As someone with a chronic illness, it's been kind of hard to feel like I'm doing enough for The Cause. So aside from calling reps & striking today, I finished reading The Chainbreakers by Julian Randall. It filled my cup when I was drained.

This middle grade/YA fantasy centers on community, resistance, & memory. I love the original storytelling! I don't think I've ever read a fantasy book that depicts life for the Africans who freed themselves & others from their would-be enslavers and lived. 

While The Deep by Rivers Solomon follows the story of a people who became water-dwellers eager to forget their past. The Chainbreakers is about Sun People, a community dedicated to remembering & continuing resistance through saving souls taken by the "chainmakers." According to their lore, the chainmakers were cursed by the gods for their cruelty and forced to the depths of the ocean where they became Children of the Shark, creatures endlessly hungry for the souls of the chainbreakers. 

The actions and creativity of Violet and her crew are thrilling and sometimes playful. Her community is loving and compassionate as well as fierce. I'd definitely recommend this book to everyone!