Strange Clouds by @chetinsley

There is nothing better to follow up illegal wormholes than teenage superheroes with attitude, wit and a desire to die in a pool of chocolate milk. Strange Clouds follows two cousins, Keenan and Raysean, and the interracial Lotus on their adventure of kidnapping, telepathic screaming and bringing peace and enlightenment onto the world.

Before we begin, let us take the time to appreciate Che's wonderful ability to describe skin colour, the many shades, into ways that sounds amazingly beautiful. Also, Lotus, she made even my cold heart pick up a beat. We understand you, Raysean.

Aside from just being about superpowers, Strange Clouds deals with several issues of discrimination, especially against black Americans. A scene in the book that really stepped up to the plate first was a conversation between Lotus and Raysean where the latter asked about Lotus' heritage. She tells him she is Tibetan and black. Here are three lines that deliver a powerful message:

"You're black then, anything mixed with black is black."

"Is that so?"

"That's what white people think..."

Strange Clouds does not just teach a lesson in interracial discrimination, but also in the prejudice many black men face from the police and officials. When an incident lands both cousins in the company of police officers, we see many and several jabs at the discrimination issued against black men. With the current state of the world, with the issues in America, these scenes feel very relevant and very raw. They paint stories we could do well to listen to.

Che does a good job at hinting at political issues, blending the diversity and the difficulty with the plot line, the fiction with the fact. If you enjoy your protagonists of colour with wit and liberal reclaiming of the n-word, then Strange Clouds is your book.

Read it by following the external link!