The next Reader’s Advisory Roundtable meeting will be on Wednesday, October 13th at 9am IN THE O’NEAL LIBRARY COMMUNITY MEETING ROOM. There will be a Zoom option for those who don’t care to/don’t have time to travel to Mountain Brook, so no worries! The topic up for discussion is book club possibilities, fiction and nonfiction.
This week, the talented and resourceful Shannon H (Hoover Library) graciously agreed lead the meeting in my absence. Thanks, Shannon!
The topic was #ownvoices books. See the linked article near the end of the recap for information on the growing dissatisfaction with #ownvoices as a descriptor.
6 total attendance, plus 3 emailed lists
Shannon H, Hoover
Samantha H, Hoover
Riana M, Pinson
Maura D, Trussville
Jane, ?
1 anonymous
...and 3 emailed book lists from Lynn H, West End, Shawn C, Pinson, and Holley W, Mountain Brook
Shannon H, Hoover
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli (Hispanic)
“An epic road trip [that also] captures the unruly intimacies of marriage and parenthood ... This is a novel that daylights our common humanity, and challenges us to reconcile our differences.” —The Washington Post
Luster by Raven Leilani (African-American millennial)
Irresistibly unruly and strikingly beautiful, razor-sharp and slyly comic, sexually charged and utterly absorbing, Raven Leilani’s Luster is a portrait of a young woman trying to make sense of her life—her hunger, her anger—in a tumultuous era. It is also a haunting, aching description of how hard it is to believe in your own talent, and the unexpected influences that bring us into ourselves along the way.
Real Life by Brandon Taylor (African-American, Gay & from AL)
A novel of startling intimacy, violence, and mercy among friends in a Midwestern university town, from an electric new voice.
Samantha H, Hoover
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (First Nations)
From USA Today best-selling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a “masterpiece” (Locus Magazine) of a novel about revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition. Labeled “one of 2020’s buzziest horror novels” (Entertainment Weekly), this is a remarkable horror story that “will give you nightmares - the good kind of course” (BuzzFeed).
Moonshot: the indigenous comics collection. Volume 1 by Hope Nicholson (Graphic Novel, First Nations)
Brings together dozens of creators from North America to contribute comic book stories showcasing the rich heritage and identity of indigenous storytelling. From traditional stories to exciting new visions of the future, this collection presents some of the finest comic book and graphic novel work on the continent.
Riana M, Pinson
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice (Post-apocalyptic, First Nations)
With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow.
Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (Malaysian)
A startlingly original voice makes her literary debut with this wondrous coming-of-age story infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, adventure, and fascinating, dreamlike twists.
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha (Korean-American)
A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, after-hours room salons catering to wealthy men, ruthless social hierarchies, and K-pop mania.
Shawn, Pinson (asked Riana to present)
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson (YA, African-American)
"Grown exposes the underbelly of a tough conversation, providing a searing examination of misogynoir, rape culture, and the vulnerability of young black girls. Groundbreaking, heart-wrenching, and essential reading for all in the #MeToo era." (Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times best-selling author of The Belles)
Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker (YA, African-American)
A pitch-perfect novel about a black teenage girl searching for her identity when the world around her views her depression as a lack of faith and blackness as something to be politely ignored.
When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk (YA, African-American)
For fans of Nina LaCour's We Are Okay and Adam Silvera's History Is All You Left Me, this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting novel follows one 16-year-old girl's friend breakup through two concurrent timelines - ultimately proving that even endings can lead to new beginnings.
Maura D, Trussville
All the Real Indians Died Off :and 20 other myths about Native Americans by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (Nonfiction, First Nations)
In this enlightening book, scholars and activists Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker tackle a wide range of myths about Native American culture and history that have misinformed generations. Tracing how these ideas evolved, and drawing from history, the authors disrupt long-held and enduring myths.
On the Trapline by David Robertson and Julie Flett (Children's, Indigenous Cultures)
A picture book celebrating Indigenous culture and traditions. The Governor General Award--winning team behind When We Were Alone shares a story that honors our connections to our past and our grandfathers and fathers.
Maura notes that all of Julie Flett’s books are wonderful.
Lynn H, created a display of Own Voices materials at West End
March: Book One (of 4) by John Lewis et al
March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.
Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston Weatherford
Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was a poor African American looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson's National Book Award and Newbery Honor winner is a powerful memoir that tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.
Blended by Sharon Draper
Eleven-year-old Isabella’s blended family is more divided than ever in this “timely but genuine” (Publishers Weekly) story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper.
Shannon found this June 2021 article about the growing dissatisfaction with the #OWNVOICES label:
https://diversebooks.org/why-we-need-diverse-books-is-no-longer-using-the-term-ownvoices/
Holley W, Mountain Brook I regret missing the meeting, but these are the titles and authors I had cued up to share prior to not being able to be there:
Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh (adult graphic novel)
Fresh out of shipwreck wine, three tipsy mermaids decide to magically masquerade as humans and sneak onto land to indulge in much more drinking and a whole lot of fun in the heart of a local seaside tourist trap. But the good times abruptly end the next morning as, through the haze of killer hangovers, the trio realizes they never actually learned how to break the spell, and are now stuck on land for the foreseeable future.
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh (middle grade graphic novel)
Kat Leyh's Snapdragon is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town’s witch and discovers the strange magic within herself.
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
For readers of African diasporic authors such as Teju Cole and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Butter Honey Pig Bread is a story of choices and their consequences, of motherhood, of the malleable line between the spirit and the mind, of finding new homes and mending old ones, of voracious appetites, of queer love, of friendship, faith, and above all, family.
I’m throwing in another vote for Stephen Graham Jones, along with sci fi/fantasy authors Rebecca Roanhorse and Nnedi Okorafor.
