I don’t even know where to begin. Literally. I’ve started this post 6 times.
I feel kind of ridiculous not addressing all that’s going on in this country and around the world but I also feel like it needs its own post rather than burying it in one about books. There’s just too much to say and process and I’m trying to listen rather than talk right now. But let me say this.
Black lives matter. And if that bothers you or you don’t agree, you’re entitled to your opinion. I just don’t have to agree with it. I’m not going to debate you or argue with you because as far as I’m concerned, there is nothing to debate or discuss.
Okay, now that we know where I stand, let’s talk a little bit about books. I read 10 of them since we last met and when I started revisiting them on my Goodreads list, I realized that only one -ONE- was written by a black author. And of the 39 books I’ve finished this year, just four have been written by black authors. That’s roughly 10% and honestly, it’s low. Too low.
And while it’s hard to know exactly what to do right now, there are two actionable steps I can take to remedy that:
- Read, discuss, and promote more books written by black authors and other authors of color
- Buy from black-owned bookstores
Easy enough, and steps I’ve taken this week. I’m aiming for more diverse reads next month.
That said, I’m not fully recapping all the books I read because I want to draw attention to some books by black authors instead but here’s what I read and whether or not I think you should read them:
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. So good, wanted to punch one character in the face, very relevant, definitely read.
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum. Cute, YA but a little more depth than you usually find, would recommend.
The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would, made some good points, cute story, do recommend.
More Better Deals by Joe R. Lansdale. Netgalley book, it was fine, made some good points about race but a mostly predictable mystery, maybe recommend.
Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Netgalley book, emotional even for someone dead inside like me, hated the mom character, definitely recommend.
The Mall by Megan McCafferty. Netgalley book, A+ for nostalgia, C- for everything else, VERY YA, don’t recommend so much.
A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson. Perhaps better in its original language, the dad is a quality asshole, kept reading to find out what happened with the daughter, don’t recommend that much.
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult. Netgalley book. Read more like a crash course in Egyptology, the ending made me angry, not her best work, recommend with caution.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. Weird, intriguing, felt like I read it 15 years ago and can’t describe it more than that but do recommend.
The Holdout by Graham Moore. Not sure how I only read this a month ago, fast read, interestingly written, creative plot, do recommend.
TL; DR: Add The Sun Down Motel, The Holdout, Such a Fun Age, and Brave Girl, Quiet Girl to your TBR. The others are take them or leave them, depending on your taste.
Currently reading as of this writing but it may change by morning: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.
There’s no smooth way to transition from that so I’m giving up and going in.
Part of understanding why BLM is so important is reading books that explain it from a systemic perspective but also ones that explain it from a personal one. If you’ve lived in a predominantly white area your entire life, it might be difficult to comprehend. The whitewashing of our history doesn’t help either but that’s another post.
Books, fiction and nonfiction, expose us to people, places, experiences, and information that we might not otherwise have. They make us more empathetic, sympathetic, and helps us gain perspective. All of which are crucial and critical.
Some books that do just that include:
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
- The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
- Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
- The Mothers by Brit Bennett
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Bluebird Bluebird by Attica Locke
And that’s just a small list. There are so many books that confront race head-on. And when picking books, branch out. Get uncomfortable. Yes, The Help is great but maybe add The Color Purple to your list, too.
In order to keep all of our recommendations in one place, Steph and I have opened our own “bookstore”, cleverly titled SUYBookstore and in it, you’ll find fiction and nonfiction books not only dealing with racism and feminism head-on, but almost all of them are written by black authors.
We’ll be adding to the store as time goes on, and if you purchase from our little shop, all the proceeds will go towards charity.
The store is definitely a work in progress, but you can see what we’ve started adding to it here and if you have recommendations, let us know.
Okay. I think that’s it for this month. Mark down July 14 for the next one, and don’t forget to visit Steph and some of our reader crew. Now it’s your turn to link up and show us your books!
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[…] you, let me tell you what I read that wasn’t for Believathon. I’m linking this up with Jana and Steph for Show Us Your […]
such a fun age is on my list – i’ve heard really good things. the bright side of going dark is also on my list, i had some slight issues with the amy byler book so i think i’ll think this one more. lol @ your review of nearly normal family. such an odd book. aw man, that sucks about the new picoult book, i’d sworn off her after her last one but the synopsis for this one sounded so good. blah. now i don’t want to read it lol.
thank you for your list – i’ve read a few and others are on my list, but there’s a couple i’d not heard of. i loved the help when it came out, and i re-read it recently and really enjoyed it, but it’s definitely not a book i’d think of when it comes to black lives matter, which is a problem for sure, since i think i saw that people are watching it on netflix a lot right now… kind of missing the point a bit.
that bookstore is awesome! i don’t have any suggestions, unless you can add books that aren’t out yet. one i read this month was ‘when no-one is watching’ by alyssa cole. i thought it was fantastic. fiction, thriller, don’t know if you or steph would like it since that is definitely more your genre than mine, plus i love her romance books so i think i was determined to like it… anyway. it doesn’t come out till september, but that’s my only suggestion right now.
kristen recently posted…Books Lately
That bookstore sounds amazing and thank you for the book recommendations which I’m adding to my list.
I keep seeing reviews for “Such a fun age” – I must check it out.
Great that you two have opened a “bookstore”!
Thanks for the list. I was thrilled when my hold on the audiobook version of Becoming came in last week, and I’ve been listening to it non-stop ever since.
Jill K recently posted…June Show Us Your Books
I read one book by a Korean-American author, one by a British-Pakistani author and one by a black British author. Out of a total of 21. Definitely not good enough!
I loved Born a Crime. Some of the others you mentioned are already on my list.
Confuzzled Bev recently posted…What I read in May 2020: Part 1
I really need to read Such a Fun Age, I know I would like it. I’m not a big mystery reader, although I do enjoy them sometimes, but Bluebird Bluebird is another one I need to read. An American Marriage and The Hate U Give are still a couple of my favorite books, and ones I still think about years after I’ve read them.
Shea recently posted…reading round-up {june}
American Marriage and Hate U Give were definitely on my top list for the year that I read them. I have The Mothers in my possession, just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Love the idea of the bookstore and I will be sure to check it out. I saw Picoult’s new book in an email from Netgalley and forget to request it. Guess I am not really sad that I didn’t.
Nadine recently posted…Books
such a fun age was in interesting read, adding the bright side of going dark to my TBR.
xo
Pinksole
You’re the first one I’ve seen who read the new Jodi Picoult! How did you manage that? I read The Bright Side of Going Dark and Such a Fun Age this month too.
Dara recently posted…Fun Facts About Me
Yeah, I didn’t know what to say either at this point…but you did much better than me. Will forever recommend Noah’s book, because it is beautiful and hilarious and meaningful. And several others on your lists. One thing I’ve been working on when thinking of how to be an ally is developing SMART goals (Specific-Measurable-Achievable-Relevant-Time bound)- ensuring I actually read and purchase more from Black authors was number one on my list, not just putting them on the TBR and saying “Oh I’ll get there sometime.” And not to take away from the SUYBookstore, which is super cool btw, but I was also directed to a list of Black-owned independent bookstores: https://lithub.com/you-can-order-today-from-these-black-owned-independent-bookstores/?fbclid=IwAR3jjz9aUtNEGqP47ZsRrAsnA80mpz82ifse5Y3EohhlPRTOU1RglamKDaY
I loved The Holdout, too. I also discovered that I had read only a few Black authors this year and the number is far too low. Committed to changing that.
Lindsay Latimer recently posted…What I Read in May/June
Interesting. Since most of my books are for review, I don’t really know much about the authors – I just read what they pitch if the book sounds good. I have sought out a few recommended books lately to help me be a better ally. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your month!
Becki recently posted…Show Us Your Books – June 2020
Such a Fun Age, The Sun Down Motel, and The Holdout are all on my list. Homegoing and Born a Crime are two of my favorite books ever, but I need to prioritize Black authors. I just ordered Between the World and Me and White Fragility. I hope to read them soon because I have a lot of work to do, a lot of work that I want to do.
Carolann Chambers recently posted…Recent Reads
I do want to read Such a Fun Age, and I have The Holdout, so I’m glad you liked both of those. Thanks for your list too – I really want to read Becoming (though my mom has it), The Hate U Give (which I own), An American Marriage (which I own), and Born a Crime. I HAVE read and enjoyed Bad Feminist and The Other Wes Moore. I love the idea of your bookshop!
-lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Show Us Your Books: Reviews, Giveaways, Challenges, Oh My!
I agree, there is little point in debating since the issue shouldnt even be up for debate.
I really want to read such a fun age so Im glad you endorese it.
Kay R.D. recently posted…Reading Lately
Added so many of these books to my TBR. Such a Fun Age has been on my radar for a while now. Thanks for all the helpful BLM recommendations, and awesome work on the new bookstore.
Karly
https://www.whatkarlysaid.com
Karly recently posted…What I Read in May 2020 + Reviews
Thank you for this! I have made it a specific goal this month to read predominately Black authors, but to also be more intentional about my reading going forward. I have set specific percentages for books by Black authors and authors of color that I will try to reach this year. I will re-evaluate going forward. It’s a very small step, but a good starting place for me as far as reading goes. Thanks for sharing these titles!!
XO,
Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
Alexandra Consolver recently posted…May Reads 2020 // Quarantine Reading… ii
Love the idea of the bookstore – such a great resource. Loved The Holdout, and am sad to hear that about the Picoult.
Absolutely on point as usual – it’s not even up for debate. Right now I’m in a small, white community and I’m just banging my head on the door. But in seeking the rays of hope – there are also more people than I expected see the wrong too, so I take that as a small blessing. The Help was good, but there is a whole heck of a lot of white savior going on too. Love that you guys opened a bookstore! I will most definitely check it out.
Glad you enjoyed The Sundown Hotel. Aunt Viv was a fantastic character and I wish she was real. 🙂 I haven’t been able to read much, hopefully I’ll be able to find the joy in it again because we all need a little joy right now.
Tanya @ A Mindful Migration recently posted…April Bookshelf: Reading is Good Month
I’ve been on the wait list for Such a Fun Age for months. I’m weird with books about kids going missing though (now that I have a kid) so I may not actually read it.
Tell Me Three Things wasn’t bad for YA. I went to NG to request The Mall today because I was thinking nostalgic YA might be better than current YA but they already denied me. Maybe I’ll seek it out some time…
Kristin recently posted…May Books 2020
I really liked Such a Fun Age. Brave Girl Quiet Girl was an okay read for me. I won the Bright Side of Going Dark from a goodreads giveaway and have it on my kindle to read. I didn’t realize Picoult had a new book out/coming out. Will have to read it.
Nancy @ NY Foodie Family recently posted…May Reads {2020}
So bummed to hear your review on the latest Picoult; I typically LOVE her books. I’m sure I’ll give it a go anyway but I will definitely proceed with caution. Thanks.
Joanne recently posted…My Favorite Pictures
Thanks again for conceiving and setting up SUYBookstore!
SMD recently posted…Show Us Your Books – June 2020
Great list. I think Ta-Nehisi Coates is such an insightful voice on how our societal system still is set up to oppress Black people – some of his articles/essays have been really eye-opening for me too, in addition to that book. And I think Homegoing is such a great fiction companion to that – what an illustration of how life turned out differently, generations down the line, for people sold into slavery vs. not. In other reads, I enjoyed The Holdout and Such a Fun Age quite a bit too. Wasn’t sure about picking up The Sundown Motel – I liked her previous book quite a bit, but for some reason got the idea this one would creep me out too much. Not sure why!
Anne recently posted…wearing lately: summer break
I just finished The Mall and completely agree with your review- yay nostalgia, but waaay too YA. I have An American Marriage on my bookshelf and looking forward to reading it this month. I love that you guys started an online book store, and that the money is going to charity! Just curious, did you guys choose a charity yet?
Dani recently posted…May Reads
Oh! I love the SUYBookstore! How awesome!
The Hate U Give was such an excellent read. I need to read more of the books on your list!
Audrey recently posted…Six Months of Madelyn
Thank you!! Love the bookstore. I would add Rethinking Incarceration and The Sun Does Shine to your list!
Jenniemarie recently posted…Welcome Home