667 ratings | 378 reviews | avg rating:3.94

Sarah Jamila Stevenson’s Followers (70)

More followers…

Sarah’s Bookshelves

read (776)
currently-reading (2)
to-read (34)
set-aside-still-on-radar (12)
adventure (154)
alternate-history (15)
art (6)
aussie (11)
biography (3)
booksonwriting (10)
see all bookshelves »

Sarah’s Friends (322)

Natasha Maw

2,474 books | 233 friends

Becky

6,072 books | 521 friends

Angie

636 books | 631 friends

Sarah Sammis

12,046 books | 467 friends

Domenico Composto-Hart

339 books | 2,314 friends

Shannon

1,591 books | 33 friends

Mary Lee

2,673 books | 114 friends

Jennifer

1,654 books | 98 friends

More friends…

Sarah Jamila Stevenson

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

http://www.sarahjamilastevenson.com/

Twitter

aquafortis

Genre

Young Adult

Member Since

April 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/aquafortis

edit data

Sarah Jamila Stevenson is a writer, artist, graphic designer, introvert, closet geek, enthusiastic eater, struggling blogger, lapsed piano player, household-chore-ignorer and occasional world traveler. Her previous lives include spelling bee nerd, suburban Southern California teenager, Berkeley art student, underappreciated temp, and humor columnist for a video game website. Throughout said lives, she has acquired numerous skills of questionable usefulness, like intaglio printmaking and Welsh language. She lives in Northern California with her husband, who is also an artist, and two cats with astounding sleep-inducing powers.

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Sarah Jamila Stevenson questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

What books are on your summer reading list this year?

Sarah Jamila Stevenson THICK AS THIEVES by Megan Whalen Turner, AS BRAVE AS YOU by Jason Reynolds, THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY edited by Peter S. Beagle, THE LIE TREE by…moreTHICK AS THIEVES by Megan Whalen Turner, AS BRAVE AS YOU by Jason Reynolds, THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY edited by Peter S. Beagle, THE LIE TREE by Frances Hardinge, DREAMER'S POOL by Juliet Marillier, JOURNEY ACROSS THE HIDDEN ISLANDS by Sarah Beth Durst, ASCENSION by Hannah Rials(less)

flag

1 like · like
Comment

What was your inspiration for The Latte Rebellion? Did you have any similar experiences? What do you want readers to take away from reading it?

Sarah Jamila Stevenson The Latte Rebellion started with just a title and a character! The phrase "latte rebellion" was rattling around in my head and I began to speculate on…moreThe Latte Rebellion started with just a title and a character! The phrase "latte rebellion" was rattling around in my head and I began to speculate on what that might be, and at the same time the character of Asha was taking shape, too. Asha is a bit like me; all three main characters have bits and pieces of me, but Asha is "the most me." She's a lot more socially aware and activist, though, than I was as a teenager!

I was also interested in the way food metaphors are often overused to describe skin tone in books—the word "latte" as a metaphor for mixed race made me smile, and the idea started to take off from there. As far as similar experiences go, when I was in high school in Southern California there was a violent incident just off campus that was gang-related, and the fighting spread onto school grounds throughout the morning. Police in riot gear showed up and things calmed down, but then the newspaper reported it as "exploding racial tensions." (This was less than a year after the LA riots.) So that incident was still in the back of my mind when I was thinking about how it feels to witness campus violence and how schools respond to incidents like that. A few images from my memories of that found their way into the book.

And, of course, like many people of ambiguous ethnicity, I was often asked "what are you?" as a kid, and had some surreal conversations as a result. One of the big takeaways I hope readers will get from the story is that there are a lot of people out there of mixed race and culture and they aren't alone in their experiences. It's something that's all around us, people with different mixtures of backgrounds and different, fascinating stories, but because we still often think about race or culture as all-or-nothing, "mixed" people sometimes get overlooked. I was interested in writing a story that dealt with race but also looked at the situation with some humor, something that will make people laugh with recognition. (less)

flag

1 like · like
Comment

See 2 answers from Sarah Jamila Stevenson…

Combine Editions
Sarah Jamila Stevenson’s books

Average rating: 3.28 · 820 ratings · 191 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Latte Rebellion 3.24 avg rating — 597 ratings — published 2011 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Underneath 3.44 avg rating — 165 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Truth Against the World 3.22 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Keeping Track: Fiction of Lists by Yelizaveta P. Renfro (editor), Steve Edwards , Kathie Giorgio (Goodreads Author) 3.29 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

609 posts
Sarah Jamila Stevenson's Blog: Finding Wonderland

Monday Review: NEVERWORLD WAKE by Marisha Pessl

Synopsis : It's Groundhog Day. Well, sort of. It's a lot less funny and a lot more scary, even when your four ex-best-friends are in it with you.

It's been a year since graduation; a year since Beatrice's boyfriend Jim died under mysterious circumstances deemed a suicide, with his body found in a quarry near their exclusive Darrow-Harker School. It's been almost that long since Beatrice has se... Read more of this blog post »

View more on Sarah Jamila Stevenson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on June 25, 2018 12:24 • 1 view

View all 609 posts »

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Sarah is Currently Reading

Sarah is currently reading

Fascism: A Warning

by Madeleine K. Albright

bookshelves: currently-reading, nonfiction

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jul 02, 2018 09:45AM

Sarah is currently reading

The Kite and the String: How to Write with Spontaneity and Control--and Live to Tell the Tale

by Alice Mattison (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 09, 2018 10:55AM

rss
Sarah’s Recent Updates

Sarah made a comment on her review of Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom " Oh, interesting! I'll have to check it out. I enjoyed this one but it was a little dry from time to time. "
Jul 06, 2018 12:46PM · see review
Sarah rated a book liked it Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 05, 2018 10:46PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarah rated a book liked it Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk: And Other Truths About Being Creative by Danielle Krysa	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 05, 2018 10:46PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk by Danielle Krysa. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk by Danielle Krysa <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarah has read Sadie by Courtney Summers (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 05, 2018 10:43PM · like
Sarah is now following Phi Beta Kappa Authors's reviews
Jul 05, 2018 03:06PM · like
Sarah is currently reading Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine K. Albright	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 02, 2018 09:45AM · like
Sarah finished reading Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk: And Other Truths About Being Creative by Danielle Krysa	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 01, 2018 11:26AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk by Danielle Krysa. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk by Danielle Krysa <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarah is currently reading Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk: And Other Truths About Being Creative by Danielle Krysa	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 28, 2018 09:56AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk by Danielle Krysa. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk by Danielle Krysa <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarah finished reading Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 12, 2018 03:02PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarah is now following Samira Ahmed Author of Love, Hate & Other Filters
Jun 01, 2018 05:28PM · like