BIPOC Lit – Page 47 – Trigger Warning Database

Playing House by Ruby Lang

Playing House by Ruby Lang

The last thing Oliver Huang expects to see on the historic Mount Morris home tour is longtime acquaintance Fay Liu bustling up and kissing him hello. He’s happy to playact being a couple to save her from a pushy admirer. Fay’s beautiful, successful and smart, and if he’s being honest, Oliver has always had a bit of a thing for her. Maybe more than a bit. Geeking out over architectural details is Oliver and Fay’s shared love language, and soon they’re touring pricey real estate across Upper Manhattan as the terribly faux but terribly charming couple Darling and Olly…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Parental abandonment

Acute Reactions by Ruby Lang

Acute Reactions by Ruby Lang

The man with allergies never gets the girl, at least according to the movies—and Portland restaurateur Ian Zamora wants to be the guy who gets the girl. So to rid himself of the sensitivities brought on by his sometimes-girlfriend’s cat, he makes an appointment with allergist Petra Lale. But he suddenly finds himself acutely attracted to the very woman who is supposed to be helping him take care of his problem. Petra’s intrigued by Ian’s quiet strength… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Cheating recounted
Anxiety
Anaphylactic shock
Death of a father from melanoma
Death of a mother from a pulmonary embolism

Open House by Ruby Lang

Open House by Ruby Lang

Tyson Yang never imagined that one day he’d be the de facto spokesperson for an illegal community garden. But when the once-rat-infested-but-now-thriving Harlem lot goes up for sale, Ty can’t just let all their hard work get plowed under. Even if he is irresistibly drawn to the lovely but infuriatingly stubborn real estate associate. Magda Ferrer’s family is already convinced this new job will be yet another flop in her small but growing list of career path failures. But her student debt isn’t going anywhere, and… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Death of a mother from cancer recounted
Death of an aunt recounted

Helium by Rudy Francisco

Helium by Rudy Francisco

Helium is the debut poetry collection by internet phenom Rudy Francisco, whose work has defined poetry for a generation of new readers. Rudy’s poems and quotes have been viewed and shared millions of times as he has traveled the country and the world performing for sell-out crowds. Helium is filled with work that is simultaneously personal and political, blending love poems, self-reflection, and biting cultural critique on class, race and gender into an unforgettable whole.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Depression
Bullying

Luster by Raven Leilani

Luster by Raven Leilani

Edie is just trying to survive. She’s messing up in her dead-end admin job in her all-white office, is sleeping with all the wrong men, and has failed at the only thing that meant anything to her, painting. No one seems to care that she doesn’t really know what she’s doing with her life beyond looking for her next hook-up. And then she meets Eric, a white middle-aged archivist with a suburban family, including a wife who has sort-of-agreed to an open marriage and an adopted black daughter who doesn’t have a single person in her life who can show her how to do her hair… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Toxic relationship
Suicide discussed

So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park

So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park

When investment banker Jessie Kim is laid off in a virtual meeting and then overhears why (“she’s already being overpaid anyway for a woman” and “Asians are worker bees, not someone who can drum up new deals”) she delivers an “eff you guys” speech and storms out. After moving back home to Tennessee to live with her loving but meddling mother and father, she runs into her childhood nemesis – golden child Daniel Choi – at the local Asian grocery store. The smart, charming lawyer appears to have it all…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Sexism
Workplace sexual harassment

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink

Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Wilson is, on the surface, a town troublemaker, but is hiding that he is an avid reader and secret poet, never leaving home without his journal. A passionate follower of WEB. Du Bois, he believes that black people should rise up to claim their place as equals. Sixteen-year-old Angel Hill is a loner, mostly disregarded by her peers as a goody-goody. Her father is dying, and her family’s financial situation is in turmoil. Also, as a loyal follower of Booker T. Washington, she believes, through education and tolerance, that black people should rise…Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
1921 Tulsa Massacre

How Maya Got Fierce by Sona Charaipotra

How Maya Got Fierce by Sona Charaipotra

Ever since she was little, farmer’s daughter Maya Gera has known what her future holds. The heiress to a mini garlic empire in the heart of Gilroy, California, she’s meant to be a good Indian girl — which means agriculture school, an MBA, and settling down with a suitable Sikh boy. The heiress to a mini garlic empire in the heart of Gilroy, California, she’s meant to be a good Indian girl — which means agriculture school, an MBA, and settling down with a suitable Sikh boy…Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Mass shooting recounted

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette’s desire to escape the shadow of her ballet-star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Lesbomisia
Adult-minor relationship, implied
Substance addiction
Eating disorder (bulimia)
Disordered eating
Emesis
Bullying
Animal death

Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton

Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

June, Bette, and Gigi have given their all to dance at Manhattan’s most elite ballet school. Now they are competing one final time for a spot at the prestigious American Ballet Company. With the stakes higher than ever, these girls have everything to lose… and no one is playing nice. June is starting to finally see herself as a prima ballerina. However, getting what she wants might cost her everything—including the only boy she’s ever loved. Legacy dancer Bette is determined to clear her name after she was suspended and accused of hurting her rival…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Eating disorder
Bullying