Essays

These essays speak specifically to representation in various forms of media and entertainment (though I have a special love for literature and comic books). They blend fun with the history of exclusion, how the past impacts the present, and how to enjoy imperfect characters that were written imperfectly. If you have an essay topic request or would like to submit an essay you've written, please reach out to me at contact.undergroundbookshelf@gmail.com.


Book Review: Heliotrope

Thank you to Korra II for allowing me to repost this book review. This review was originally published on February 10, 2023, on Baskerville Books. You can find the original review here.

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Book Review: Love Expanded by Wren Burke

Thank you to Alex Chan for allowing me to repost this book review of Love Expanded by Wren Burke. You can find this article in its original form (and so much more) on Alex Chan's website. It was originally posted on April 28, 2026.

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How I read non-fiction books by Alex Chan

Thank you to Alex Chan for allowing me to repost this article which discusses her non-fiction reading method. You can find this article in its original form on the author's website. It was originally posted on November 16, 2020.

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Storm Takes the Lead & Professor X Works Out

I know, I know, the comic series, Storm, is aptly named because it centers Ororo Munroe, a.k.a. Storm. So, I should really be talking about how great Storm is in this series. But there's an (almost) throwaway panel that stood out to me as a person with a disability, and I've got to talk about it as well.

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Finding books in nearby library branches by Alex Chan

Thank you to Alex Chan for allowing me to repost this article which discusses a tool Chan built to help her find the nearest library carrying the book she'd next like to read. You can find this article in its original form on the author's website. It was originally posted on October 10, 2022.

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Ten Braille Facts by Alex Chan

Thank you to Alex Chan for allowing me to repost this article which introduces braille to readers who may be unfamiliar with this form of text. You can find this article in its original form on the author's website. It was originally posted on July 1, 2019.

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"Spy for Spy" by Alex Chan

This essay was originally posted on July 8, 2023 at Spy for Spy – alexwlchan. Visit Alex Chan's website for more discussions like this essay which breaks down the aforementioned play.

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The Selfish Case for Public Libraries by Alex Chan

Thank you to Alex Chan for sharing their article: "The Selfish Case for Public Libraries," with the Underground Bookshelf community. In this essay, Alex discusses all the personal reasons she has for visiting a library. The essay was originally posted to their website here.

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Large Eyes, Pointy Chins, Pointy Noses: How Manga Became Manga by Eike Exner

Thank you so much to Eike Exner for sharing this discussion on the history and cultural influences of Manga as well as the development of the artistic style and its growth in popularity over the years. This article was originally printed in the Art and Architecture section of Yale University Press on April 11, 2025. Exner expounds on the subject matter in his book, Manga: A New History of Japanese Comics. You can find the original version of the article here.

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