Girls of Color in Dystopia Blog Series at bitchmedia

Over at bitchmedia, Victoria Law is guest blogging a two-month series about race and gender in YA dystopian lit called Girls of Color in Dystopia.

In Do Girls of Color Survive Dystopia?, Law talks about the difficulty she has had finding dystopian YA that features a girl of color protagonist for her 12-year old daughter. She mentions Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson and the short story collection Diverse Energies as two exceptions in a sea of dystopia featuring white female protagonists.

 

PW Podcast Interview with Alaya Dawn Johnson

Over at Publisher's Weekly KidsCast there is a great audio interview with Alaya Dawn Johnson, author of The Summer Prince, a YA dystopia set in future Brazil. In the podcast, Johnson talks about her connection to Brazil, the germination of the idea that became The Summer Prince, technology, how she became a novelist, and her next project, among other things.

If you've read The Summer Prince, or are considering picking it up, this interview is full of great insights. If you're still undecided after listening to the interview and reading our review, see what NPR had to say (but beware, there are minor spoilers!).

Book Review: The Summer Prince

The Summer Prince
by Alaya Dawn Johnson

In the future city of Palmares Tres, located in modern-day Brazil, a Summer King is elected every five years. In a city ruled by women, the position holds little power--the main purpose of a Summer King is to reaffirm the right of the Queen to reign for another five years. This affirmation is given as the Summer King dies, sacrificed on an altar, his throat slit by the Queen herself. When June Costa's father takes her to see her first Summer King sacrificed, she is eight-years old and horrified by the bloody practice. However, by the time she is eighteen she is used to the tradition, but everything changes the year Enki, a beautiful, defiant young man, is elected as Summer King. The entire city falls in love with Enki--including June and her best friend, Gil. Like June, Enki is an artist, and together they produce some incredible art that shakes the very foundations of the principles their city is built upon. But unlike June, Enki wasn't raised in privilege, and his willingness to sacrifice his life to be Summer King is rooted in a purpose more radical than June is willing to accept. The closer June gets to Enki, the harder it is to accept his impending death. In the end, June will have to choose whether following the rules to achieve her dream of becoming a successful artist is more important than her principles.