Representation – Page 113 – Trigger Warning Database

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.

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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.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Toxic relationship
Suicide discussed

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl

When Elton Irving turned Holly Liddell into a vampire in 1987, he promised her eternal love. But thirty-four years later, Elton has left her, her hair will be crimped for the rest of immortality, and the only job she can get as a forever sixteen-year-old is the midnight shift at Taco Bell. Holly’s afterlife takes an interesting turn when she meets Rose McKay and Ida Ripley. Having also been turned and discarded by Elton—Rose in 1954, and Ida, his ex-fiancée, in 1921—they want to help her, and ask for her help in return… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Emotional abuse & gaslighting
Blood & gore depiction
Body horror
Death of a sibling
Death of a parent
Murder

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.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

Sexism
Workplace sexual harassment

Loud and Clear by Aidan Wayne

Loud and Clear by Aidan Wayne

Jaxon is getting by fine, severe dyslexia or not. Being a cab driver means he doesn’t need to read much, and the job has its perks. The pay isn’t bad, the people can be interesting, and having memorized the city streets keeps him from feeling too stupid. When he picks up Caleb, a quiet fare in a nice suit, Jaxon doesn’t think anything of it. Then he ends up driving Caleb home the next week too, and the next, and the next. Eventually, Caleb tries to communicate—by writing things down. Turns out that Caleb has such a bad stutter he spends most of his time mute… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Internalised ableism
Alcoholism
Speech impediment

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.

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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