators.
Moonshot
The Indigenous Comics Collection. Volume 2
Published in 2020
Comic book stories showcasing the rich heritage and identity of indigenous storytelling, from dozens of creators.
Moonshot
The Indigenous Comics Collection. Volume 3
Published in 2020
"Moonshot, the Indigenous Comics Collection Volume 3 brings you even more original stories, graphic novels and comics written by Indigenous authors from across North America. The stories in Moonshot 3 pay homage to Indigenous futurisms, which weaves in traditional knowledge and culture with futuristic ideas and settings where some stories are sci-fi based, some appear in the past, and some appear in places beyond, they all take place in the 'now'."
City of Clowns
Published in 2015
"A gorgeously rendered graphic novel of Daniel Alarcon's story City of Clowns. Oscar "Chino" Uribe is a young Peruvian journalist for a local tabloid paper. After the recent death of his philandering father, he must confront the idea of his father's other family, and how much of his own identity has been shaped by his father's murky morals. At the same time, he begins to chronicle the life of street clowns, sad characters who populate the violent and corrupt city streets of Lima, and is drawn into their haunting, fantastical world. This remarkably affecting story by Daniel Alarcon was included in his acclaimed first book, War by Candlelight, and now, in collaboration with artist Sheila Alvarado, it takes on a new, thrilling form. This graphic novel, with its short punches of action and images, its stark contrasts between light and dark, truth and fiction, perfectly corresponds to the tone of Chino's story. With the city of Lima as a character, and the bold visual language from the story, City of Clowns is moving, menacing, and brilliantly vivid"-- Provided by publisher.
Watson and Holmes. Volume One, A Study in Black
Published in 2023
"A missing girl case bring together the most famous dynamic duo in the world for the first time! Forget what you know about Earth's finest detectives. Re-envisioning the classic characters as African Americans living in New York City's famous Harlem district, WATSON & HOLMES brings Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's heroes to the 21st Century. Watson, an Afghanistan war vet, works in an inner-city clinic; Holmes, a local P.I. who takes unusual cases. When one of them ends up in Watson's emergency room, the unlikely duo strike up a partnership to find a missing girl. Watson & Holmes bump heads along the way as they enter a labyrinth of drugs, guns, gangs and a conspiracy that goes higher and deeper than they could have imagined."-- Provided by publisher.
In Real Life
Published in 2014
"Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role playing game that she spends most of her free time on. It's a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It's a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends. But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer -- a poor Chinese kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable objects and then sells them to players from developed countries with money to burn. This behavior is strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize that questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person's real livelihood is at stake" --cover flap.
Hot Comb
Published in 2019
"Hot Comb offers a poignant glimpse into Black women's lives and coming of age stories as seen across a crowded, ammonia-scented hair salon while ladies gossip and bond over the burn. The titular story "Hot Comb" is about a young girl's first perm--a doomed ploy to look cool and to stop seeming "too white" in the all-black neighborhood her family has just moved to. In "Virgin Hair" taunts of "tender-headed" sting as much as the perm itself. It's a scenario that repeats fifteen years later as an adult when, tired of the maintenance, Flowers shaves her head only to be hurled new put-downs. Realizations about race, class, and the imperfections of identity swirl through Flowers' stories and ads, which are by turns sweet, insightful, and heartbreaking."-- Provided by publisher.
The Banks
Published in 2019
"For fifty years the women of the Banks family have been the most successful thieves in Chicago by following one simple rule: never get greedy. But when the youngest Banks stumbles upon the heist of a lifetime, the potential windfall may be enough to bring three generations of thieves together for one incredible score and the chance to avenge a loved one taken too soon."--Amazon.
Stage Dreams
Published in 2019
The New Mexico Territory, 1861. Young Grace, a trans runaway, has headed west, fleeing her Georgia home--and conscription into the Confederate Army. But her coach ride to California makes an unplanned stop when notorious outlaw the Ghost Hawk swoops in, shaking down its passengers and stealing away with Grace. The Ghost Hawk--Flor, to her friends--means to hold Grace for ransom. But when the two get to talking about Flor's plan to crash a Confederate gala, Grace convinces Flor to let her join the heist."--Page 4 of cover.
MPLS Sound
Published in 2021
"When Prince burst onto the pop scene in 1978, he put Minneapolis on the music map. Many up-and-coming bands followed the trail that he blazed. MPLS Sound is the story of one such group--Starchild, led by a young woman inspired by Prince to start her own revolution. Through her journey, we see from within exactly how His Royal Badness transformed the entire Minneapolis scene."--Provided by publisher.
Blackward
Published in 2023
"Tired of feeling like you don't belong? Join the club. It's called the Section. You'd think a spot to chill, chat, and find community would be much easier to come by for nerdy, queer punks. But when four longtime, bookish BFFs--Lika, Amor, Lala, and Tony--can't find what they need, they take matters into their own hands and create a space where they can be a hundred percent who they are: Black, queer, and weird. The group puts a call out for all awkward Black folks to come on down to the community center to connect. But low attendance and IRL run-ins with trolls of all kinds only rock everybody with anxiety. As our protagonists start to question the merits of their vision, a lifetime of insecurities--about not being good enough or Black enough--bubbles to the surface. Will they find a way to turn it around in time for their radical brainchild, the Blackward Zine Fest?"--Amazon.
The Silence of Our Friends
Published in 2018
This semi-autobiographical tale is set in 1967. A white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the suburbs and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houston's color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman.
Bayou. Vol. 02
Published in 2010
Lee continues her journey through the parallel world of Nawlins, accompanied by the blues-singing swamp monster Bayou, in a search for Brer Rabbit in order to find her kidnapped friend Lily and save her father from a lynching.
Gone to Amerikay
Published in 2012
"This sweeping, century-spanning graphic novel explores the vivid history of Irish émigrés to New York City via three intertwined tales, from a penniless woman raising a daughter alone in the Five Points slum of 1870, to a struggling young artist drawn to the nascent counterculture of 1960, the year America elected its first Irish-Catholic president."--Publisher's website.
I Am Alfonso Jones
Published in 2017
The ghost of fifteen-year-old Alfonso Jones travels in a New York subway car full of the living and the dead, watching his family and friends fight for justice after he is killed by an off-duty police officer while buying a suit in a Midtown department store.
Yummy
The Last Days of a Southside Shorty
Published in 2010
"A graphic novel based on the true story of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, an eleven-year old African American gang member from Chicago who shot a young girl and was then shot by his own gang members"--Provided by publisher.
Sugar Town
Published in 2017
"A bisexual, polyamorous love story for the modern era. Hazel is already in a happy relationship when she meets Argent, a dominatrix who's sweet and tender outside of the bedroom. Sugar Town is a fun, colorful comic about a young woman's journey through the delights and disappointments of multiple lovers."--Amazon.com.
Heartstopper. Vol. 01
Published in 2020
Shy and softhearted Charlie strikes up a friendship with rugby player Nick, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, their friendship grows into something more.
Heartstopper. Vol. 02
Published in 2020
After best friends Nick and Charlie share a kiss, Charlie thinks that he's made a horrible mistake and ruined his friendship with Nick, and Nick is more confused than ever.
Heartstopper. Vol. 04
Published in 2021
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork. Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book. -- Rainbow Rowell, author of Carry On Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance. But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
Heartstopper. Vol. 03
Published in 2021
"Charlie didn't think Nick could ever like him back, but now they're officially boyfriends. Nick has even found the courage to come out to his mom. But coming out isn't something that happens just once, and Nick and Charlie try to figure out when to tell their friends that they're dating. Not being out to their classmates gets even harder during a school trip to Paris. As Nick and Charlie's feelings get more serious, they'll need each other more than ever."--Provided by publisher.
The Girl from the Sea
Published in 2021
"Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She's desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends...who don't understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan's biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl. Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore. But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...whether Morgan is ready or not."--Page [2] of cover.
7 Generations
A Plains Cree Saga
Published in 2012
" ... Follows one Plains Cree family from the early 19th century to the present day. For Edwin, the story of his ancestors from both the distant and recent past must guide him through an uncertain present, to the dawn of a new future. 7 Generations explores the life of Stone, a young Cree warrior, the smallpox epidemic of 1870, the residential school system of the 20th century and its familial legacy."--Publisher's description.
Wash Day Diaries
Published in 2022
"A graphic novel love letter to the beauty and resilience of Black women, their hair, and friendships"-- Provided by publisher.
Fire Starters
Published in 2016
Looking for a little mischief after finding an old flare gun, Ron and Ben suddenly find themselves in trouble when the local gas bar on Agamiing Reserve goes up in flames, and they are wrongly accused of arson by the sheriff's son. As the investigation goes forward, community attitudes are revealed, and the truth slowly comes to light.
Our Colors
Published in 2022
"Set in contemporary suburban Japan, Our Colors is the story of Sora Itoda: a sixteen-year-old aspiring painter who experiences his world in synaesthetic hues of blues and reds, and is governed by the emotional turbulence of being a teenager. He wants to live honestly as a young gay man in high school, but that is still not acceptable in Japanese society. His best friend and childhood confidante Nao, a young woman whom everyone thinks is (or should be) his girlfriend; and it would be the easiest thing to play along-she knows he is gay but knows, too, how difficult it is to live one's truth in his situation. Sora's world changes forever when he meets Mr. Amamiya, a middle-aged gentleman who is the owner and proprietor of a local coffee shop, and who is completely, unapologetically out as a gay man. A mentorship and platonic friendship ensues, as Sora comes out to him and agrees to paint a mural in the shop, and Mr. Amamiya counsels him about how to deal with who he is. But it won't be easy. Mr. Amamiya paid a high price for his freedom of identity, and when a figure from his past suddenly appears, the situation becomes a vivid example of just how complicated life can be"-- Provided by publisher.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me
Published in 2019
Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley's dream girl, but Freddy is learning she is not the best girlfriend, so she seeks help from a mysterious medium and advice columnists to help her through being a teenager in love.
A Blanket of Butterflies
Published in 2015
"A Blanket of Butterflies explores the journey of Shinobu, a mysterious stranger who visits Fort Smith, NWT, to retrieve his family's samurai suit of armor and sword from the local museum. When he discovers that his grandfather's sword has been lost in a poker game to the man they call "Benny the Bank," he sets out to retrieve it with the help of a young boy, Sonny, and his grandmother. Together, they face Benny and his men, Torchy, Sfen and the giant known as Flinch, and come to an unexpected realization. This graphic novel, beautifully illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, explores the grace of family and of trusting the power of the spirit world."--Back cover.
A Girl Called Echo. 1, Pemmican Wars
Published in 2018
While adjusting to a new home and school, Echo finds herself traveling back in time to 1816 in the middle of a Métis bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie just before a deadly battle.
I Love This Part
Published in 2017
"In her follow up to the critically acclaimed The End of Summer, Tillie Walden tells the story of a small love that can make you feel like the biggest thing around, and how it's possible to find another person who understands you when you thought no one could." -- (Source of summary not specified)
The Prince and the Dressmaker
Published in 2018
Prince Sebastian hides from his parents his secret life of dressing up in women's clothes as the hottest fashion icon in Paris, the fabulous Lady Crystallia, while his friend Frances the dressmaker strives to keep her friend's secret.