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kez91's review
3.0
3.5* This is a great collection from a range of voices. I definitely do notice a lack of diversity particularly in YA literature, so it's refreshing to see collections like this that include stories from a range of perspectives. I do think that some of the pieces were noticeably not as strong as others, and some of the pieces I didn't enjoy as much as others, but overall I liked Meet Me at the Intersection a lot, with personal favourites including Dream, Harry Potter and the Disappearing Pages? Autumn Leaves, and The Last Stop. I would have liked more poems to be included, as I really enjoyed Dream in particular, and hopefully this kind of collection is repeated. I would also love to read more from some of these writers in the future.
helluo_librorum_lgbt's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
melbsreads's review
3.5
Trigger warnings: racism, homophobia, bullying, death of a parent (in the past), death of a grandparent, mental health.
So here's the thing: I wanted to love this collection, all of which are by diverse authors. But I had two niggling issues with it. One is that it feels eeeeeever so slightly lacking in cohesion given that it's a mixture of fiction, poetry, and memoir. Especially when much of the memoir was written from an adult perspective in a young adult collection...
The other niggle is the choice to section out the stories into categories. So you start with stories by Aboriginal authors, then stories by disabled authors, then queer authors, and finally authors of colour. And because all the stories were clumped together, I found that by the end of each section, the stories were starting to lose their impact because I'd just read X other stories of the same sort.
All of that being said, I did enjoy a lot of what I read. I don't think there were any stories where I was like "I don't like this and I want it to be over". Instead, there were plenty that I enjoyed and a handful that fell sort of flat for me. My favourites were Night Feet, Harry Potter and the Disappearing Pages, Stars in Our Eyes, Autumn Leaves, and The Last Stop. The diverse nature of this collection would actually make for a really interesting set text, and I honestly did enjoy it. I just wish the stories had been arranged some other way...
So here's the thing: I wanted to love this collection, all of which are by diverse authors. But I had two niggling issues with it. One is that it feels eeeeeever so slightly lacking in cohesion given that it's a mixture of fiction, poetry, and memoir. Especially when much of the memoir was written from an adult perspective in a young adult collection...
The other niggle is the choice to section out the stories into categories. So you start with stories by Aboriginal authors, then stories by disabled authors, then queer authors, and finally authors of colour. And because all the stories were clumped together, I found that by the end of each section, the stories were starting to lose their impact because I'd just read X other stories of the same sort.
All of that being said, I did enjoy a lot of what I read. I don't think there were any stories where I was like "I don't like this and I want it to be over". Instead, there were plenty that I enjoyed and a handful that fell sort of flat for me. My favourites were Night Feet, Harry Potter and the Disappearing Pages, Stars in Our Eyes, Autumn Leaves, and The Last Stop. The diverse nature of this collection would actually make for a really interesting set text, and I honestly did enjoy it. I just wish the stories had been arranged some other way...
filliefanatic's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
solid anthology, v diverse
diemnhun's review
5.0
An excellent anthology. I am so happy that this is out there for young people, who belong to marginalised groups, to see themselves in these stories.
An aside, I'd happily read Alice Pung's shopping list.
An aside, I'd happily read Alice Pung's shopping list.
tien's review
4.0
I'm so excited to see a book, an anthology, dedicated to #ownvoices ! Finally, something for everyone (or almost). Editors did a fine job in collating stories of representation from a cross-section of those who are different, unique; of voices whom we rarely hear.
There are a couple of poetry which I struggled with... I don't know how to read poetry! Although what really helps is the blurb at the beginning of each chapter describing who the authors are and sometimes, what their pieces are about. Each one of these authors are amazing humans!
Of course, I am absolutely partial to the Asian stories / authors as I understood them better from the cultural perspective. However, this did not diminish my enjoyment of the other stories (except for poetry as I mentioned above) for each of these stories help me to better understand their side of the story. I mean why else do we read but to open our minds to others and in listening to them, be better able to love as they deserve to be loved. I highly recommend this anthology for all who seek to understand.
Thanks to Fremantle Press for copy of book in exchange of honest review.
There are a couple of poetry which I struggled with... I don't know how to read poetry! Although what really helps is the blurb at the beginning of each chapter describing who the authors are and sometimes, what their pieces are about. Each one of these authors are amazing humans!
Of course, I am absolutely partial to the Asian stories / authors as I understood them better from the cultural perspective. However, this did not diminish my enjoyment of the other stories (except for poetry as I mentioned above) for each of these stories help me to better understand their side of the story. I mean why else do we read but to open our minds to others and in listening to them, be better able to love as they deserve to be loved. I highly recommend this anthology for all who seek to understand.
Thanks to Fremantle Press for copy of book in exchange of honest review.
pavedwithbookss's review
4.0
This is an excellent collection of #ownvoices stories. As someone whose identity doesn't necessarily fit in one box, I could relate to some of the stories featured here. Even if you couldn't though (maybe particularly if you couldn't), I'd still recommend reading this book. There are some fantastic pieces in it.