Racism – Page 4 – Trigger Warning Database

Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Harper’s life just exploded. Her parents are getting a divorce. And she suspects her best friend, Cat, may have known the reason for it long before she did. Now Harper and her mom are starting over in a cramped house, in a new town, where everything feels unfamiliar, including the riding barn next door. There, Harper watches the kids she avoids at her new school take lessons. Harper’s never been around horses before. And no, she does not want to learn to ride. Then with no warning, a truck dumps a starved and neglected horse right in Harper’s yard. She has no idea… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism
Parental divorce discussed (theme)
Bullying
Animal death (chickens)

Kiss and Tell by Adib Khorram

Hunter never expected to be a boy band star, but, well, here he is. He and his band Kiss & Tell are on their first major tour of North America, playing arenas all over the United States and Canada (and getting covered by the gossipy press all over North America as well). Hunter is the only gay member of the band, and he just had a very painful breakup with his first boyfriend–leaked sexts, public heartbreak, and all–and now everyone expects him to play the perfect queer role model for teens. But Hunter isn’t really sure what being the perfect queer kid even means. Does it… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism with mentions of colourism, homophobia & slut-shaming
Sexual assault (groping) & sexual harassment, including statutory sexual assault and attempted statutory rape of an inebriated minor (protagonist)
Image-based sexual abuse (protagonist’s ex-partner leaks sexts online, mentions of unsolicited nude photos from fans)
Panic attack
Dieting mentioned
Alcohol consumption & mentions of alcohol abuse by ex-partner
Graphic sports injury
Death of a father in a car accident mentioned
Bullying recounted & online harassment including taunts of suicide

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism & cultural appropriation discussed
Lesbophobia
Forced public outing & coming out themes
Bullying

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Everyone likes Humaira “Hani” Khan—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita “Ishu” Dey. Ishu is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism & Islamophobia
Lesbophobia, biphobia & coming out themes
Disownment
Toxic friendships (theme)
Alcohol consumption discussed
Bullying
False allegations of cheating on a school test

Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros

Isaac and Marco already know sixth grade is going to change their lives. But it won’t change things at home—not without each other’s help. This year, star basketball player Isaac plans on finally keeping up with his schoolwork. Better grades will surely stop Isaac’s parents from arguing all the time. Meanwhile, straight-A Marco vows on finally winning his father’s approval by earning a spot on the school’s basketball team. But will their friendship and support for each other be enough to keep the two boys from falling short?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Sexism
Parental abandonment & neglect discussed
Parental separation discussed
Parent with alcohol abuse issues, including mentions hospitalisation after a drunk driving accident

Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cisneros

Quetzalcóatl Castillo—Queso for short—has had an ache in his heart that won’t go away ever since his father’s death. More than anything, he wishes he could spend time with his dad again. After whispering that wish one night under the light of the moon, Queso wakes up the next morning in 1985. With 12-year-old Pancho—the kid who will grow up to be his dad. Even though he has no idea what to do, Queso is just happy to be by his dad’s side again. But while Pancho is confident when scoring on the foosball table or standing up to bullies, he doesn’t think he’s smart enough to reach for his dreams. If only Pancho believed in himself the… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism
Homophobia & transphobia
Grief & loss depiction
Murder of a father (shot during a home invasion)
Bullying

One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram

Freshmen Dayton and Farshid couldn’t be more different—or so it seems. When Dayton takes a dare and shouts the f-slur at a visiting author during a school event, it sets off a chain reaction that forces both boys to face parts of themselves they’d rather ignore. Dayton, grappling with the fallout of his actions, faces rejection from his friends, disappointment from his parents, and a growing awareness of the harm he’s caused. Meanwhile, Farshid is left to untangle his own feelings—about himself and about the… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism
Homophobia & slurs (theme)
Disordered eating & body dysmorphia

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Shenice Lockwood has her eyes set on the Fastpitch World Series. As team captain, she’d like nothing more than to help her girls take home the trophy and the $10,000 prize money. And as one of the few brown faces on the field, it’d be a personal triumph to show-up her rich, white opponents. But Shenice’s focus gets shaken when her Uncle Jack reveals that a family crime may have been a set-up all along. Shenice will stop at nothing to uncover the past. The closer she gets to the truth, though, the further she gets from her goals for the future.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism
Dementia
Physical injury
Hospitalisation
Death of a parent from a terminal illness

Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson

The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having traveled light-years to bring one thousand sleeping souls to a new home among the stars. But when first mate Michelle Campion rouses, she discovers some of the sleepers will never wake. Answering Campion’s distress call, investigator Rasheed Fin is tasked with finding out who is responsible for these deaths. Soon a sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel, one that will have repercussions for the entire system—from the scheming politicians of Lagos station, to the colony planet Bloodroot, to other far-flung systems, and indeed to Earth itself.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism & racial slurs
Cannibalism
Dismemberment
Body horror
Murder
Colonialism

The Fall of Koli by M.R. Carey

Koli has come a long way since being exiled from his small village of Mythen Rood. In his search for the fabled tech of the old times, he knew he’d be battling strange, terrible beasts and trees that move as fast as whips. But he has already encountered so much more than he bargained for. Now that Koli and his companions have found the source of the signal they’ve been following – the mysterious “Sword of Albion” – there is hope that their perilous journey will finally be worth something. Until they unearth terri… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism & transphobia
Domestic violence
Child abuse