Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed by Dashka Slater and Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martín

 

Over spring break, I finished reading two books: Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed by Dashka Slater and Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martín. The first book I read, Accountable, is a narrative nonfiction book about a high school student in Albany, California, who shared racist and sexist memes on private Instagram account to make his friends laugh. Initially, only a few kids were aware about it, but eventually everyone in the community knew. In the weeks and months that followed, those featured in the memes sought justice while coping with feelings of fear, hurt, sadness, and anger. On the other side, the boy who created the account and those who followed it had to deal with the consequences of their actions. No one remained unchanged.

I found this book utterly fascinating. I've long known that a lot of negativity can be spread on social media, so it didn't surprise me that a high school student created a social media account to share prejudiced memes just to get a laugh out of his friends. What did shock me was how the school handled the situation. It seemed like they only made things worse initially by having a group discussion at the school between the "harmers" and the kids impacted by the account without appropriate preparation. Although I think the "harmers" were certainly in the wrong and should be held accountable for their actions based on individual level of involvement, I was terrified for them as they left the school and there was a mob of students. I truly had empathy for everyone involved and it really seemed like the only thing that helped them heal and grow was time and space. Additionally, I liked that the author included information from experts to explain how and why something like what occurred at Albany High School could happen. My hope is that anyone who reads this book can advocate for educational measures to prevent a similar incident from happening in their school community. Overall, Accountable shines a light on an issue that is currently impacting schools nationwide and I recommend it to students, educators, and parents alike.

The second book I read, Mexikid, is a graphic memoir about an experience that the author, Pedro "Peter" Martín, had when he was a kid in 1977. Born in the U.S. to Mexican immigrants, Pedro loves Star Wars and grew up hearing stories about his legendary abuelito. When his parents decide it is time for his grandfather to move in with them, he goes on a road trip with his family to Mexico. Although Pedro is worried about Abuelito coming to live with them because he thinks they won't have anything in common and doesn't speak Spanish that well, they end up connecting and he learns more about his Mexican identity. While Pedro's five oldest siblings leave early for school, Pedro doesn't go home with his parents, three of his brothers, and their grandfather until Abuelita has completed a mission for Abuelita.

This graphic memoir was absolutely hilarious. Even though there were emotional moments relating to Abuelita and a deer, I mostly laughed out loud at all the shenanigans that Pedro got up to with his brothers. I couldn't imagine having that many siblings, but it seems like he always had someone to hang out and play with while growing up. I also loved his relationship with his oldest sister, Lila, because she was someone he could talk to about more serious stuff, when his brothers would joke around instead. I thought it was pretty cool that Pedro learned that Mexico wasn't so bad during his family's road trip and it was enjoyable how he got to really know his abuelito instead of relying on exaggerations from his imagination. It seems like he really grew up from his experiences on that trip. With beautifully colorful illustrations, Mexikid is perfect for anyone who enjoys stories about familia (family).