Mixed Ethnicity. Is a New Label Needed?

The Latte Rebellion: by Sarah Jamila Stevenson

The Late Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson takes an interesting perspective into racial discrimination in northern California and the United States.  Asha Jamison, along with a few friends, come up with a plan to make some money to take a trip the summer after their senior year of school.  After an altercation with a fellow student about their mixed ethnicity, the girls come up with the idea for the Latte Rebellion. Being of mixed ethnicity, the girls are constantly forced to choose a racial identity that doesn't seem to fit who they are or who they have become.  The girls use their newly fueled desire to stand up and be identified, to develop a simple manifesto, a cool t-shirt design, and a website to promote their money scheme.  Little did the girls know that their idea would go viral and potentially ruin any plans they had for a trip, friendships, and maybe even graduation.

The Late Rebellion is certainly a book that would fit well in a text set with civil rights and racial discrimination.  It would make for interesting discussion in book talk sessions when compared to the strict racial tensions of the 1930s or 1960s.  It certainly brings into question that racial tensions may have taken on new perspectives. I would recommend it for my mature readers.  The content is certainly appropriate for all middle school students, probably more for the girls, but I'm not sure it is fast enough for what a lot of my students are looking for in a book. It would make a good pool side book this summer.