Books Like "Each of Us a Desert" ☀️📖 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Book recommendations for readers who enjoyed "Each of Us a Desert," including "The Deep," "The Grief Keeper," "We Set the Dark on Fire," "Wild Beauty," and "Beasts Made of Night."

Key Insights

• ❓ "Each of Us a Desert" explores the themes of forgetting and healing, challenging traditions and finding one's own path.
• 🥹 "The Deep" focuses on the consequences of taking on others' memories and the pain of holding onto traumatic experiences.
• 💨 "The Grief Keeper" comments on the systematic stripping away of immigrants' choices and rights and the expectation for Latinx immigrants to carry others' trauma.
• 😫 "We Set the Dark on Fire" highlights the dangers of a harmful power system and the importance of challenging it.
• 👨‍🎨 "Wild Beauty" examines the phenomenon of forgetting and memory within Latinx culture and explores the desire to break intergenerational cycles of pain.

Transcript

Bibliophiles of the internet, my name is Adri and today I’m here Bibliophiles of the internet, my name is Adri and today I’m here to recommend some books! Pretty straightforward, right? This video is actually part of a tour stop on behalf of Colored Pages to celebrate “Each of Us a Desert” by Mark Oshiro, which is a book I have read and loved. So t... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What is "Each of Us a Desert" about?

"Each of Us a Desert" is a queer Latinx high fantasy story about Xochital, who has the ability to take on other people's stories and is burdened by her magic. She teams up with a tyrant's daughter to escape her village.

Q: What is "The Deep" about?

"The Deep" is a queer SFF novella about merpeople who carry the memories of enslaved African women. The Historian, Yetu, wants to escape the burden of memories and confront her people's past.

Q: What is "The Grief Keeper" about?

"The Grief Keeper" is a queer Latinx contemporary story about Marisol, who takes on other people's grief and trauma to secure her and her sister's asylum request. It explores the stripping away of immigrants' rights and the expectation for Latinx immigrants to carry others' trauma.

Q: What is "We Set the Dark on Fire" about?

"We Set the Dark on Fire" is a queer Latinx dystopian duology about Daniela, who hides her fake identification papers. She becomes involved in a rebellion challenging the oppressive system in place.

Q: What is "Wild Beauty" about?

"Wild Beauty" is a queer Latinx magical realism story about the Nomeolvides family, who have the magical ability to grow plants from their bodies. They face a curse that causes loved ones to vanish.

Q: What is "Beasts Made of Night" about?

"Beasts Made of Night" is a YA fantasy about Taj, a sin-eater who physically takes on people's guilt. Taj becomes involved in a conspiracy threatening his world.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• "Each of Us a Desert" is a queer Latinx high fantasy story about Xochital, a cuentista who can take other people's stories into her body. She becomes burdened by her magic and joins forces with a tyrant's daughter to escape her village.

• "The Deep" is a queer SFF novella about merpeople who carry the memories of enslaved African women. The Historian, Yetu, wants to escape the burden of memories and confront her people's past.

• "The Grief Keeper" is a queer Latinx contemporary story about Marisol, who agrees to take on other people's grief and trauma to secure her and her sister's asylum request. It explores the stripping away of immigrants' rights and the expectation for Latinx immigrants to carry others' trauma without healing.

• "We Set the Dark on Fire" is a queer Latinx dystopian duology about Daniela, who hides her fake identification papers. She gets involved in a rebellion challenging the oppressive system in place.

• "Wild Beauty" is a queer Latinx magical realism story about the Nomeolvides family, who have the magical ability to grow plants from their bodies. They face a curse that causes loved ones to vanish.

• "Beasts Made of Night" is a YA fantasy about Taj, a sin-eater who physically takes on people's guilt. Taj becomes involved in a conspiracy threatening his world.