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Blackward

by Lawrence Lindell

Making room for belonging

Regular price $19.54 USD
Regular price $32.57 USD Sale price $19.54 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

Making room for belonging

In Blackward, four longtime friends respond to the lack of a space for Black, queer, bookish outsiders by creating the Section, a community gathering place of their own. Building that community proves complicated: sparse turnout and hostile encounters unsettle the founders, while questions about belonging and being “Black enough” surface among them. The planned Blackward Zine Fest gives their effort a shared goal. The story brings together identity, friendship, mental health, romance, discrimination and joy, with community-building as its organizing thread. Lawrence Lindell’s graphic novel is presented in playful Technicolor, framing both the strains of finding a place to belong and the work of making one.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in graphic novels about friendship and community.
  • Readers seeking stories centered on Black and queer identities.
  • Readers interested in themes of belonging, mental health and discrimination.

Themes

Belonging and communityBlack and queer identityFriendshipMental healthDiscrimination and joy

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Black, weird, awkward and proud of it. Welcome to the club!

Tired of feeling like you don't belong? Join the club. It's called the Section. You'd think a spot to chill, chat, and find community would be much easier to come by for nerdy, queer punks. But when four longtime, bookish BFFs--Lika, Amor, Lala, and Tony--can't find what they need, they take matters into their own hands and create a space where they can be a hundred percent who they are: Black, queer, and weird.

The group puts a call out for all awkward Black folks to come on down to the community center to connect. But low attendance and IRL run-ins with trolls of all kinds only rock everybody with anxiety. As our protagonists start to question the merits of their vision, a lifetime of insecurities--about not being good enough or Black enough--bubbles to the surface. Will they find a way to turn it around in time for their radical brainchild, the Blackward Zine Fest?

Lawrence Lindell's characters pop from the page in playful Technicolor. From mental health to romance, micro--and macro--aggressions to joy, our crew tackles everything life throws at them in this heartwarming tale about building a place to belong and the power of community.
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