I was able to read some insightful, but fun books the past week or so. Here is what I read and recommend.
A Very Short History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict by Ilan Pappe is, as the title suggests, a short non-fiction book that breaks down the history between Palestine and Israel. Pappe also gives context as to why what happened October 7th, 2023 occurred and how that affects the future of Palestine.
I thought this was well-organized in terms of the events talked about. This book had good flow, and this definitely helped with the learning experience I had while reading. This book will also leave you feeling angry about Israel’s history of genocide on palestinians, but still informed about what has happened and what is happening now. I think this book is a great place to start if you are looking to learn more about Palestine and its history. This book is available in our school’s library in the New Books section, as well as other books about Palestine that you should definitely check out!
Continuing with my mood for remixed classics, I picked up Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig. This novel is a gay Romeo & Juliet remix that follows Romeo and Mercutio’s younger brother, Valentine. After years being away from home, Valentine has returned, and an instant spark is lit between him and Romeo when they see each other again. In between the pressure to find a wife and the increasing violence between the Montagues and the Capulets, Romeo must find a way to protect his love while being his true self.
This was delightfully romantic. Romeo and Valentine had a lot of chemistry, and considering their relationship mimics the original Romeo and Juliet, it still had a good pace. The author leans into the dramatics that Shakespeare brings in most of his plays and this made the book more enjoyable to read. Juliet is also featured in the story, and I found the friendship between her and Romeo to be quite meaningful. However, I think the author struggled to balance attention between the romance and the action in the last couple of acts of the novel. This led to the pacing to become inconsistent. I still enjoyed reading this, and would lightly recommend it to fans of queer historical romances or Shakespeare. This book is available for request at the Baltimore County Public Library.
Is Love the Answer? by Uta Isaki is a standalone manga following Chika, a college student discovering that she is asexual and wants to learn more about her new identity.
I myself am also a college student who has discovered that she is asexual. This was kindly recommended to me by a few of my aroace friends, who I am grateful for because this definitely reaffirmed my asexuality! I appreciated how exploring the nuances of aroace identities was written, and Chika I found to be a likeable main character. The pacing was fast which disrupted my reading experience occasionally, but I adored this manga all the same.
If you are looking for a new queer manga to read, or you’re in the same position as me and learning things about yourself, then I highly recommend Is Love the Answer! This book is available for request at the Baltimore County Public Library.
Merryn Overbeck ‘28
Header Image Source: Douron
Book Covers Image Source: Google Images
