top of page
Search

Revolution, Resistance, and Resilience: 6 YA Books for Juneteenth


Curated by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books)


As we honor Juneteenth—a day that marks emancipation and the ongoing struggle for Black freedom and equity—we’re highlighting young adult books that center justice, activism, and the lived experiences of Black characters. These stories tackle systemic injustice, personal and collective resistance, and the power of community and voice. Whether you're looking for contemporary realism, historical fiction with a twist, or sharp dystopian worlds, these reads offer so much to reflect on and discuss. Check out our reviews, and let us know what YA titles focused on justice are on your radar this year!


When I Was the Greatest, Allegedly, SLAY


"Brandy Colbert's The Voting Booth is a perfect YA book. It's socially conscious; features compelling, nuanced characters; and has just the right amount of romance--I was grinning for nearly the duration of the book, which alternates between the points of view of two high school seniors.


"Marva has been waiting to vote her whole life. Now that she's 18, she can finally put the cap on months of canvassing and registering people to vote by going with her boyfriend and casting her first ballot. The only hiccup? Her boyfriend Alec has suddenly decided that the two-party system is ineffective, so he's just not going to vote. Duke also is excited to vote, though he's more laid back about it than Marva is (as he is about everything). Duke's older brother was an activist before his death, and Duke knows that he has to vote to carry on Julian's legacy, if for no other reason." Read the full review.



"II've shared my love for Nic Stone's Dear Martin all over the internet—I think it is such a powerful foundation for conversations with teenagers about police violence, racism, and justice. I'm sure it will be no surprise, then, that I was INCREDIBLY excited to see Nic Stone's announcement of a sequel, Dear Justyce. (No worries! This will be a spoiler-free review of book two.)


"Dear Martin's protagonist is Justyce McCallister, a Black teenager who, after becoming a victim of police violence, begins writing letters in his journal to Martin Luther King, Jr., to wrestle with the best way for him to deal with the trauma." Check out the full review.



"The Belles opens in a world where most people are born gris, meaning that their natural complexion is gray, with red eyes, straw-like hair, and gray whiskers on their faces. This condition is both unattractive and painful. The only exception to this natural state is the Belles, who are born lovely with all different complexions, shapes, and demeanors, but who are all able to use the power within their blood to help others beautify themselves. The Belles are raised to beautify others, and when they come of age, that becomes their duty. In order to avoid this natural but uncomfortable state of being gray, the citizens of Orléans must have routine beauty procedures done, which can only be performed by the Belles. They pay high prices and suffer extreme pain to endure the beauty procedures. Camellia Beauregard and her sisters are coming of age at the beginning of The Belles, and they become the group of Belles able to assist all of the people of Orléans, including the royal family, with these procedures. However, as Camille gets deeper into her journey, she quickly realizes that the world is not as it seems and that her talents can be misused and can cause harm. 


"The Everlasting Rose picks up where The Belles left off, and it captivates the reader immediately." Click here to read the full review.



"Welp, this book is definitely a bit out of my wheelhouse. Justina Ireland's book Dread Nation is a young-adult, historical fiction novel with a (BIG) twist set right after the Gettysburg battle in the American Civil War. During the Gettysburg battle, something remarkable happens, and the fallen soldiers rise up from their deaths to become the undead (called shamblers in the book and are akin to zombies). The shamblers are able to infect other humans with their bites.


"Enter Native and Negro Reeducation Act, an act that requires black and indigenous children and teens to attend combat schools to become attendants to guard the wealthy from shambler attacks and to 'put down' shamblers. The protagonist is Jane McKeene, a spitfire teenager, who attends Mrs. Preston's School of Combat, one of the schools created under the Native and Negro Reeducation Act." Check out the full review. We also had a full episode about the book, which you can find here.



"When I Was the Greatest follows Ali, a 15- year-old who loves boxing; his friends, Noodles and Needles; and his family which consists of his 11-year-old sister, Jazz; his mom, Doris; and his dad, John. Ali is a relatable protagonist in that he doesn't always make the right decision, but at his core he is a good kid. Reynolds builds the untraditional familial relationships and the friendships in the story in a way that seems authentic, and he presents you with flawed, but likable characters. He also exhibits a deft hand at creating character motivations that are nuanced and believable. A wide variety of well-fleshed-out secondary characters rounds out this story and makes it truly memorable. My favorite secondary characters are Black and Miss Brenda. (If you have read this, did you love them too?) All of the characters feel important and intentional in the development of this narrative." Click here for the full review.



"​This question is at the heart of the brilliant YA novel SLAY, by Brittney Morris. Kiera Johnson, a seventeen-year-old student at the elite Jefferson Academy, is one of a handful of students of color, along with her sister Steph and her boyfriend Malcolm. Kiera is the quieter of the sisters, and adept at code switching, a talent that Morris establishes from the first line of the novel. Kiera and Steph are feminists and brilliant women who are keenly aware of issues at the center of black culture.


"Through the novel, they discuss the merits of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), make commitments to attend HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), and resist their white friends attempts to make them the monolithic voice of blackness in answering their questions (like whether a white person wearing dreadlocks is committing an error of cultural appropriation). Kiera considers these topics as she strives to be a good daughter, to dampen the tension between her sister and boyfriend, and to lay the foundation for a successful future." Click here for the full review.


(A note to our readers: click on the hashtags above to see our other blog posts with the same hashtag.)


Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.


Loving what you see here? Please comment below (scroll ALL the way down to comment), share this post using the social media buttons below (scroll down for those as well!), and find us on social media to share your thoughts!

Want to support Unabridged?


Check out our Merch Store!

Become a patron on Patreon.​

Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.

Like and follow our Facebook Page.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.

Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.

Check us out on Podbean.

We are proud to partner with Bookshop.org and have a curated Unabridged store as well as affiliate links. We're also honored to be a partner with Libro.fm and proudly use affiliate links to support them and independent bookstores.

Comments

bottom of page