The Story of My Anger

Gr 7 Up–This inspiring novel in verse details the story of Yulieta Lopez, a Black Latinx high school girl whose passions are theatre and poetry. Yulieta navigates a world full of microaggressions and casual racism in a small town in Texas, while dealing with a brother whose protest activities land him on the wrong side of bigots and her widowed mom struggling with lupus. She is extremely talented, but is continually passed over by her drama teacher for lead roles in favor of white girls. Her drama teacher relegates the students of color to the understudy cast while encouraging them to straighten or cover up their hair. Meanwhile, Yuli’s favorite teacher, Mr. Gonzalez, becomes the target of the local school board for his “inappropriate” classroom library, which inspires Yuli and her friends to stand up and be heard. Mendez’s poetry flows effortlessly, fully realizing Yuli’s struggles and joy, without sacrificing plot. Not unlike Yuli’s favorite play, Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, this novel is an exploration of the ways in which Black girls have to navigate spaces in which they are unwelcome or overlooked, while unfairly also avoiding the “angry Black girl” stereotype.