A Trilogy of Sidequels: Books that Intersect
I had breakfast today with my editor at Teachers College Press. He’s one very smart, knowledgeable and wise fellow. Truly. I am fortunate to have been engaged with him since 2016 and yes, as of today, we are working on a new book project together. A project just being birthed…I think I have one more book in me…
I was discussing this morning the idea that my three recent adult books (there are others) form a trilogy. I shared that Breakaway Learners, Trauma Doesn’t Stop at the School Door and Mending Education can stand as independent books but they, more powerfully, also stand side by side as sidequels. As such, they message profoundly. I wondered why folks weren’t seeing that there is now a trilogy that messages loudly. I wondered why the Press hadn’t taken up this trilogy idea.
Add in this: The latest book within the trilogy is proudly co-authored; perhaps for some, this diminishes the shared timbre among the three books.
The editor said this to me (and he’s honest to a fault): “Who would know that these books are connected? Where have you shared how these books message both separately and together and the augmented power when read together? Other than you, who would understand the deep interconnections between these three books?”
Ouch.
I paused and pondered. He’s right … nothing new there. I have repeated hundreds of times that these books form a trilogy but I have not explained the whys and hows. Most importantly, I have not shared the deep intersectionality of these books. I mistakenly assumed that three books on a related topic can and are seen as obviously and inevitably joined together and they are NOT sequels; they are sidequels.
I thought everyone would see that these three books are like the acrylic paint pictured above: different but intertwined.
And, to make matters muddier, who actually knows the meaning of sidequels? Few folks to be sure. And until relatively recently, I did not even know that “sidequel” was a real word and a descriptor of considerable and longstanding merit.
So, this is a promise made to my editor, my current and prospective readers and to myself: I will write and explain (not tonight) how these three books engage with each other. I will share the differences between and among series, sequels and sidequels. And, I will engage in a concerted effort to showcase the themes that connect these three books to each other and the power that comes from an anti-siloed perspective. I will overtly weave them together.
Think about it this way in the interim and in advance of greater explanations and conversation: these books form a family and are each a part of a shared family tree. Despite this truth, the family tree, so to speak, has not been divulged, let alone shared. Because it matters to me that readers see these books as forming a trilogy and perhaps because the first book within the trilogy is still my favorite (although that is like saying one prefers one child over another), I need to share these three books’ thematic links, messages and relationships.
Watch for that. In the meanwhile, ponder the three S’s: series, sequels and sidequels. Question: How many of each have you read?
That’s a trick question.
Until one knows what these terms mean and how they have played out across and through time, space and genres, the question must remain open — awaiting vastly better understandings.
So, answers will follow. I will message with clarity (I hope). It is not too late to share meanings that I have not previously shared except within the interstices of my own mind.
Onward. The best is yet to come as the old saw says.
