I Rise

By Marie Arnold,

Book cover of I Rise

Book description

"A love letter to Harlem and hope. I Rise is smart and funny and full of heart.*"

Fourteen-year-old Ayo who has to decide whether to take on her mother's activist role when her mom is shot by police. As she tries to find answers, Ayo looks to the wisdom of…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked I Rise as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I loved Ayo, this book’s fourteen-year-old main character. She’s burnt out on activism, having been raised by a famous activist mom fighting for Black rights in America. All Ayo wants is to take a break and live a normal teen life. This makes so much sense to me—why do people who are at a disadvantage have to spend their time fighting for basic rights—what if they just want to spend their time making art or writing books like selfish white dudes are free to do?

But when something terrible happens at a big march, Ayo skipped, all the education and…

If you love I Rise...

Ad

Book cover of Touching the Surface

Touching the Surface By Kimberly Sabatini,

When Elliot finds herself dead for the third time, she can't remember her past, is getting the cold shoulder from her best friend, and has no idea why she keeps repeating the same mistakes across her previous lives. Elliot just wants to move on, but first, she'll be forced to…

Want books like I Rise?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like I Rise.

Browse books like I Rise

Book cover of Watch Us Rise
Book cover of Dig Too Deep
Book cover of This Time Will Be Different

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,588

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in African Americans, racism, and Harlem?

African Americans 813 books
Racism 210 books
Harlem 38 books