WANTED: Diverse Books!

Nov 24, 2014 12:32

I am looking to expand my classroom library and, specifically, to make my collection more diverse. Please send me suggestions for diverse books, including (but not limited to) books that positively portray LGBT, African-American/African/Caribbean descent, Asian, Hispanic, Muslim, Jewish, and female characters. Certainly, if you have any books like ( Read more... )

diverse books, reading, teaching

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Comments 13

ofenjen November 24 2014, 20:57:35 UTC
I'm a big fan of The Bermudez Triangle. It's a fantastic YA book. Anything by David Levithan... Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a good read, too. Hmm, so many good books!

Do you mind if I share your post on my LJ and see what my other flisters might come up with?

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dozmuffinxc November 24 2014, 21:05:04 UTC
Absolutely!! The titles I don't include in my DonorsChoose project will definitely be added to my own personal "wish list." I'm always on the lookout for new books, and regardless of how long I keep teaching, I plan on making sure my classroom library lives on.

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ofenjen November 24 2014, 21:05:54 UTC
I'm friends with quite a few library folks and I'm sure they'll have some good recs!

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kerravonsen November 24 2014, 21:37:42 UTC
"The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf" by Ambelyn Kwaymullina. First of a trilogy (though only books 1 and 2 are out so far). Absolutely fantastic novel; post-post-apocalyptic (set in the civilization that grew up after the collapse of our civilization), strong characterisation, good plotting, good themes. And the diversity is female protagonist who is a Person Of Colour (Australian Aboriginal). The author herself is Aboriginal, and was a Guest of Honour at this year's Continuum convention, and she really made me think about the ills of cultural appropriation. Really very powerful and thoughtful speaker.

So go out and get this book NOW! (And then obviously get the sequels)
8-)

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dozmuffinxc November 25 2014, 01:00:25 UTC
Sounds incredible!! *jots down title*

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Female Protagonists kerravonsen November 24 2014, 22:18:57 UTC
Here's a few more suggestions, good ones with female protagonists.

"Knife" by R. J. Anderson

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Re: Female Protagonists dozmuffinxc November 25 2014, 01:00:55 UTC
*squeals* Sooooo many recs! And seriously, an asexual protagonist??? (Make note: buy that series for self) Thank you!!!

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Re: Female Protagonists kerravonsen November 25 2014, 02:10:01 UTC
And seriously, an asexual protagonist?
Yep. The protagonist in book 2 is one of the supporting characters from book 1.

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wendy November 24 2014, 22:42:45 UTC
What age?

If teen or older, then anything (ANYTHING) by Malindo Lo or Andrew Smith.

The YALSA lit conference this year was focused mostly on diversity. Here are some great links:

http://weneeddiversebooks.org/where-to-find-diverse-books/
http://diversityinya.tumblr.com/tagged/DiYA-Lists
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook

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dozmuffinxc November 25 2014, 01:01:41 UTC
I should have specified, sorry! I teach high school, so teen is best. Thank you for the links!

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kerravonsen November 25 2014, 02:24:06 UTC
Oh, I'd forgotten that your kids were high-school kids. I suggest you pass over Gail Carson Levine in that case; her stuff is definitely middle-grade. I'm an adult, and I don't shy away from reading children's books, but some are more universal and others are more firmly seated in a younger age-group. Most of Gail Carson Levine's stuff is of the latter kind, though "Ella Enchanted" is still worth a look.

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kerravonsen November 25 2014, 02:31:51 UTC
Another author to check out: N. K. Jemisin. She's another PoC writer, and the cultures in her fantasy novels are very much non-White. I've only read one of her novels, "The Killing Moon", and it wasn't quite my cup of tea, but the style and characterisation and dilemmas in it were very good. So, yes, she's worth checking out.

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