Book dedications might not always pop out to the reader, but they’re one of the most important, and often very interesting, parts of the book. After all, the author is dedicating a whole entire book, a project that took them a ton of time and effort to craft, to a person or people that mean a lot to them.
I love seeing who authors think to dedicate their books to because it feels like such a special part of the process. Of course, they usually expand to thank everyone that had a part in the book during the acknowledgements. But who’s that one person or group of people they’ve dedicated it to? Sometimes it’s a funny dedication. Sometimes they tug at the heartstrings before you even get into the story. That’s why I love this part of a book! Now here are some of my favorite book dedications I’ve seen.
For all the best doggos who drag their leashes over to my part of the sidewalk, because I give the best pats. Good doggos.
Is it bad to start with the one I think is my absolute favorite? Because oh my gosh, I love Rin Chupeco, and I love this dedication. It’s super relatable and definitely made me chuckle to myself before starting the book. (Side note: It’s a cliche to say, but we really don’t deserve dogs.) The dedication is made even better by the fact that the opening line of the book is, “It was clearly his fault I’d punched him in the face.” Talk about sudden change in tone! But I think it’s perfect.
TO MY MOTHER, BELZIE.
I WOULD HAVE MADE A TERRIBLE DOCTOR, MOM. PEOPLE WOULD HAVE DIED.
Thank you to my friend Jess Cozzi for pointing this one out to me because I must not have been paying attention yet when I listened to this via audiobook, but man, this one is great. Why is it all in caps? Why are you shouting at your mother? Either way, I love it and I’m laughing. It sets the readers up well for the type of humor they’ll get from the protagonist, Norris Caplan, throughout the book. Also, who among us hasn’t had a similar conversation with family members when talking about going to college or becoming a writer?
To everyone who's ever felt like a disaster.
Here, have a spaceship!
Now fly.
Moving away from some of the humorous ones, I wanted to have M.K. England’s dedication in this list. It’s no secret that The Disasters is one of my favorite books, and I love this dedication, too. Haven’t we all felt like a disaster at some point? This book is one of my go-to recommendations because I really believe it’s great for anyone who reads Young Adult and/or science-fiction, and this dedication shows a bit of the heart that makes this book great for a wide audience.
For trans and nonbinary youth:
You're beautiful. You're important. You're valid. You're perfect.
Three months after finishing it, Felix Ever After is still my favorite read of 2020 (and I have a feeling it’s going to sty there.) This book is so relatable and entertaining and important in so many ways. I have a review explaining why I loved the book that you can check out, but right now I’m here to say that I love this dedication. These affirmations before this amazing, affirming book? You love to see it.
To the lovers and the fighters,
and every hero who dares to be both.
Maybe it has more to do with my emotions toward Carmen and Dani going into the second and final book of their series, but this one really got me when I opened it up. I mean, they’re lovers fighting for each other and everything else they love, and they’re easy to root for, and I love them. I almost didn’t include this one because I couldn’t quite think of how to explain why I like it, but I think it kind of comes down to the poetry of it and how it relates to the story. Lovers and fighters can exist in the same person, and this is a good reminder of that.
This book is dedicated to my haters.
You're not that cute, you hair is uneven, and you look dusty.
Thank you for being my motivators.
I got such a kick out of this dedication when I first started reading the book that I posted it on Bookstagram. The sass. The nerve. It’s so on brand for him. He’s a sweetheart and was great when I met him at BookCon last summer for his meet & greet with this book, but this is also his exact type of humor which he displays throughout his memoir. Gotta love it.
FOR MOM AND DAD
(I GUESS YOU CAN FINALLY READ THIS ONE)
Once again, an incredibly relatable dedication! I mean, I haven’t published a book (yet!), but most writers will tell you the most dreaded question is, “Oh, you’re a writer? Can I read your work?” Especially when it comes from family. This honestly sounds like something I’d write as my own dedication.
2 Responses
Beautiful on the outside by Adam rippon would be a great read
I love disaster so I can recommend families and friends “The Disasters by M.K. England” because MK is famous