Let’s Chat: Conversation-Starting Book Covers
I wince every time I see the book I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, which is often, considering it’s in my Libro.fm library. It’s pretty safe to assume the title and cover are meant to elicit a strong, immediate reaction. Which: A+ job. It’s not meant to be a joke, as the book centers McCurdy’s life as a child star, a dream of her mother’s, and the abuse she suffered. It’s a memoir about growing up with an abusive parent, and healing, the boundaries we deserve between our abusers, and a lot of topics we don’t speak openly enough about. But before you even read the book, the title starts conversations.
So as this title was swirling around in my head I’d started thinking about book titles and covers that not only immediately draw a person in but also start a conversation. The books that left out on your coffee table, read in public, and/or sitting on your desk at work would have someone ask a question. Or tell a story. Or elicit a memory that led them to open up in some way. This is obviously subjective, as everyone brings their own lived history into situations, but these are some covers that made me think of the conversations they could, have, or should start. There’s poetry collections, horror, nonfiction, and even a picture book. So many conversations to be had.
Alive At The End Of The World by Saeed Jones
I mean, an apocalyptic title in itself seems like a conversation starter in a world that has become increasingly more hostile toward people of color and marginalized people since 2016, which then had a nice pandemic covering layered on top. But that’s not all! I have questions! There is a person in a space helmet? And an orange-is-the-new-black outfit? Pushing a flight-of-the-navigator-shiny-level car? I want to talk about the world this very scene is in and where we fit in it — or don’t.
100 Animals That Can F*cking End You by Mamadou Ndiaye
This is a grab a bucket of popcorn and lean in kind of title. Certainly there are people who read this title and immediately raise their hand with a story of a time an animal fucked them up — obviously it didn’t END them since they’re telling the story, but you get it. Also, the cover has the obvious alligator (or crocodile, I don’t know) and scorpion, but there is a beak on there, so some sort of bird. Have you ever been chased by an angry peacock who is fighting the hubcap of your car? Because I have, and I know not to mess with them. And I’ve seen people run away from territorial geese like they’re in the Olympics. What animals do you know not to mess with?
Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency by Chen Chen
This is THE most anxiety inducing title ever. Seriously. Like is there a protocol for this? What if both you AND your emergency contact are in an emergency at the same time and neither can answer the call? Does anyone even volunteer to be an emergency contact? What if someone put you down as an emergency contact without you even knowing?! I do not like this conversation.
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
Let’s go literal here and ask: how much does blood weigh? Okay, I just went to the Google — my search history is such a mess, please ignore me NSA — and the first hit was how much the weight of blood in a human body is. To think we once lived in a world where you would have to go to the library or know a scientist to maybe get an answer. Anyhoo, who was the first person to weigh blood and more importantly why? Is there a blood fetish?
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett
Do not judge me: I am equally hungry and curious. Is this like an apocalypse forecast, or do you just put on a helmet and bib and grab a fork and knife on the way out the door? Do vegans have to stay home? Are there vegan meatballs? — the internet says yes, and claims many are THE BEST. Should everyone switch to wearing red and brown colored clothes? Seems like white clothes would immediately go out of fashion — no more arguing over whether white after Labor Day matters.
I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee, translated by Anton Hur
My brain had two thoughts at the same time (yes, this is possible): Is this nonfiction or fiction?; I need to find a picture of Tteokbokki. Answers: “therapy memoir;” Korean rice cakes. One part of my brain wants to have a whole conversation on the history of this dish, where it’s most popular (I know it’s in Korea, but is it street food? Is it eaten in certain areas?), and how many variations are there. And the other part wants to talk about mental illness and mental health and how desperately as a society we need to get to a place where it can be discussed with the level of non-judgement as a cold.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
I knew immediately what this title meant, being Latina, but wondered how many people didn’t. It also made me think about a few families I knew whose parents always took separate flights when going to the same destination, even on family vacations. There are things that, at least in my life, I’ve only ever encountered amongst Latin Americans. If you’re on a plane with mostly Latin Americans, the second the wheels touch down on the ground, there is a sudden, collective burst of clapping that fills the cabin. I’m not sure why it always makes me emotional — in a good way.
Now if you want to laugh while discussing book covers, maybe you’d like to take a gander at The Worst Covers of Classic Books.
