Soon afterward, Daughter awakes with a tiger tail. She was called Hu Gu Po, and she hungered to eat children, especially their toes. One evening, Mother tells Daughter a story about a tiger spirit who lived in a woman’s body. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.īestiary, by K-Ming Chang, is a spell-binding debut, tracing a complicated lineage of Taiwanese American women and the stories and magic that comes with it. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. There is no better example of this than Aiden Thomas’ Cemetery Boys, a groundbreaking new novel about a trans boy who summons a ghost he can’t get rid of, while struggling for acceptance from his Latinx family. LGBTQ writers and LGBTQ books stand out in this transitional moment by looking at our collective past, examining the troubling present, unpacking our desires, and also boldly imagining utopian futures. Fall is a very ruminant time, as we reflect on the year behind us, and on the resolutions we promised ourselves way back in January. We have opportunities to usher in new leaders, new ideas, to make deep changes in this country and in the world. Fall begins, and with it comes the continuing dual threats of climate change and racial injustice.īut with recognition comes change, and with the shifting tides we should also hold up ideas for a better future. Students go back to school, in altered forms or spaces this year, including virtual ones.

September is a transitory month The year continues, the weather cools, the leaves begin to change colors.

And so, a summer unlike any other fades in the rearview mirror.

Out of the fire andrea contos