Sunday Salon: What We Said, Wrote & Read

Hello all, can you say exhausted? Let me say I am very grateful to be employed and I am exhausted. The drama at home and work has worn me out. Please bear with me while I get acclimated at work and my family adjusts to the demands of high school and the daily drama fest called teendom.

On to our reading life: I finished A Map of Home. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Couldn't savor the ending though. My daughter is impatiently waiting for me to catch up with her in her reading of Liar by Justine Larbalestier. Let me echo Zetta, Liar is more than you heard and hoped for. Loving it. I also need to read Paper Towns and pass it on for a challenge. And I just learned today about the Women Unbound Challenge. As a community of women, I'm hoping many of you are going to join and represent what we're about here at Color Online.

If you didn't haven't a chance before, please show some love for Bernice L. McFadden, our showcased writer for Women Writers of Color Series. Bernice has a new book out in 2010 and this year marks the ten year anniversary for Sugar.

Wishing you continued success, Bernice and congratulations on the anniversary of Sugar.

Congratulations to our Mrs. O winners: Mary Ann,Mardel, Lisa hms and Birdie. Also announced our Del Rio Bay Series winner, Lorraine and let me now announce October's Color Online Quiz winner, Ari. Don't forget about Little Lov'n Monday at Black-Eyed Susan's. Find links, drop links, earn a chance to win a free book.

Don't forget tomorrow, I'll share our new crayons. NC is all about what's new on our shelves. Tell us what goodies you picked up.

What's going on in your world? What have you read lately?

Color Me Brown Links

Normally Color Me Brown Links run Thursday. Well, my life outside of the wonderful virtual one I love demands I attend to real life responsibilities. Nonetheless, a chica has to do what she has to do to maintain her sanity so I'm posting now for me as much as I am for you.

Please feel free to help me out by forwarding me links to great reviews you think we should showcase. This evening I have:

Circle of Souls at Teens Read and Write. Alyssa is a very cool teen reviewer who regularly reads here and supports what we do. No long after a lament about finding mysteries with poc characters, I found this at Alyssa's blog. Thanks, Alyssa.
This books opens with a grisly murder of a 10 year old girl and sets the reader off on a journey to find out who-dun-it.

Shortly after the killing, child psychologist Dr. Peter Gram meets Naya, a 7 year old whose parents bring her in because they found her sleepwalking...almost right off their balcony.

The Boy Next Door at Genre Reviews. I met Debbie and discovered her blog during our original Color Me Brown Challenge. Debbie has continued to read and be a supportive member here since. Thanks D for sending me a link to your review.
The Boy Next Door is an engrossing novel that starts out as a mystery of sorts (did Ian really do it?) in which curiosity about her neighbor leads to friendship and then love. But it's not an easy love.

Testing the Ice at Great Kid Books. Mary Ann provides a wonderful review.
Sharon Robinson, daughter of famed baseball player Jackie Robinson, wrote this book to teach kids about her father, but she focuses on a personal memory of her childhood to illustrate her father's strength and courage.

Mrs. O Giveway Winners!

Congratulations to our winners!

Mary Ann
Mardel
Lisa
hms
Birdie


Thank you all for participating. More giveaways and contests to come. Stay tuned.

Women Writers of Color: Bernice McFadden

Full name: Bernice L. McFadden

Birth date: September 26, 1965

Location: New York

Website/blog: Bernice McFadden

Genre: Fiction

WiP or most recently published work:
Glorious (Spring 2010)



Writing credits:
Sugar
The Warmest December
This Bitter Earth
Loving Donovan
Camilla's Roses
Nowhere is a Place

writing as Geneva Holliday
Groove
Fever
Heat
Seduction
Lover Man

How frequently do you update your site? Fairly Frequently

Is your site designed for reader interaction? Yes

Post of note, something in particular you want readers to check out:
On January 9th, 2010 my debut novel, SUGAR will celebrate it's 10th anniversary. It is my hope that the book will sell 10,000 copies between now and that date.

100 words or less how would you describe your work?
I write informative, entertaining, lyrical, thought provoking novels that often have a historical slant.

100 words on less please share your thoughts on the writing life:
I love this life. I love the people I meet in and outside of my stories.

Women of color writers - We are fearless storytellers. Our writings are filled with a strength and passion that the "publishing machine" finds unsettling - hence the slow and systematic silencing of writers.

Children and reading - If we don't encourage our children to read and experience the world through the pages of books - then they will never want to physically experience the world and we will have a nation of stagnant, ignorant adults.

Bernice, thank you for allowing us to promote and support your work.

What Do I Read Next?: Halloween Week

We thought for Halloween we'd take a walk on the dark side. Here's to paranormal, scary and magic. I've asked Doret and Ari to share their recommendations.

Ari:
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith.
My favorite vampire story of all time. And it has guardian angels! Sounds like an unlikely mix, but Cynthia makes it work extremely well! I loved this book and it was a bit life-changing because it brings up some interesting issues about heaven, angels, vampires and who can and can't be saved.

Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair
Superheroes aren't scary but I really liked this book so I want to recommend it anyway (after all we dress up as superheroes for Halloween so it's appropriate). Asleep is a wonderful story that I first thought of as the 'Black Twilight' but as I continued reading I realized it was so much more than that (although it does need a bit better editing, it's self-published). The love story is sweet and the world of superheroes is a very interesting one that you'll want to learn more about (something I found interesting is that all superheroes got their origins from Africa and it's got some of the most powerful superheroes). The ending? Total cliff-hanger!

Doret:
Has a Halloween list at HappyNappy Bookseller. I'll highlight two here.

Ruined by Paula Morris
Rebecca Brown and her dad have always lived in NYC. Mr. Brown, travels on occasion for work. This time he will be gone too long for a neighbor to watch Rebecca. Rebecca is headed to New Orleans to live with a woman she has only meet once, Claudia and her twelve year old daughter, Aurelia. In order to get into the exclusive academy for her sophomore year, Rebecca must pretend she is Claudia's niece. Rebecca gets along very well with Aunt Claudia and Aurelia. Which is good since they live in a shotgun house and there isn't much room. Read full review at The Happy Nappy Bookseller.

Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood
15-yr-old Marina and Fern have been best friends since second grade. Marina's mom has taught her daughter to only cherish her Spainish roots and dismiss her Mexican Heritage. Marina's is embarrassed she can't speak spanish. Fern's loves nature and is involved in a cause to preserve the land . Fern love the barrio she live in, the same one Marina's mom looks down upon. While picking up an astrological chart for her mom, Marina and Fern also get a spell book for teens. See full review here.

My picks:
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier. Justine rocks. MOM was my first read by Justine and I loved it.
The first in a series, Magic or Madness is the story of a teen named Reason. Reason has been raised to embrace only the logical, to be independent, resilient and at all costs not end up in the care of her grandmother, Mere, an evil witch. Life with her mother, Sarafina has been a nomad’s experience but they are close and at fifteen, the threat of being taken by her grandmother is coming to an end or so Reason believed. Then Sarafina suffers a breakdown and Reason is sent to live with the woman she has been warned against her entire life, and she discovers that magic is real. Read full review at Black-Eyed Susan's.

Pemba's Song by Marilyn Nelson and Tonya Hegamin.
This has been on my tbr for awhile. Now that I've read both Ari's and Doret's reviews, I have to push this up. Wonder if I'll have an entirely different view.

Anything sound interesting? What's your picks? Leave us your recommendations.

New Crayons: What's New On Our Shelves

Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.

So the work week was hectic and I was under the weather and once again a group of publishers and donors made my week. Great mix of titles. Today's bounty:

In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage by Alan Schroeder, illustrator JaeMae Bereal. We received this courtesy of Lee & Low. I didn't know about Ms. Savage or Ms. Bereal, another woman of color artist. Looking forward to reading this title and learning more about the illustrator. Appreciate the introduction by the author, too. After skimming the book, I'm confident saying I think you'll enjoy it.

Later in life, Savage sadly destroyed much of her own work. As she was a very private person, author Schroeder warns that “little is known about her life.” He notes that “… some details and dialogue have been imagined to fill gaps in the historical record.” Read a review at Book Dragon.


Muchacho by Louanne Johnson. The lovely and generous Ari sent this to me. She says I need to keep more books for myself but we all know how few titles we find for male teens especially with male teens of color so this is going in the Prize Bucket. Will read it. In the meantime, I suggest you check out Ari's review at Reading in Color.

Eddie Corazon is definitely one of my new favorite guy characters of all time. He's such a great kid with a lot of heart (fyi: Corazon means heart in Spanish)! Eddie is a really smart, but angry kid. He hides his love of reading and hangs out with his cousins instead. His cousins are usually in jail, or doing stuff that will result in jail time. Then Boy Meets Girl. Eddie meets Lupe. Lupe blows his mind away. She's smart, independent, beautiful...

Shining Star: The Anna Wong Story by Paula Yoo. I first heard of this from Doret. I have so wanted to read this. Check out Doret's review at The Happy Nappy Bookseller.

I never thought about the first Asian movie star in Hollywood. Though Anna May story is eerily familiar to first African American movie stars. Being forced to take on stereotypical roles that portray her people in a negative light. Being hate by her people for taking on such roles. Having to work with a White actor made up in "yellow face" to look Asian.

What did you get this week in the mail, at the bookstore or the library? Happy reading.

Pemba's Song: Missed Ghost Connection

Pemba’s Song
Marilyn Nelson & Tonya C. Hegamin
Scholastic Press
2008
Reviewer: Ari
Rating: 2/5
I.Q. Africans lived and died in the worse ways, for the same stuff we kill each other over now. Some people do anything for money: they’d kill a dream or sell a soul. Chuck that magazine. It was so not Hip Hop. –Pemba from her poem “Human Bling”

Pemba’s Song is about a girl who moves to an old house in Connecticut. She discovers that the ghost of a slave girl is trying to communicate with her.

This book was ok. The problem was its length. Towards the middle of the book, I felt like I missed a huge part, so I went back and re-read it, but I hadn’t missed anything. The story reads almost as if the authors had a page limit and wanted to confine the story to only a certain number of pages.

There weren’t really chapters, but after every new heading there was a poem by Pemba. They were good and my favorite part of the book. I’ve always been jealous of poets and writers. I’ve never had a way with words, especially when it comes to writing poems (I’m an acrostic and rhyming poet). “Cell Phone Blues” and “Human Bling” were my favorite poems.

I didn’t have a favorite character in the book. Again, I feel that the book is too short so see any significant character development and get to really know the characters. I liked Pemba and Malik (her kinda-sorta-boyfriend). Pemba calls Malik her Urban Elf (cute nickname) because he always wears a hoodie that’s too big for him, and the hood is always up. Pemba loves music, (always has at least one headphone in her ear) and writing. She’s always writing poems and writing in her journal.

The ghost aspect of it was boring. The slave girl’s (Phyllis) story was uninteresting. I didn’t feel a connection to this book, and it didn’t hold my interest. I didn’t care that a ghost was trying to contact Pemba. Bottom line, the book needed to be longer to really develop the plot and characters.
________________________________________________
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.

Sunday Salon: What We Read, Said & Wrote

Hello all, let me begin by apologizing for the light week here. If you read last week, you know I started a new job. I am enjoying it but between getting acclimated to my new schedule, commuting again and learning new material, I also fell ill. One day was really awful but I suffered through the day and spent that night and every night since, coming home, eating dinner and going to bed really early. I'm feeling better, but the combination of activity and illness resulted in my absence here.

Here's to more and better things this coming week. One good pick-me-upper was the amount of mail waiting for me at our PO box. Very good week, let me tell you: a few review copies, a copy of Paper Towns by John Green for the Pass-it-On challenge and thanks to author, L.M. Preston for sending us a copy of Explorer X-Alpha. See New Crayons this evening for details.

Very happy I did post our COLA feature last week. We spotlighted Amy Bowllan from School Library Journal. Amy has done an amazing job with the Writers Against Racism series. If you don't know about Amy or the series, I encourage you to check both out soon.

Well, my daughter was just fine with homeschooling and blogging about it. Of course, she knows how I can be with projects, too; I wonder if she's thinking this won't last long. I think it's going to last longer than she's hoping. Look for us both to share our adventures at Homeschool Drama, the blog. Our first read is Liar.

Deadlines for giveaways are quickly approaching. Today is the last day to enter the Mrs. O Giveaway at Black-Eyed Susan's. Last date to enter at Color Online is the 29th. Don't forget our Del Rio Bay Giveaway, deadline is October 30th. Last quiz for this month will post 29th. Check the Prize Bucket for new additions.

Thanks to Zetta, I discovered a lit resource new to me, ALAN. Every month they post their picks of the month and for October, A Wish After Midnight made the list. For more cool links, check out Little Lov'n Monday at Black-Eyed Susan's. Please drop a link, too.

How was your week? What did you read? Pick up a book. Happy reading.

Color Online Quiz: Literature and Women's Literature

Quiz #77
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.


She has written more than 30 fiction and non-fiction books for early readers,organized three writing conferences in Kansas City, Missouri and
served as President of the Missouri Writer's Guild.

Christine Taylor-Butler. Thanks, Edi.

COLA: Amy Bowllan

Blog name: Bowllan's Blog @ SchoolLibraryJournal.com

Blogger: Amy Bodden Bowllan

Blog Origination date: May 2005

Focus: Education, Books, Technology, Resources, News for Parents

Regular features: Writers Against Racism Series


Pub schedule. How frequently do you update your blog? Five days a week

Post of note, something in particular you want readers to check out:
Readers who are new to my blog should definitely check out the Writers Against Racism series. This series is a collective voice of writers and educators who share their experiences with racism, and explore solutions in the comments section.

50 words or less how would you describe your blog: Over the years, Bowllan's Blog has evolved organically and positively serves as a living, breathing resource for the global community. With a readership that spans both locally and abroad, Bowllan's Blog meets the needs of all cultures.

What do you hope readers will gain, find or enjoy because they've visited your blog? Everyone who visits my blog, no matter where they reside in the world, immediately becomes a part of a community of learners. Readers from all walks come to Bowllan's Blog to discuss and learn about issues that impact their lives. The joy of reading and learning about these perspectives opens our eyes to new discoveries in this ever changing world we live in.

Thanks, Amy.

New Crayons: What's New On Our Shelves

Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.

This week was exceptionally bountiful. Thanks to Ari, Justine and Bloomsbury Publishing, our friends at Lee & Low and author Breena Clark. Here's a short list of what's new on our shelves:

Stand The Storm by Breena Clark. Ms. Clark sent us two of her titles. If you're willing to review this title for us, write me and you may keep the copy. How cool is that?
Breena Clarke's Stand the Storm centers on the story of "Sewing Annie" Coats and her son, Gabriel, expert tailors who manage to purchase their freedom at the cost of entering a less than lucrative business arrangement with their former owner. Nonetheless, hard work and thriftiness allow them to purchase Ellen (Annie's equally talented daughter) and her daughter, Delia. Prosperity reigns but the clan is happy for only a short while.

When I was a Soldier by Valerie Zenatti. Thanks to the folks at Bloomsbury we have this memoir. Participate in our quizzes or Diversity Roll Call and this could be yours.
When we first meet Valerie she is preoccupied with the final preparations for her bac exams, working after school at Extrapharm, wrapping perfumes and stacking shelves, hanging out with her close girlfriends, Russian immigrants Yulia and Rahel, and nursing a broken heart after being phased out by her boyfriend Jean-David. She is in many ways an ordinary girl with recognisable concerns and a modern, western lifestyle."Here," she writes, "the army is part of lives. Soldiers — boys and girls — are the heroes of the past."

Liar by Justine Larbalestier. Oh, imagine me doing the happy dance. My daughter and I will be reading this together. May be too much mother-daughter time for her but I'm sure the story will hook her. When we're done, one copy goes on the shelf and one goes in the Prize Bucket. I'm hoping the kidlet will review this. This doesn't need an synopsis but do check out Justine's blog. And for those who don't know, check out Zetta's review:
There are definite traces of Octavia Butler in this book, which is one of the highest compliments I can bestow; Larbalestier handles race, sex, and *community* in a very similar, direct way.


Tofu Quilt by Ching Yeung Russell
In her first collection of poems, Ching Yeung Russell captures elements of her youth in rich, vivid snapshots and authentic detail. Readers of all backgrounds will relate to spirited Yeung Ying, her dynamic family, and her courage in the face of life’s obstacles.

I and I by Tony Medina. Thanks to Hannah at Lee & Low we have this lovely title. I'm pretty sure it's going in the Prize Bucket. If you're willing to review it, it's yours.
Brimming with imagination and insight, I and I Bob Marley, is a multifaceted tribute befitting this international musical legend. Soulful, sun-drenched paintings transport readers to Bob Marley’s Jamaica, while uniquely perceptive poems bring to life his fascinating journey from boy to icon.

What did you get in the mail this week, at the library or the bookstore? What's better than another book to read? Until next week, happy reading.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms: Book One of the Inheritance Triology

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
N.K. Jemisin
Orbit
February 2010
reviewer: Doret

Yeine Darr is only 19-yrs-old and already a chieftain among her people, the Darr. They are the outcast and barbarians of the north. Yeine's father is Darr but her mother is Arameri. The Arameris are a powerful people. They have gods on their side, literally. The Arameris have four gods enslaved since the gods' war to ensure their continued influence. Yeine's mother was the rightful heir to throne, but she left it all behind for Yeine's father. After the sudden death of her mother, Yeine is called to the City of Sky, home of the Arameri.There she is named heiress to the king, (her grandfather), along with two cousins. The three will fight amongst themselves to see who will succeed the king. Yeine has Arameri blood but none of their characteristics. She must learn quickly in order to challenge her cousins. Yeine needs allies fast to protect herself and her people, the gods are an option.

Yeine's voice is quickly established. Through her we begin to understand the world, the author's created. It's a world where gods were once its sole inhabitants and their bickering lead to their downfall. Now the gods belong to the Arameri. At first I couldn't grasp gods being imprisoned by man though the author is very convincing. It didn't take long for me to believe it and lose myself in the world she created. Jemisin's writing is straightforward, visually appealing with the right amount of action and the unexpected. I was captured by it.

This is one of those books, once I started, I couldn't stop. I simply had to keep turning the pages. This need to keep reading was do it part to wanting to know if or how Yeine would establish herself among the Arameri people. Then there were the gods, my heart went out to them, for their loss and enslavement. Yeine's relationship with the gods is fragile and undefinable. With one god in particular, Nahadoth, this is especially true. Nahadoth is power; he will do an Arameri's biding though the question must be worded correctly otherwise he won't stop until all is destroyed. There are layers of tension, sexual being one of them between Yeine and Nahadoth. Their relationship is complicated, the dynamics always changing.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is book one of the Inheritance trilogy. Jemisin has written a lovely foundation with this first book.She manages to establish the past the and present at the same time. Though readers will be drawn to Yeine, the gods, and the battle to rule Arameri, they will first be drawn to the wonderful cover created by Cliff Nielsen. I am of the opinion that the cover art is as important if not more than the words themselves for first time authors. The cover of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is eye-catching. Nielsen has given readers a reason to stop and take notice. The story's premise will hold them and Jemisin's writing won't let them go.
______________________________________________
Doret knows YA and more. She's bookseller, reader and reviewer. When she's not helping me with lists,"What Do I Read Next?" and any number of other features here at Color Online, she's blogging at Happy Nappy Bookseller. Check her out.

The Sunday Salon: What We Read, Said & Wrote

I can honestly say something is always going on and I'm never bored. Finally got the news I was waiting for: I start a new job on Monday. Yay, for me. Of course, new job means changes like: long training days, long commute, family getting along just fine while I'm bumbling around in the concrete jungle in the city (one day, I'll have that dream cottage industry job sitting at my home desk).

More news: young women at the nonprofit asked me to supervise their work in the library for their recently awarded internships so we're meeting on Sunday to discuss their duties. I actually spent time reading this week and I have some fantastic titles in the wings. Currently reading A Map of Home. Quite a bit of language and candor which I enjoy but if you don't like swearing, might want to pass on this one though the writing and the story warrants a little tolerance in my opinion.

I've made another important decision: I'm going to attempt homeschooling and I should add I'm not pulling her out of school, but we will be doing some independent study at home. I don't think the kidlet is going to be thrilled but I've been troubled for weeks about what's happening- actually what's not happening at her high school. Add to that I have friends and cousins who home school and I'm impressed, envious really. And if that's not enough, in my reading, often the protagonists are schooled at home on some level. There are things I want my daughter to learn, explore and appreciate and she's not getting what I think matters at school. I'm no teacher but hey, we'll learn together and one thing I am good at is seeking out those who do know what I want to know (When I rant in the future, "What was I thinking?" gently encourage me that I said this really is going to be okay).

All right, on to community stuff. Great week at the post office. Can you say, mother load? Won't share everything today because the post would be ridiculously long. Do check out our New Crayons feature on Sunday. Win a few goodies yourself. You still have time to enter our Del Rio Bay and Mrs. O giveaways.

Can someone tell me why there are few links for CORA Diversity Roll Call? Can I entice you with our Prize Bucket? One participant will earn a free book. We want you to participate, people. Please.

This week for our Women Writers of Color Series, we have the accomplished, Zetta Elliott. Show some love to one of own (who's away in ole Canada for a wedding). While you're sending good vibes to Zetta, please share some with my Z, who is our feature poet for Poetry Friday with, "Life Was Sweeter Than Flies."

Let's talk about reviews. Yours truly managed to crank one out. I read Ms. Chin's, The Other Side of Paradise a couple of months ago, but I wasn't sure I could do it justice. Finally, I told myself just do it already. Someone who does know what she's doing, Doret reviewed The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, a debut title by N.K. Jemisin. And we have a new reviewer, Tea. Tea reviewed First Crossing, a YA title that rounds outs a great week. Don't forget our quizzes. The end of the month is quickly approaching.

Whew, do you agree we had a full week? What happened in your world? What did you read? If you were as busy as I was, you might have not had time to hang out here. Hope TSS helps you zero in on items of interest.

Until next week, happy reading.

Color Online Quiz: Literature and Women Studies

Quiz #76
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.

Kristin Hunter

one of the earliest attempts to realistically depict the black urban experience, is [Hunter's ] most famous example of young adult fiction. This novel gained her recognition as a gifted author of young adult literature. In this work, [she]tells the story of a juvenile gang that forms a music group in order to escape the violence within their community.

I read this book when I was a child. One of my favorite and often cited quotes is by this author, but I didn't know the significance of her body of her work until now when I was looking for a question for today. Thanks, Jill.

Poetry Friday: Life Was Sweeter Than Flies

Her cold hands, against my still body feel so uncomfortable.
But it doesn’t matter because I am no longer living.
I can remember what my days were like,
all up to the point I was murdered
for some useless biology class.
In the forest I was the mother of three tadpoles, my life was great.
I had everything I ever wanted:
nice lily pad, a great mate and friends.

Life was sweeter than flies.
But then a noise- footsteps shook my world.
I panicked, my heart rate skyrocketed.
Fear and anxiety took over like mosquitoes take summer.
"They're here, they’re coming!" I screamed.
But the human didn’t care about me.
I became worthless; nothing mattered.
I knew the end was near.
This warm-blooded hand grabbed me.
With the press of something stinging me, I felt dizzy.
I knew it was over.


My freshman daughter is learning to use poetry devices. Can you pick them out? Initially she thought using devices was difficult enough but the English teacher also required that they used an inanimate object from the book Speak, which they recently read.

I waited patiently for a request for help (yeah, right) and offered a few suggestions and then honestly, I backed up and told her she could do this. She did. I'm a proud momma. Laura Salas hosts this week's Poetry Friday.

Color Me Brown Links

It's has been too long since I've read women's literature, a genre that dominated my reading before I began running my group for girls. Some readers have commented that we focus on YA. Well, I need to address that. I love YA but I'm grown woman who enjoys women's stories as well. We do cover adult literature here and I will work on creating greater balance.

With that said, today's Color Me Brown Links focus on strong women in adult situations. I haven't read Bless Me Ultima but it is included as a closing to our month long celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Hope you find a good read here.

You might recall Bless Me Ultima by Rudolpho Anaya is one of our recommended titles for Hispanic Heritage Month. We can thank the voracious reader, Eva for a great review at A Striped Armchair.
I knew that it was a coming-of-age story set in New Mexico during the 40s. I vaguely imagined some kind of The Outsiders only with Hispanic teens. But I was so wrong! Antonio, the protagonist, is only 6 when the story begins (and 7 when it ends). And the book is about religion and belief; it’s Antonio’s religious coming-of-age tale. Ultima is a wisewoman, or curandera, who comes to live with his family in her old age.

Lotus Reads reads some amazing works. Most times the novels are set in places I've never been and her reviews are as brilliant as the stories written. Here's a collection of reviews starting with a Woman at Point Zero.Firdaus was born into a peasant home in Egypt. From a young age she realized that being born a girl was a curse. Women were just property that men owned....chattel. Even their bodies didn't belong to them, but to the men that "kept" them. She was only a little girl when her Uncle's hands would steal to her thighs as she worked on kneading dough for the family meal, and then, when she was not much older she was given in marriage to a grotesquely-ugly man in his '60's who used her for his pleasure...

If you enjoy the more heady, academic reviews do check out Asian American Literature Fans. I don't spend enough time there. If you're nerdy and enjoyed lectures, go here. Stephen Hongsohn reviews The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar.
Thrity Umrigar’s The Weight of Heaven is perhaps one of my favorite novels I have read in the past couple of years. It’s a hefty book as the title suggests, especially as is routed through the ethics of globalization. What makes this book a success is the absolute conviction with which we believe the bereavement of the main characters, Frank and Ellie Benton, who lose their son, Benny, to a tragic bout with meningitis.

Have you read or written a review that you think we should feature for CMB? Send me a link. Happy reading.

Color Online Quiz: Literature and Women Studies

Quiz #75
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.

I have two overriding childhood memories or impressions: One, was always being excruciating aware of the poverty around me. Now, as a middle-class kid, you're not supposed to be that aware of--or certainly not supposed to be tortured by--the poverty around you. It's a defense mechanism of sorts, to be able to ignore it. ~Thrity Umrigar


She grew up in Bombay, India. A recipient of the Neiman Fellowship at Harvard.
Thanks, Ari!

The Other Side of Paradise: Out of the Mouths of Babes

The Other Side of Paradise
Staceyann Chin
2009
Scribner

The Other Side of Paradise written by Staceyann Chin is startling in its clarity, fresh in its narration and the writing is as bold as the young poet, writer, lesbian activist is daily in her tweets or one of her performances. TOSoP is about a young girl who refused to be quiet. She came into the world unexpectedly with lungs much bigger than her premature body should have had.

What I love most about The Other Side of Paradise is the writer’s voice, specifically Staceyann the child’s voice. The voice is authentic. You can’t manufacture this. Some would say the child’s voice is audacious, and it is. In a culture where it is trendy to create in-your-face work, The Other Side of Paradise doesn’t have to scream at you to captivate you. Young Staceyann not knowing how dangerous it is to speak her mind honestly makes you cringe and want to hush the child before she says one more thing that earns her a scolding, a smack and rejection. It’s the cruel reality of being innocent and vulnerable that wallops you upside the head.

This memoir plays out like a daring Indi film. The footage looks like it’s unedited but the rendering is so flawless, you know it’s a carefully crafted work of a real writer. While we get Staceyann as-is there is nothing clumsy or awkward here. This work isn’t burdened with analysis nor is it a sanitized, hindsight-laden trope. Instead we come to know Chin through reliving her experiences and digesting choice reflections of what those experiences mean. Staceyann the child suffers abuse, neglect, abandoment and rejection but she doesn’t carry her victimization around like a child’s tattered blanket. She calls it what it is and does what she can rid herself of it so she can get on with becoming the woman she wants to be.

There are many poignant episodes in this memoir. In all of them, I was so vested that often I was having an internal dialogue with Staceyann: Oh, no, Staceyann, no, not this time. Don’t answer. Don’t tell the truth. Be quiet. Instead of pandering, Chin gives us relief when we need it with organic episodes that say even when life is ugly we find some joy. When the young girl discovers she can pleasure herself, I laughed and ached with her. When her aunt scolds her, when she tells Staceyann that her life is her own fault, and it is Staceyann’s responsibility to avoid being hurt by others, I relived the sting of being shamed and the isolation of knowing there is no one you can cry out to, to protect you, and I know many women who figuratively know the desperation of wrapping yourself tightly in a filthy, disgusting sheet. Ms. Chin’s memoir is a testament that while we may been violated, we do not have to remain victims. We can fight back and win.

I knew little about Ms. Chin’s work or her before reading The Other Side of Paradise. What I discovered was a child I did know. I am glad I took the time to listen, to listen to the child who grew, who dared to not be quiet and who later became the woman who was audacious enough to tell her story. Ms. Chin’s memoir is impressive, provocative, brilliant writing. It is an unflinching look at the other side of Paradise.

Women Writers of Color Series: Zetta Elliott

Full name: Zetta Elliott

Birth date: 1972—I’m a Scorpio

Location: Ajax, Ontario (just outside of Toronto)

Website/blog: Fledgling

Genre:
I write across a number of genres: children’s literature, speculative fiction, poetry, plays, memoir.

WiP or most recently published work:
I just finished a MG novel called Muñecas, and am working on Judah’s Tale, a sequel to my YA novel, A Wish After Midnight.

Writing credits:
My poetry has been published in the Cave Canem anthology, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Check the Rhyme: an Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees, and Coloring Book: an Eclectic Anthology of Fiction and Poetry by Multicultural Writers. My novella, Plastique, was excerpted in T Dot Griots: an Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers, and my essays have appeared in The Black Arts Quarterly, thirdspace, WarpLand and Rain and Thunder. I won the Honor Award in Lee & Low Books’ New Voices Contest, and my picture book, Bird, was published in October 2008. I’ve also self-published several books including A Wish After Midnight, Stranger in the Family, Three Plays, One-Act Plays, and Ten-Minute Plays.

How frequently do you update your site?
Usually every other day, though blogging can be a great way to procrastinate…

Is your site designed for reader interaction?
Not really, aside from the links I put in my posts, the videos on my sidebar, and the option to leave comments.

Post of note, something in particular you want readers to check out:
My open letter to the children’s publishing industry

100 words or less how would you describe your work?
I’m really interested in dramatic writing, so whether I’m writing a play or a novel or a poem, I try to make it vivid and compelling—a story told from a different point of view using an authentic, unusual voice. My work is fairly traditional when it comes to form, but I hope people find it daring nonetheless; I try to say things out loud that we otherwise might only whisper among ourselves.

100 words on less please share your thoughts on the writing life:
There’s no one way to be a writer. And there’s a difference between being a writer and being an author. As Toni Morrison pointed out, you need permission to be the latter, but not the former. I’d encourage everyone to find a way to tell your own story. Don’t wait for it to miraculously appear in someone else’s book. And writing can be its own reward; don’t do it for fame or fortune, because authentic stories often don’t sell and/or bring in a lot of money. But they’re still worth telling, and we can learn a lot about ourselves (and each other) but putting our truth down on the page (or the web!).

Thanks, Zetta. Check out Neesha Meminger's recent review of A Wish After Midnight and congratualtions to her for her Cybils nomination.