We Sing from the Heart: How The Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
by Mia Wenjen; illus. by Victor Bizar Gómez
Intermediate, Middle School    Red Comet    48 pp.
10/24    9781636550879    $19.99

“We know you / fear change / it’s something / so strange.” Simon Tam, musician and activist, combatted racism against Asian Americans through his music. When he sought to trademark his all-Asian band’s name, “The Slants”—deliberately chosen to reclaim a slur—so that non-Asians couldn’t use the name and profit from it, the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office rejected the application, deeming the name racist. Simon launched a battle that led to the Supreme Court, organizing local Asian American leaders and receiving support from young fans. On the day of the verdict in June 2017, a thousand people stood outside the Supreme Court to hear the unanimous ruling in favor of The Slants. Wenjen layers various voices into the story: song lyric excerpts as provocative taglines, an engaging (if at times fractured) narrative of the band’s groundbreaking story, and explanatory blurbs that help young readers understand the historical context. Gómez’s illustrations evoke the energy and provocation of political posters, with a muted palette and exaggerated, even grotesquely drawn figures in dramatic poses. Back matter offers supplemental information, including introductions to others who have fought anti-Asian racism.

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.