A Cheer For Mom!

A month into back to school season and I am still acting like the Dad in the Staples commercial; the reality of school releasing parents of the Sisyphus like burden of keeping their children entertained and trying to know where they are during the day is a joy. This alone is enough to have me doing the snoopy dance, but for a select group of us parents, autumn lands the bonus of Football that is what pushes euphoria toward orgasmic at least for me. The joy comes when I have the pleasure of prying my spouse and children off my teats for the last three months. No more, “What are we going to do, *Okaasan?” Or “Can we do this?” No more, “Honey, is this okay?” Or, “Honey, can we? Or honey whatever! In the coming days there will be hours if not days that the word honey or Okaasan is but an afterthought carried by a whisper spoken into a headwind. This is true as long as there is beer, soda and snacks. I’m not completely heartless; once they are off my teats they have to eat something.

My husband watches pro and college football, my son plays and watches and my daughter cheers and watches. The anchor of the Ryerson household shifts from me to football. The grill is glowing Friday, Saturday, Sunday often Monday and sometimes-even Thursday. To secure my freedom, once long I ago, I turned my husband’s beloved beer brauts into charcoal cigars. So horrified at the tragedy, he banned me from operating his Weber combination charcoal/propane grill. So now as the bands march and the brauts grill, Mom gets to do whatever the hell she wants. This is my time to sneak out to Best Buy and purchase last season’s episodes of “Sarah Conner Chronicles” or whatever sci-fi compendium I can mainline. Oh please, winter nights get dark early so I can order a pizza for the brood and leave them to froth in front of the television while I read and ponder worlds of impossible beauty or tragedy. I hoard minutes into hours and lounge in the decadence of me time, other than making an appearance at each quarter for my husband’s prerequisite good luck rub of my fanny (only for the Bears games). It seems my ass is right about 68% of the time, perhaps I should give up my career and haul my ass to Vegas. The idea of crowds of men lined up to pat my ass is both appealing and appalling, fantasy or nightmare you be the judge.

This time of year I refuse to be flustered by the back to school assault of my children, I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again I’m a bad, bad mom. During his first game my son got up from a tackle hobbling, when this happened a few years ago I was dialing for the ambulance before he got to the sideline. Now my first utterance is he will be able to go back in won’t he? Between school and football he is very busy, often so busy that he can’t pay as much attention to various nefarious teenage tarts that typically orbit around him as though he was the sun. Who knew school, football and a nosy mom was a form of contraception?

My daughter is busy with cheerleading. When I was in school this was not the full time career it now is. We would practice and go home. I guess we didn’t have school spirit. My daughter’s squad not only does football games but they do appearances and charity events. Of course she is running around twice as much as I was in that damn mini skirt, the good thing about that is when my husband knows she wearing it, he’s like McGruff the Crime Dog. Last week my daughter said, “Dad please stop sweatin me!”

You can se why this is my time. The television networks have an offering of new and returning sci-fi dramas. I have the summer blockbuster hits and misses to catch up on and a stack of books calling my name. Sorry Walmart Mom but this Okaasan is carving out some me time cause football only lasts until February and I have a lot of catching up to do. With any luck the Bears will make the post season but not the Super Bowl. A few years ago when they went I had to sleep on my stomach from all the prognostication my ass was doing.

*Okaasan is polite for Mom, immediate family often say Kasan.
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Camile Ryerson is our regular contributing writer. Her column appears every Wednesday. Read her views on politics, world affairs, pop culture, family and what she's reading. Her favorite genre is sci-fi.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Adult Fiction List

Community,

As promised here are a few recommended titles from Stella at My World, Mi Mundo, author, Mayra Lazara and I included a few from Eva at A Striped Chair. How many have you read, what's on your tbr list, which do you own or have heard of?

Of course, no list is complete (find our YA list here). We want your input so our list can be as comprehensive as we all can make it. Leave your titles and comments in the comment section. Our list begins with:


1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
3. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
4. I The Supreme by Augusto Roa Bastos
5. In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
5. How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
6. Something To Declare by Julia Alvarez
7. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
8. City of the Beast by Isabel Allende
9. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
10. The Island of Eternal Love by Daina Chaviano
11.The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano
12. Hungry Woman in Paris by Josefina Lopez
13. A Girl Like Che Guevara by Teresa de la Caridad Doval
14. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter: A Novel by Mario Vargas Llosa
15. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
16. My Wicked Ways by Sandra Cisneros (poetry)
17. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
18. Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia
19. Memory Mamboby by Achy Obejas
20. When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

21. Let It Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz
22. Almost A Woman by Esmeralda Santiago
23. Across a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande
24. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

New Moon's Arms: Hopkinson Melds Mermaids and Menopause

The New Moon's Arms
Nalo Hopkinson
Grand Central Publishing
2007
Reviewer: Eva

I put New Moon's Arms in my Caribbean Challenge pool, because of Nymeth’s review of another of [Hopkinson] novels, The Salt Roads. But my library didn’t have that one, so I grabbed this one without even bothering to read a plot summary. You can imagine my delight when it ends up involving mermaids! And magical realism! And the narrator is a middle-aged woman who still has flings with men and wears high heeled shoes! And she’s also completely anti-homosexuality, which comes up quite a bit in the book and is handled so marvelously (the homosexual characters are portrayed sympathetically, while the narrator comes off looking like the homophobe she is, so it’s evident where the author’s opinion lies).

Basically, this book completely and utterly captivated me; usually I read four books at once, rotating every 50 pages, but I read this one straight through. And I’m positive you’ll love it too. It’s intelligent and literary while simultaneously being a fascinating page-turner. It’s different from any book I’ve read this year, and I mean that as a compliment.

I’ll close this post with a brief discussion of my new resolution to read half of my fiction by POC (people of colour) authors, which I made public in last week’s *Sunday Salon. Immediately afterwards, I had a bit of a panic attack, not knowing if I would be able to live up to my goals (and I’m behind in my 25% POC nonfiction one, but this week’s Library Loot will fix that). But I did lots of research and put together a really long, really exciting list. And 6 out of 10 of the novels I read this week fall in the POC category. It’s early, but I already love how much broader my reading horizons feel. And not because it’s the politically correct thing to say, but because my favourite thing about reading is being able to peek into lives of characters that are completely different from me.

I was worried that making such a big resolution would constrict my reading. But it’s done quite the opposite. I was worried I might have to read books that didn’t appeal to me simply because the author was of a certain ethnicity. Instead, I’ve found fantastic sounding books in all of my favourite genres. I was worried that I might read less-than-marvelously-written books simply because of the author’s ethnicity. But I’ve found it’s the exact same as reading white authors-some I love, some I have no interest in reading more of, but that’s ok.

I share this with you in case you’re thinking about making a similar reading resolution but being held back by similar concerns. Many of the POC book reviews I see in the blogosphere are YA lit, which is great, but I don’t personally read a ton of YA. So if you’re the same way, and you’d like a book list to help you read more POC authors, e-mail me (astripedarmchairATgmailDOTcom) and I’ll be more than happy to share mine. :) As I said last week, the more blogs review POC literature, the easier it will be to diversify our reading!
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Eva is a 23-year-old bookworm who loves nothing better than an afternoon spent curled up with a mug of tea and a good book. Her tastes are eclectic, but with a definite emphasis towards cultural and geographical diversity. You can find out more about all of the amazing books she reads at her book blog A Striped Armchair. *This review and subsequent commentary previously published.

Women Writers of Color Series: Mayra Lazara Dole

Full name: Mayra Lazara Dole

Birth date: December 17th

Birth location: Marianao, Cuba (Havana)

Website/blog: Latina Lesbian lgbtq

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction, YA LGBTQI Realistic Fiction and Latina/o Realistic Fiction

WiP or most recently published work: Down to the Bone, Drum, Chavi, Drum!/¡Toca, Chavi, toca!, Birthday in the Barrio/Cumpleanos en el barrio and four novels in progress (1 MG and 3 YA's).

Writing credits: Down to the Bone was nominated for ALA Best YA Book 2009 and The Rainbow Project. It is an Americas Award Commended Title and made the Tayshas Reading List 2009-2010, Booklist's Top Ten Novels, CCBC Top Choices, and garnered a Starred ALA Booklist review.

How frequently do you update your site? I have a static site of which I constantly add interviews, praises, articles I've written and will now add bloggers of color I visit (I'm trying to figure out if I can add a blog to my site).

Is your site designed for reader interaction? Yes--it has a comment box. I've been looking into opening a new site but the quotes are very high (2,000 and up).

100 words or less how would you describe your work?
I write books in English with entire casts of Latina/o, Afro-Cuban, LGBTQI and straight people of color characters set in my Cuban American community.

100 words on less please share your thoughts on writing and activism:
Even when writing humor, authors can seamlessly inspire and motivate others to read, think, act, become more tolerant and make a profound difference in the world.

Thanks, Mayra. Readers check out Mayra's recent Writers Against Racism interview with Amy Bowllan at School Library Journal.

The History of the West Wing: Visiting 8th Century China

The History of the West Wing
Sun Jiayu and Guo Guo
Yen Press
2009
Reviewer: Ana

The History of the West Wing is a graphic novel based on a traditional Chinese story of the same title. It closely retells a play by thirteenth century dramatist Wang Shifu, which was in its turn based on a ninth century story by Yuan Zhen.

It’s the story of a romance between a young wanderer and the daughter of a government official. Their love is initially forbidden because the young woman, Pianpian, is engaged to another man. But it’s easy to tell from the very beginning that the two will end up together after all. So yes, the plot is simple and more than a little predictable, but there’s a reason why The History of the West Wing is still a charming and very satisfying book: Guo Guo’s stunning art.

The setting and cultural details were what interested me the most about this book, and the artwork conveys them perfectly: the interior of buildings, the scenery, the character’s wardrobes, and even their mannerisms, the way they move, and what this implies in terms of social structure and power dynamics – this regardless of the fact that we never actually see them move. But Guo Guo’s art brings eighth century China to life so beautifully that we almost believe we do.

Because the story is not only set in the eighth century, but also originally from around that period, I was expecting to do some major eye-rolling when it came to gender roles. However, things weren’t quite as bad as I feared: Pianpian doesn’t do much, but she’s not helpless either. Furthermore, and much to my satisfaction, the romance was actually believable.

There was a beautiful scene early in the story that made it more than the tale of a man who sees a beautiful woman and decides that he has to have her: we see Pianpian and Yuqing, the hero, sitting and talking together while taking shelter from a rainstorm The scene is completely wordless, but it conveys so much: the art shows them talking and laughing; we get the sense that quite a few hours have passed in this manner, and we see changes in the way they look at each other. Guo Guo’s beautiful drawings convey this better than I could possibly explain. This one little scene makes the story rise above yet another tale of star-crossed lovers who have never exchanged two words – a kind of tale of which I’ve never been a fan.

Still, I wouldn’t advise going into The History of the West Wing expecting something highly emotional or very complex, one of the reasons being the fact that this is such a short book. But if you’d like a glimpse into another time and place as well as some eye candy, then by all means read this.
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Ana is a twenty-something reader, recent graduate and future librarian from Portugal. Read more of Ana's reviews at things mean a lot.

High School Diary of a Freshman

First day of school: going to the bus stop I stand all by myself looking lost. New school, new teachers, trying to make new friends. Everything is new to me and to every other freshman. High school isn’t really all I hoped for or even wanted. It's my first day in a new distinct so I don't know anyone when I walk in the school. I don't have anyone to share how great my summer was. Walking through the halls is lonely; everyone is in their perfect little cliques reminiscing about middle school days. I try to get my locker open while people stare, or at least it looks like people are watching my every move. But wait I meet someone at orientation, but we have no classes together.

Couple of days go by it’s the same routine, met some more people through the guy I met at orientation. In high school everyone is trying to find who they want to hang out with and who they really want to be, including me. I stayed quiet for a while until I just couldn’t take it; it was driving me insane!!!! Sometimes talking to new people I can be shy but I knew I had to say something. It had to be done if I wanted to be the girl that others knew and loved. I was going to have to make it happen. First person I approached at lunch time was a girl sitting all by herself. She sort of reminded me of me. I sat down said hi and in the next two minutes I found out her name, her grade, and she didn’t have a problem with me being a freshman( she’s a sophomore) . My new freshman friends sat down with us; it's three others. Finally I felt like I made some progress all in a week.

I'm still waiting for theater to start. I feel the need to be involved with something I want to pursue in the near future. I finally know all my teachers' names, which took me forever. Most of the time I still find myself walking by myself and fading into the background something that I don’t want to happen. Maybe I should be more assertive; I don’t think it's true that no one really likes the nice girl, but I’m not into changing for other people even if that means being alone. My old friends were great, I wish they were here with me. Good thing I still keep in contact. Everyone that knows me thinks of me as a drama queen and I am perfectly fine with that but here in high school they think I’m childish. I don’t think of myself as childish I just like to have fun not take everything so seriously. I don’t really know how to stop being so called “childish” nor do I want to. If it were up to me, I would prefer those people would lighten up a little, they seem too uptight.

Knowing that the school year just started, I feel like I’m ready for whatever high school throws at me. You hear that high school is hard. I really don’t think I’m going to break easily. I say bring it on!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, THEMA!

Happy Birthday, Thema!

My Drama Queen is 14-years-old. My lovely daughter is a future star. She's a freshman wonder. She's taking high school by storm, I tell you. She's star student, star-waiting-to-be-discovered, biggest star in my universe.

"Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

I won't be around much today. Hanging out with my starlet.

*Thema is pronounced "Tay-ma."

Paula Chase Hyman Guest Blogs:Mangia, Mangia!

We're happy to have Paula Chase Hyman, YA author of the hit Del Rio Bay High series and co-founder of The Brown Bookshelf, a showcase of African American children's and YA literature.

What type of writer would I have been without Judy Blume’s brutally honest portrayals of adolescence – bumps, bruises and glorious firsts included?

What type of writer would I have been without Mildred D. Taylor’s enthralling tales of 1930’s era racism and a family’s love helping its children to overcome it?

What type of writer would I have been without Francine Pascal’s deliciously soap operaish telling of twins growing up enveloped in everything white privilege had to offer?

I don’t know. And lucky for my readers, they won’t ever have to find out. I write without fear because of Blume. Without shame of how silly or fluffy my character’s escapades because of Pascal and with brutal honesty because of Taylor. Does it matter that two of my literary influences are White and only one Black? That, other than writing for children, they hold nothing in common as writers? That they’re each from a totally different niche within YA…and actually Mildred D. Taylor is likely considered middle grade?

No. None of it matters. Because, at the heart, a reader is drawn to what’s real in a book. Even in the most fantastical book, readers are drawn to the very real experience of the characters and in Taylor, Blume and Pascal’s books my craving for different slices of life was fed over and over again.

This and only this, is what I want for today’s young readers. And at the risk of sounding like a total know-it-all, it should be what any adult wants for a young reader. I don’t care what feeds their craving just that they have lots to choose from. Book options should always be like a buffet, never like a sit-down dinner. And right now, what the industry offers is too much like a sit-down dinner: chicken, fish or beef – standard offerings under the guise of something for everyone simply because they’re three different meats available.

But what about the veggie dish? What about people who like lots of seasoning on their meat or those who are too sensitive to have anything but a dash of salt? What of those who can’t stand carrots but love broccoli? Am I to believe all fish lovers like the exact same type of fish? What if the fish is salmon but I like tuna? What if it’s baked chicken and I prefer chicken Parmesan? Filet, when I enjoy a good, fatty ribeye?

Maybe I’m a cock-eyed optimist or maybe there’s simply no way this shouldn’t be common sense more than twenty-five years beyond my own teen years. But in a literary landscape where Laurie Halse Anderson can write Chains, the story of a slave girl, why shouldn’t I or Sherri Smith be able to write Wintergirls, without a raised eyebrow, without the main character fighting some sort of racial demons?

The secret is, we can. We have. Spread the word!

The generation of women writers who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s i.e. early post civil rights and during Reaganomics, are adding new flavors to the menu, attempting to force the industry to offer a buffet. But when they finally do, people must be there forks ready to dig in. Are you ready?
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Read more of Paula at her blog and The Brown Bookshelf. Paula lives in Maryland with her family where she is currently working on her latest work. She's pretty tight-lipped about the details, but I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.

Color Online Quiz: Literature and Women Studies

Quiz #71
Answer the quiz and your name will be entered in a monthly drawing. Post your reply to the comment box. Must provide your email addy to be eligible to win. Cool prizes, check out our Prize Bucket.

Burn by Black Artemis aka Sophia Quintero. Read Sophia comments on race and literature in her interview with Amy Bowllan for her Writers Against Racism series.

Do you know that commercial with the tag line,"It's in there"? That's a good line to describe this smart, layered, intelligent urban, hip hop tale replete with drama, murder, romance and crash course about a segment of the hip hop culture. The lead is an Afro-Latina female bail bondswoman. The writer is an intellectual, activist, feminist, academic and filmmaker. Whew! Name the work and the author.

Thanks, Tichaona. Read more from Tichaona at The Four Seasons of Tichaona.
A member shared with me that she'd like to see more challenging quizzes. How's this work for you?

Grace Notes: So What Is The Novel About?

Now that I've signed my publishing contract people ask, "So, what's your novel about?" Because this book has been more in my head than out in the world, I usually end up hemming and hawing like I don't know or can't remember what I have been working on for a good chunk of my life . Truth is, it's hard to summarize any novel in a few words. However, one of the skills writers who want to be authors have to learn is how to pitch their novel succinctly to agents, publishers, booksellers and, of course, readers.

The one sentence pitch for my novel Act of Grace sums up the essence of the novel and offers a taste of the conflict. It's the no frills explanation I give when I'm asked about my work. This is usually all people want to hear. It's enough to make them go, " OH, that's interesting." :

When Grace Johnson a bright, perceptive African American high school senior, saves the life of a Klansman named Jonathan Gilmore, everyone in her hometown of Vigilant Michigan wants to know why.

The longer pitch is below. This is from the heart of the query letter I sent to agents :

When Grace Johnson a bright, perceptive African American high school senior, saves the life of a Klansman named Jonathan Gilmore, everyone in her hometown of Vigilant Michigan wants to know why. Few people, black or white, understand her act of sacrifice especially since rumor holds that years ago a member of the Gilmore family murdered several African-Americans including Grace’s father. Grace wants to remain silent on the matter; however, she discovers the decision to speak is not hers to make. Ancestral guides emerge in visions and insist she bear witness to her town’s violent racial history so that all involved might transcend it.

With hindsight made telescopic by suffering and the wisdom found in African myths, Grace recounts a story of eye-for-an-eye vengeance that has blinded entire generations in her hometown. Haunted by anger and trauma she wonders if she can do as the spirits have asked and lead Mr. Gilmore, the town of Vigilant and her own soul on a journey toward reconciliation and redemption.

Writing about Grace, has been a powerful journey into the meaning of forgiveness and redemption. True to her name, my character has tested all of my assumptions about race and community. She has also reshaped many of my attitudes about the nature of good, evil, love and hate. I love Grace for all the hard and wild places in my soul she has forced me to explore. I hope with all my heart that readers will come to love and appreciate her as well.

*previously published at Grace Notes.
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Karen L. Simpson is a fantasy writer, quilter, historian, foodie, horse lover and soon to be author. My first novel will be published by Plenary Publishing in 2011. Chat with Karen on Twitter.

COLA: Feminist Review: Exploring the world through an anti-oppression lens

Blog name: Feminist Review

Blogger: We are a collective of over 200 writers and 10 editors

Blog Origination date: November 2006

Focus: We publish reviews written from anti-oppression standpoints.

Regular features: reviews of books, music, film, products; interviews with authors, musicians, and other cultural activists

Pub schedule: We publish three new reviews daily.

How frequently do you update your blog? Daily

Post of note: People really loved this interview with make/shift.

Something in particular you want readers to check out:
Our most controversial review to date is: "Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide To Why Feminism Matters."

50 words or less how would you describe your blog:
Feminist Review believes that all opinions - positive and critical - are valuable and seeks to give voice to communities that remain on the margins. We recognize that there are many feminisms and provide a space where those differences can be represented and explored.

What do you hope readers will gain, find or enjoy because they’ve visited your blog?
We hope they will be exposed to media and products that they wouldn't otherwise have heard about. We hope they engage with the reviews to offer their own perspectives.

*** experience the world... from a feminist perspective! ***

Special thanks to Ama for sharing Feminist Review with us.

I Wanna Be Your Shoebox

I Wanna Be Your Shoebox
Christina Garcia
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
2008
Reviewer: Doret

I loved this book. Yumi Ruiz Hirsch is Cuban, Jewish and Japanese. She's also surfer/skater boarder, classical clarinetist, who loves good rock ( Ramones), and she plays a decent bass guitar. Garcia refused to limit who Yumi was and who she could become. The summer is over, Yumi is returning from Surfer's camp, she'll be entering the 8th grade. Yumi's lives with her mother. Her parents have been divorced since she was one. Yumi is very close to Saul her Jewish grandfather. Saul is ninety-two and dying of cancer. Yumi asks Saul to tell his story and he does. The story alternates between Yumi's everyday life and visiting Saul.

Much is going on in Yumi's life. Her mom is dating for the first time in years and due to a lack of funds, the school orchestra is being discontinued. To save the orchestra, the members decide to put on a rock concert with classical instruments. Yumi is one of the students who takes charge. It was her idea.

How about a fund raising concert? I suggest. Maybe an all girl punk band. Dad says you can play punk with three chords and lots of attitude, so how hard could it be? I figure we could cover a couple of great Ramones songs, maybe write one of our own. In less than five minutes everyone is already fighting over a name for our nonexistent band. I'm in favor of Don't Call Me Miss. the other contenders are Testosterone Free Zone (TFZ), The Anastasia's, Kisses for a Dollar, the Neo-Cramps, and Nasty Girl. Quincy complains that boys shouldn't be excluded from the band and says he'll play in drag if he has to. Believe me, at six foot two and one hundred seventy pounds, that would not be a pretty sight.

I loved this book from the beginning. Garcia's created a wonderful character in Yumi. The ending reminded me of another book I loved Kephart's, House of Dance. I knew Saul was going to die, but it's still sad. The authors don't want the readers to linger on death but to look forward and they look to dance as a way to embrace life. This book came out in 2008, I only just heard about it last recently. I Wanna be Your Shoebox is a book diamond. I loved this book so much I will be reading Garcia's adult novelDreaming in Cuban, next. I don't usually read two books by an author so close together but I Wanna be Your Shoebox was so good I am making an exception. Ages 9 up. I highly recommend it. An excellent book club selection. I read the hardcover edition but I like the look of the QP better so that's the one I used. The paperback will be released on Sept 22. though this book is hardcover worthy. Or simply check your local library. Read an excerpt. As an added bonus here's Dreaming in Cuban Google Preview.

If you're thinking, "Oh my an added bonus, I've never seen that before. This book must be extra special," You would be correct. So go get your hands on a copy of I Wanna Be Your Shoebox.
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Doret knows YA. She's bookseller, reader and reviewer. When she's not helping me with lists and "What Do I Read Next?" and any number of other features here at Color Online, Doret blogs at Happy Nappy Bookseller. Check her out.

Color Online's Community HHM Recommended Reading List

Hispanic Heritage Month runs Sept. 15th-Oct. 15. To celebrate, Doret has provided the following recommended YA list. But this list is short, we want your input. Tell us your favorite YA Latino/a titles. How many of these have you read? Would love to have links to reviews. And let's add non-fiction. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments about the titles listed.

Yes, we will post an adult title list, too. Happy reading.

1.Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood
2.The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans by Carmen Tafolla
3.Voices in first person edited by Lori Marie Carlson

4.The Smell of Old Lady Perfume by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez
5.White Bread Competition by Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez
6.I Wanna be Your Shoebox by Christina Garcia
7.Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra
8.Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
9.Who's Your Daddy? by Lynda Sandoval
10.Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena
11.Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos
12.The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees
13.Gringolandia by Lyn Miller Lachmann
14.Down To The Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
15.The Meaning of Conseulo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
16.The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
17.Journey of Dreams by Marge Pellegrino's
18.The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales
19.Leaving GloryTown by Eduardo F Calcines
20.Petty Crimes by Gary Soto
21.Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
22.Haters by Alisa Valdes Rodriquez
23.Honey Blonde Chica by Michele Serros
24.Sofia Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico by Malin Alegria
25.Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork
26.La linea by Ann Jaramillo
27.The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle
28.Adios to My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer
29.Amor and Summer Secrets by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
30.Gamma Glamma by Kim Flores
31.Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa
32. Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz (MG)
33.Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz (MG)
34.So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez
35.Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
36. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
37.Jaguar by Michele Dominguez-Greene
38.The Whole Sky Full of Stars by René Saldaña Jr
39.Cubanita, Riding the Universe by Gaby Triana

Back to School: Something Old, Something New

Class of 2012. New teachers, new students, same school. The thought of at least three hours of homework a night, seeing some people that I don’t particularly care for, and not being able to wear whatever I want (we have a dress code, we must wear a shirt with a collar and nice pants or a skirt) are what faces me in the upcoming school year as well as for the next two years. I also have sports practices and club meetings. Lots of work, but I do plan on having fun as well.

I’m entering my sophomore year and I have lots of plans. I’m joining some new clubs and going to try to be more active in the clubs I’m already a member of. I intend on making more time for friends (last year between two seasons of sports we didn’t hang out as much as I would have liked) and trying to reach out to new people. The people you hang out with at the beginning of freshman year are not the same people you will hang out your sophomore year or even the end of freshman year. I’ve seen sophomores walking around that I don’t know and we also got some transfer students and the new freshmen class. I want to stay on top of my classes, and keep up my GPA. Also, we sophomores are required to have 20 hours of service. Sounds easy enough, but it has to be at the same place and it’s pretty hard to get 20 hours when you have practice Mon-Sat as well as games. Finally, I want to be able to manage school, sports, service projects and blogging. This will be my first year of school while trying to manage a blog so it will be interesting to see how I do. My hope is to have at least four posts a week (Male Monday, Throwback Thursday, another book review, and New Crayons), but we’ll see.

Ultimately though, I need to remember to relax. School is important, but you also need to have fun. I don’t want to look back at my high school years and regret anything. I don’t think you need to go to every school function (dance, play, sports game), but you should try to go to school events at least once. Along with keeping up my grades, I want to be active in my school. Everyone says either their high school or college years were the best years of their life. I intend on making the best of them.
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Ari says she's sarcastic, caring, slightly crazy teenager. She loves to read, listen to music, dance and have fun. She's been reading seriously since second grade. Proud to be black. Ari is one of Color Online's CORA Girls. They rock. Check out her blog, Reading In Color.

The Sunday Salon: What We Read, Said & Wrote

This week was all about BBAW. The week was chock full of activities from memes to articles to scavenger hunts to giveaways. You know how after a great vacation, you need a few days to recover? That's how I feel after participating in BBAW. Welcome to all our visitors especially those who opted to follow us, you're part of the community now. Do comment and participate in the many activities we host here.


I didn't run some of our regular features during the festivities so they wouldn't get lost in the frenzy of blog hopping and BBAW special features. If you didn't catch the BBAW posts, check out my goals, my interview with Lorin from Arch Thinking and at Black-Eyed Susan's, I completed a reading meme. Congratulations to Paradox and Jasmine, our BBAW Giveaway winners.

There's more to celebrate. This month marks Hispanic Heritage Month. To kick of the month, Jo Ann at BronzeWord is hosting a great giveaway. Enter to win one of five fantastic titles. A winner announced each week.We've extended the deadline for CORA Diversity Roll Call. We're looking at short stories. To commemorate HHM, we're giving a collection of short stories by Latin American writers to one of our Roll Call participants. Don't forget we're hosting a giveaway for On The Line by Serena Williams. Deadline is September 30th.

We're celebrating HHM in our quizzes this month and our reviews. Read Jo Ann's review of Confetti Girl and visit our Color Me Brown Links. Tomorrow, check out Color Online's Community HHM recommended reading list. Doret provided us with a base list and we're asking you to add your suggestions.

This we launched Women Writers of Color Series with a profile of YA author Paula Chase Hyman.

Last but most importantly, we are celebrating our CORA Girl, Ari's birthday!

That's it for this week. Hope you all had a good time at BBAW, made new friends and discovered a few good reads. Happy reading.

Color Online Quiz: Literature & Women Studies

Quiz #70
Answer the quiz and your name will be entered in a monthly drawing. Post your reply to the comment box. Must provide your email addy to be eligible to win. Cool prizes, check out our Prize Bucket.

Deeply affected by the Chicano political movement – and especially with the Texas farm workers’ struggle – in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, [ ]work is often cited as among the first fruits of the Chicano literary movement.

Angela de Hoyos

She was born January 23, 1940 in Coahuila, Mexico. Thanks, Jill.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARI!!!!!

All right now, it's Ari's birthday! Please show our CORA Girl some love!!!!!!

Ari, you are an amazing young woman. You are a leader, a doer; you set goals and boldly go after them. You are political, passionate. Girl, you're just plain on fire! I admire your drive to set the world right. Let it be known that if Ari thinks something is wrong, she's going to say something about it and then she's going to take action. Did you catch her guest blog Justine Larbalestier's during the Liar controversy or do you know how she came to be a CORA girl for that matter?

This young woman wanted to read more reviews and see more brown faces on blogs so what did she do about it? She got busy!!!! Reading In Color is the premier YA blog, dedicated to promoting and reviewing POC books and writers. As far as I know, this young woman is the only poc teen blogger whose blog focuses on people of color. Ari was nominated for BBAW's Best New Blog and Best YA blog. She's been featured at School Library Journal with Amy Bowllan and she's guest blogged for BBAW. I could go on, but I've probably sufficiently embarrassed her.

I am one proud, blogging godmother so come all, wish Ari a 16th happy birthday!

BBAW: Setting Goals

Setting Goals!
 Write in 50 words or less…what do you like best about your blog right now and where would you like your blog to be a year from now?

Lorin actually asked me about my goals in my interview. This is more than 50 words so feel free to skip. I replied:

Where do you hope Color Online will be in a year?

In one year, we will be regularly publishing our e-zine at our website. At the moment, we're thinking a quarterly schedule. I previously had a successful stint doing this so we're not reinventing the wheel with this venture. Publishing provides another opportunity to showcase the talent of teens and women of color. One year from now we will be hosting our second annual poetry and essay contests for teens.

One year from now, I hope we are closer rather than farther from achieving 501.3c status. Ultimately, I want to run Color Online full-time as a non-profit literacy and diversity organization. One year from now, I see Color Online as a recognized, grassroots, multicultural and diversity in publishing advocacy group.

What I like most about my blog is that visitors and members are introduced to incredible writers they might not have learned about otherwise. What I love about Color Online is that we are a community.

Color Me Brown Links (2)

Every Thursday you will find Color Me Brown Links. This feature grew out of our Color Me Brown Challenge, which was a call to action issued by me for readers to blog brown. CMB was a huge success and my hope is that we continue to build on this momentum.This week's links:

Sweet Summer: Growing Up With and Without My Dad reviewed by Jill at Rhapsody In Books.
She was born in 1950 in Philadelphia. Her father, George Moore, was involved in a car crash that left him a paraplegic when Bebe was just ten months old. Soon thereafter, her parents separated. Her father moved back to his childhood home in North Carolina. As a young girl, she spent every summer with her father.

The Other Side of Paradise reviewed by Imani Perry at The Defenders Online.
Staceyann Chin’s memoir, The Other Side of Paradise is a kuntsleroman, the coming-of-age story of an artist. It begins with her early childhood. Staceyann and her older brother are being reared by their efficiently loving and spiritually devout grandmother, two small poor children in rural Jamaica. By memoir’s end she has attended the most elite University in the Caribbean, found her actor’s voice through a theatrical production of Barbadian poet Kamau Braithwaite’s The Arrivants, and is departing for New York City.

Biracial Picture Books featured in Renee's Multicultural Minute #4 at Shen Books.
Down To The Bone reviewed by oyceter at Sakura of Doom.
Laura Amores is kicked out of Catholic school when a nun finds a note sent to her from her girlfriend, Marlena. She's then kicked out of the house by her mother. She manages to find shelter with her best friend Soli, and she spends most of the book trying to figure out her sexuality and what communities she wants to belong to.

Once a month, I will randomly pick a reviewer to receive a free book from our Prize Bucket. If you find a review you think we should feature, write me at cora_litgroup@yahoo.com.

Happy reading.

Color Online Quiz: Literature and Women Studies

Quiz #69
Answer the quiz and your name will be entered in a monthly drawing. Post your reply to the comment box. Must provide your email addy to be eligible to win. Cool prizes, check out our Prize Bucket.

Racism and homophobia are two different animals, but they’re both about ignorance and HATE.

Mayra Lazara Dole

She is a Cuban-American writer. She's written children's books and a much needed YA work about being lesbian in the Cuban community. Recently, she was featured in Amy Bowllan's, "Writers Against Racism" series.

Thanks, Jacqueline.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Confetti Girl

Confetti Girl
By Diana López
Little, Brown Young Readers
2009
Reviewer: Jo Ann

Apolonia Flores is the hero of this book. Her father says about her first name, “It’s the girl form of Apollo. He was the god of the sun. Get it? It’s my way of calling you a sunflower.” Parents! What can a teen do with them? Gratefully, everyone calls her Lina. Vanessa is her best friend, who lives across the street.

Thankfully this book is not about gangs, migrant farm workers, or crossing the border. It’s a regular book about a regular family in a regular neighborhood where the girls go to a regular school with regular problems. Do I seem a bit obsessed with regular? This is a beautiful story of a girl who has lost her mother and needs her father. Her father in his grief has immersed himself into books. How does she go about reaching through those books to her father, who holds them up in front of him? She thinks: “I see a body, a neck, and a book where his face should be.”

I enjoyed this book so much because the writing was good and the story was so real. Lina struggles with Vanessa’s breaking away from their best friend status to date a boy. The girls plot to help Vanessa’s mom. Lina grapples with how to approach a boy she likes and isn’t sure whether he likes her. The whole issue of losing a parent is dealt with in two ways: lost by death and lost by divorce. The plot of this story is the generational age dilemma of any teen and their parents: how do you reach each other to an understanding of what each needs. The ending is hilarious and would make any therapist proud.

I had read The secret blog of Raisin Rodriguez : a novel by Judy Goldschmidt and was so disappointed. Because the book’s attempts to make Raisin, just like any other girl. Seems the author created a character with no ethnic roots. I’m not talking about being a Pocho or not knowing or hiding that she is Latina. I mean the things that she worries about are just too white. With Lina, the author, Diana López, did a sensational job of presenting Lina in her environment with everyday teen problems and yet embracing her culture background. Nothing in the story was too heavy or pushed on you about culture. Even the whole discussion about cascarones was more about the girls’ story than about the history of cascarones.

I believe that the community, any and all of us, are in dire need of more books like Confetti Girl by Diana López. Stories that portray us as people with hurts, joys and loves, just like everyone else in the world in any skin color. I encourage you to rush out and buy this book. Because buying this book would show the world how proud we are of being Latino/a, of how much we support our Latino/a authors, and of how much we need and want “real” stories about ourselves doing life. Read and enjoy!
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Jo Ann Hernandez has two published works: White Bread Competition and Throwaway Piece. Read more about Latino writers and books at BronzeWord Latino Authors. Enter Jo Ann's Hispanic Heritage Month Giveaway, too.