New Crayons & Borders

New Crayons is a weekly meme hosted by we, the staff of Color Online. In this meme we share 1-2 titles we each got this week. We hope that you discover new titles and feel inclined to share the new titles you bought/received/traded for as well. Especially since Borders is being shutdown, we know you have some books to put on our radar!

Speaking of Borders, how do you feel about it being shutdown? Are you going to attend the sales? If you have been to Borders while it has its final markdowns, what did you think of the bargains?

Nathalie

Hush, Baby, Hush! Lullabies from Around the World by Kathy Henderson, illustrated by Pam Smy

A book of traditional lullabies with a difference. Gathered from all over the world, these beautiful, simple songs give a flavour of different parts of the world as well as showing that soothing a baby to sleep is the same the world over. With words in the original language plus the English version, together with a melody line and delightful illustrations by Pam Smy, this is the perfect gift book for parents of new babies.

The lullabies come from:

Australia (Aboriginal) Austria Bangladesh Brazil Czech Republic England France Greece Greenland Hungary India Iran Iraq Italy Jamaica Japan Korea Malawi Mexico Nigeria Norway Russia Spain Turkey USA (Hopi) Wales West Africa (Yoruba).

Terri

Pao by Kerry Young

As a young boy, Pao comes to Jamaica in the wake of the Chinese Civil War and rises to become the Godfather of Kingston's bustling Chinatown. Pao needs to take care of some dirty business, but he is no Don Corleone. The rackets he runs are small-time, and the protection he provides necessary, given the minority status of the Chinese in Jamaica. Pao, in fact, is a sensitive guy in a wise guy role that doesn't quite fit. Often mystified by all that he must take care of, Pao invariably turns to Sun Tzu's Art of War. The juxtaposition of the weighty, aphoristic words of the ancient Chinese sage, with the tricky criminal and romantic predicaments Pao must negotiate builds the basis of the novel's great charm.

A tale of post-colonial Jamaica from a unique and politically potent perspective, Pao moves from the last days of British rule through periods of unrest at social and economic inequality, through tides of change that will bring about Rastafarianism and the Back to Africa Movement. Pao is an utterly beguiling, unforgettable novel of race, class and creed, love and ambition, and a country in the throes of tumultuous change.

Doret

Dancing Home by Alma Flor Ada

A year of discoveries culminates in a performance full of surprises, as two girls find their own way to belong.

Mexico may be her parents’ home, but it’s certainly not Margie’s. She has finally convinced the other kids at school she is one-hundred percent American—just like them. But when her Mexican cousin Lupe visits, the image she’s created for herself crumbles.

Things aren’t easy for Lupe, either. Mexico hadn’t felt like home since her father went North to find work. Lupe’s hope of seeing him in the United States comforts her some, but learning a new language in a new school is tough. Lupe, as much as Margie, is in need of a friend.

Little by little, the girls’ individual steps find the rhythm of one shared dance, and they learn what “home” really means. In the tradition of My Name is Maria Isabel—and simultaneously published in English and in Spanish—Alma Flor Ada and her son Gabriel M. Zubizarreta offer an honest story of family, friendship, and the classic immigrant experience: becoming part of something new, while straying true to who you are.

Ari

Till You Hear From Me by Pearl Cleage

From the acclaimed Pearl Cleage, author of What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day . . . and Seen It All and Done the Rest, comes an Obama-era romance featuring a cast of unforgettable characters.

Just when it appears that all her hard work on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is about to pay off with a White House job, thirty-five-year-old Ida B. Wells Dunbar finds herself on Washington, D.C.’s post-election sidelines even as her twentysomething counterparts overrun the West Wing. Adding to her woes, her father, the Reverend Horace A. Dunbar, Atlanta civil rights icon and self-described “foot soldier for freedom,” is notoriously featured on an endlessly replayed YouTube clip in which his pronouncements don’t exactly jibe with the new era in American politics.

The Rev’s stinging words and myopic views don’t sound anything like the man who raised Ida to make her mark in the world. When friends call to express their concern, Ida realizes it’s time to head home and see for herself what’s going on. Besides, with her job prospects growing dimmer, getting out of D.C. for a while might be the smartest move she could make.

Back in her old West End neighborhood, Ida runs into childhood friend and smooth political operator Wes Harper, also in town to pay a visit to the Reverend Dunbar, his mentor. Ida doesn’t trust Wes or his mysterious connections for one second, but she can’t deny her growing attraction to him.

While Ida and the Rev try to find the balance between personal loyalties and political realities, they must do some serious soul searching in order to get things back on track before Wes permanently derails their best laid plans.

A Great Day For A World Do Over

This morning, I woke up and learned about the tragedy in Norway . A man killed over 80 people at a youth camp, after bombing central Olso. I've become immune to a lot of the awful things that happen in the world. But this broke my heart. It's so hard to process and understand this type of senseless tragedy.

Tonight I came home and learn about the train crash in China . After I got over the shock of the accident, my first thought was at least only 32 people died. And I felt guilty as hell for thinking that. It's a very sad day when such a thought is possible.

I know it could never happen but today would be a great day for a World do over. My heart goes out to Norway and China.

New Crayons, New Week

We host this meme which asks you to share what new books you got for the week. Not just so we can wish you a 'Happy Reading!' but also so that we can all find new books to add onto our TBR lists. So the purpose is two-fold and a wee bit selfish ;D But we thank you for sharing your book titles with us.





Doret

Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoro-Ng, illustrated by Yuyi Morales

From Maya Soetoro-Ng, sister of President Obama, comes a lyrical story relaying the loving wisdom of their late mother to a young granddaughter she never met.

Little Suhaila wishes she could have known her grandma, who would wrap her arms around the whole world if she could, Mama says. And one night, Suhaila gets her wish when a golden ladder appears at her window, and Grandma Annie invites the girl to come along with her on a magical journey. In a rich and deeply personal narrative, Maya Soetoro-Ng draws inspiration from her mother’s love for family, her empathy for others, and her ethic of service to imagine this remarkable meeting. Evoking fantasy and folklore, the story touches on events that have affected people across the world in our time and reaffirms our common humanity. Yuyi Morales’s breathtaking artwork illuminates the dreamlike tale, reminding us that loved ones lost are always with us, and that sometimes we need only look at the moon and remember.

Vasilly

Push by Sapphire

An electrifying first novel that shocks by its language, its circumstances, and its brutal honesty, Push recounts a young black street-girl's horrendous and redemptive journey through a Harlem inferno. For Precious Jones, 16 and pregnant with her father's child, miraculous hope appears and the world begins to open up for her when a courageous, determined teacher bullies, cajoles, and inspires her to learn to read, to define her own feelings and set them down in a diary.



The Kid by Sapphire

Fifteen years after the publication of Push, one year after the Academy Award-winning film adaptation, Sapphire gives voice to Precious's son, Abdul.

In The Kid bestselling author Sapphire tells the electrifying story of Abdul Jones, the son of Push's unforgettable heroine, Precious.

A story of body and spirit, rooted in the hungers of flesh and of the soul, The Kid brings us deep into the interior life of Abdul Jones. We meet him at age nine, on the day of his mother's funeral. Left alone to navigate a world in which love and hate sometimes hideously masquerade, forced to confront unspeakable violence, his history, and the dark corners of his own heart, Abdul claws his way toward adulthood and toward an identity he can stand behind.

In a generational story that moves with the speed of thought from a Mississippi dirt farm to Harlem in its heyday; from a troubled Catholic orphanage to downtown artist's lofts, The Kid tells of a twenty- first-century young man's fight to find a way toward the future. A testament to the ferocity of the human spirit and the deep nourishing power of love and of art, The Kid chronicles a young man about to take flight.

What are you reading this week? Do you read lighter reads during the summer or try and tackle the 'heavy duty' reads?

Books That Would Make Great Movies

I love reading enough to know, books don't need to be turned into movies to prove their worth. But since books are acquired and adapted into movies on a regular basis, four titles I think would make great movies.

1. The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter -This was a great book. Its very visual with a lot of action and suspense. I could easily see this in the style of a John Grisham movie.

2. Right as Rain by George Pelecanos (anything by the author but this would be my first choice) All of Pelecanos mysteries are set in D.C. as an author he owns that city. I am very surprised none of his novels have been turned into movies. He used to work on the HBO's series the Wire along with Denise Lehane. At least three of Lehane's novels have been turned into movies and their styles are similar.

After doing a quick search I discovered that a Right as Rain movie is in the works for 2013.

3. 32 Candles by Ernessa Carter - I know the movies rights have already been sold. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that it gets made. If you loved Davie Jones, encourage Mirmax to get on with it and not sit on the book rights. Every time you see 32 Candles mentioned in social media land, comment on how much you loved the book and can't wait to see the movie.

4. Finally I am going to go old school classic with A Confederacy of the Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. I love this book. Out of the four it would be the most difficult to turn into a movie. But if it was pulled off some how it would be amazing.

I am on fire today, A Confederacy of the Dunces movie is in the works. Starring Will Ferrell. Ferrell is great and his movies are always very funny, I just can't picture him as Ignatius. Also from director's credits, I can see David Gordon Green going too over the top to make it work.

What books would you like to see turned into movies?

Women Writers of Color: Jean Kwok

Full Name : Jean Kwok
Website: Jean Kwok
Birthplace: Hong Kong
Raised In: New York City
Current Location: The Netherlands
Genre: Fiction
Most Recently Published Work: Girl in Translation

Can you tell us a little about Girl in Translation?

Girl in Translation is the story of a young Chinese immigrant girl named Kimberly Chang who starts leading a double life: exceptional school girl by day and a factory worker in the evenings. Since she needs to hide the harder truths of her life – her extreme poverty, the weight of her family’s future resting on her shoulders—she learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself, back and forth, between the worlds she lives in. In the end, she needs to choose between the worlds she straddles and the two very different young men who love her.

Girl in Translation is a work of fiction but it is based upon my own life. Like my characters Kimberly and her mother, my family and I also immigrated from Hong Kong to New York City when I was a child. We too went from being fairly well off to needing to start our lives all over again. When my family started working in a sweatshop in Chinatown to survive, I had to go along to help work, even though I was only five years old. We lived in an apartment that didn’t have any central heating, and was swarming with cockroaches and rats. The only way to have any warmth at all was to keep our oven on throughout the long bitter winters. Fortunately, like Kimberly, I also had a talent for school. Although I struggled initially, I was soon able to learn English and ultimately went on to study at Harvard.

When Kimberly and her mother moved into their first rundown apartment I could see all of its cracks and roaches. I even felt the cold. The stories visual strength is due in part to your connection to the main character. So why a novel and not a memoir?

The main reason I chose fiction rather than memoir was because I never wanted to talk about my own background. I thought I’d be able to hide behind the fact that this is a novel but when the book began to receive a great deal of international attention, it became clear that the autobiographical aspect was an essential part of my message. People wanted to know if working class immigrants could actually live under such harsh circumstances, and I understood it was important to answer, “Yes.”

The book has been received so warmly by critics and readers alike that my shame has now turned into pride. I am glad I was able to tell our story because I know there are so many other Americans in similar situations.

There's a beautiful ease to this story. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. What to you think made this story such a page turner?

I’m always so glad to hear that. I did work hard on making it that way. Another reason I chose to write a novel instead of a memoir was because in order to make the book a compelling read, I needed to experiment with language and structure in ways that are not possible in a memoir. It took me ten years to learn enough craft to write this book.

I was interested in the idea of using the first person narrator – the “I” voice– in a new way. I wanted to put the reader into the head and heart of a Chinese person and there by give readers the experience of actually becoming a Chinese immigrant for the course of my novel: to hear Chinese like a native speaker and to hear their own language as gibberish. People tell me that they’d never realized what was like to be intelligent and articulate in their own language but to come across as very simple in a foreign language. This was something that my own mother experienced every day, since she never learned to speak English properly.

Although this novel was drawn from my own life, I used everything I knew to put interesting characters in challenging situations so that the reader wouldn’tbe able to put the book down. I hoped readers would be both entertained and enlightened.

I loved Girl in Translation. I only wondered at Kimberly's straight A's. It made more sense after reading your FAQ's. Still why not one B?

This is a good point but I don’t think Kimberly would have gotten any B’s. Although she struggled with many aspects of American society, school was her gift. And she was serious about it. I felt very much the same way as a child. I took school seriously because I knew it was my only way out of the factory. I couldn’t afford to moan and groan and slack off because if I did, I’d probably be working as a seamstress in a sweatshop right now. Like Kimberly, I was also incredibly lucky to be able to do well in school. That was something I was born with and I’ve always been extremely grateful for it.

Aside from the grades I really liked that Kimberly wasn't perfect. Girl in Translation was a great debut that was well received last year. What was the first high praise review of Girl in Translation you read? Do you still have a copy of it?

I was stunned by the reaction the novel got. Most people who work in sweatshops as children grow up to be adults who work in sweatshops. They don’t generally become writers. I never expected to actually succeed as a writer, and I certainly never thought my debut novel would be published in 15 countries, become a New York Times bestseller or win awards.

The funny thing is that I’d Googled myself before the book came out and the Jean Kwok who showed up was the one who worked for the Hands On condom factory (NOT me, by the way)! I just Googled myself today in response to this question and found more than 5 million hits.

I can’t remember the very first review but I do remember being shocked as the novel kept getting chosen to be featured by publications like the New York Times, USA Today, People, and Vogue. You can see some of the reviews here

This was just my little book, which I had written all alone in the attic of my home! I kept pinching myself. I was sure for a very long time that this was one big hallucination. I still wonder sometimes.

This would make a great book club selection, especially since the paperback has just been released. Have you had an opportunity to interact with any book clubs?

I love it when book clubs choose the book. It was actually a Blue Ribbon featured pick for all of the following book clubs: Book of the Month, Doubleday, Literary Guild, Large Print, the Lifestyle Clubs, Rhapsody, and Book of the Month Club 2. I was very surprised and honored when this happened.

Many people have told me that their book clubs have chosen the book and sometimes, I talk to book clubs either in person, by phone or Skype. It’s always a lot of fun.

What's your favorite part of a book tour? What are your book tour essentials?

No question about it – my favorite part of a book tour is meeting the readers.It is so wonderful to hear from people who have read the book. Some tell me how it made them think about their own backgrounds or that of someone they know. Some just say it helped them become more aware. All of those kind words mean so much to me. It makes it all worthwhile.

I split my luggage into two smallbags: one I check and one I keep with me at all times. If my checked bag is lost, it will never catch up to me on a book tour because I’m in a different city practically every day. I would need to be able to complete the tour with the contents of the other bag alone. So if you consider that bag, the one I always keep with me, to contain my book tour essentials, then this is what is in it:

Book tour schedule (tells me exactly what to do and where to go and who to call for help) Girl in Translation (so I can read from it, the paperback because it’s lighter) Wallet, Camera, Laptop, USB stick, presenter and notes (for when I use Powerpoint slides to showphotos with my talks) Cell phone, E-book reader/Poetry (because I love poetry, and poetry books are thin) Makeup (enough to prepare for a formal, filmed event) One nice outfit, Heels (to go with nice outfit) Toiletries (in mini form, enough to get through a day) Silk scarf (for temperature changes) Solid perfume (to make me feel happy and calm)

What are you working on now?
I am hoping to finish my next book very soon! It’s set in the Chinese immigrant community and in the professional ballroom dance world. I worked as a professional ballroom dancer for about three years in between my Bachelor’s degree at Harvard and my Masters at Columbia University. My next novel will be both a Chinese immigrant story and a love story set in the dance world.

*photo by Sigrid Estrada

New Crayons, New Challenge

New Crayons was created by susan, the original founder of Color Online. It's a meme in which bloggers (you don't necessarily have to be a book blogger to participate in this meme, just someone who likes to read) share what new books they received/bought/traded for the week.





Ari

The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez

Miraflores has never known her father, and until now, she’s never thought that he wanted to know her. She’s long been aware that her mother had an affair with him while she was stationed with her then husband in Panama, and she’s always assumed that her pregnant mother came back to the United States alone with his consent. But when Miraflores returns to the Chicago suburb where she grew up, to care for her mother at a time of illness, she discovers that her mother and father had a greater love than she ever thought possible, and that her father had wanted her more than she could have ever imagined.

In secret, Miraflores plots a trip to Panama, in search of the man whose love she hopes can heal her mother—and whose presence she believes can help her find the pieces of her own identity that she thought were irretrievably lost. What she finds is unexpected, exhilarating, and holds the power to change the course of her life completely.

In gorgeous, shimmering prose, Cristina Henríquez delivers a triumphant and heartbreaking first novel: the story of a young woman reconciling an existence between two cultures and confronting a life of hardship with an endless capacity to learn, love, and forgive.

Doret

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami

Eleven-year old Dini loves movies—watching them, reading about them, trying to write her own—especially Bollywood movies. But when her mother tells her some big news, it does not at all jive with the script of her life she has in mind. Her family is moving to India…and, not even to Bombay, which is the center of the Bollywood universe and home to Dini’s all-time most favorite star, Dolly. No, Dini is moving to a teeny, tiny village she can’t even find on a map. Swapnagiri. It means Dream Mountain and it only looks like a word that’s hard to pronounce. But to that open-minded person who sounds the name out, one letter at a time, it falls quite handily into place: S-w-a-p-n-a-g-i-r-i. An honest sort of name, with no surprise letters waiting to leap out and ambush the unwary. That doesn’t mean there aren’t surprises in Swapnagiri like mischievous monkeys and a girl who chirps like a bird—and the biggest surprise of all: Dolly.

So now, Dini is hard at work on a new script, the script in which she gets to meet the amazing Dolly. But, life is often more unpredictable than the movies and when Dini starts plotting her story things get a little out of control.

This is a joyful, lively Bollywood inspired story is full of colorful details, delicious confections and the wondrous, magical powers of coincidence. Uma Krisnaswami will have you smiling from ear to ear.

Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Springs into Action by Jacqueline Jules

In this sequel, Freddie has shoes that give him super speed. It's hard to be a superhero and a regular kid at the same time, especially when your shoes give you even more power! Freddie needs an on/off switch for his super speed, so Mr. Vaslov, who created the shoes, decides to invent a remote control, but he gets more than he planned. When his young neighbor's ball goes missing, Freddie uses his new powers to find it... and save Mr. Vaslov.



Diversify Your Summer Reading! by spreading the word you can win 7 books with diverse characters, ends July 31. The general challenge ends September 1. To learn more go to this post


Libraries: We invite librarians to incorporate diverse middle grade and young adult novels into your summer reading programs, whether it’s as a book display, a book club event, or a book list you’ve created to share with your patrons. Please take photos or shoot video of your display or event and share them with us!

Readers and Book Bloggers: We invite readers and book bloggers to read diverse MG and YA books throughout the summer (you choose the books!) and write an essay (at least 500 words) about your experience. You can post it on your website, Blogger, LiveJournal, Tumblr, or on Facebook; we only ask that your post be publicly readable.

What to read: You can read whichever diverse books you like! By diverse we mean: (1) main characters or major secondary characters (e.g., a love interest or best friend kind of character) who are of color or are LGBT; or (2) written by a person of color or LGBT author

Minding Ben by Victoria Brown

Minding Ben by Victoria Brown
At 16 Grace, makes the trip alone from her home in Trinidad to NYC. Grace finds herself alone when her aunt doesn't show at the airport. All of that happens in the prologue. When the story really gets going, its 1991 Grace is 18yrs old, living with Sylvia, a fellow Trinidadian she meet at carnival. Grace is helping take care of Sylvia's three kids. Plus the brother, six people staying in Sylvia's rundown Brooklyn apartment. Grace is trying to find work as a nanny. Not being a U.S citizen, is making the job search very difficult.

Grace finally gets a job with the Bruckner's, a wealthy Manhattan couple. She's hired as a weekly live in for their four year old son Ben. Grace is being paid $200 a week and knows its less then average for the area, but she needs the money. The Bruckner's take advantage. The wife is always finding more tedious work for Grace.

Brown does an excellent job of showing this very unbalanced employee and employer relationship. At one point the Bruckner's even hint at being Grace's sponsor to become citizen. Making it more difficult for Grace to leave a bad situation.

Grace takes Ben out to the park and sits with some of the other Caribbean nannies. The author incorporates many Island dialects, which I absolutely loved. It was easy to visualize these women sitting around a park bench, having causal conversations to pass the time.

One of the great things about this story, every interaction served a purpose. When Grace first talks to the Bruckner's doorman it's obvious he feel above the nannies. Brown paints a full picture of Grace, with the story lines running together smoothly. I loved Grace's best friend Kathy. She is also from Trinidad and has fully embraced Jamaican style.

"Kathy shook her head. She was one of those Trinidadians of indeterminate race, a real callaloo. Her chabine hair came almost to her waist in a ponytail looked just like a real pony's tail. She was red-skinned, short and plump - or as she liked to call herself, slim thick-. Karen had taken to Jamaicans. She left Trinidad exactly three months before I did and dropped her h's as frequently as she remembered to pronounce them. Not only had she picked up the accent but she had picked up the style. Now she sported a purple sweater and tight blue jeans. Simple enough but Kathy had only last Saturday gone to the Empire Boulevard post office to pick up her very own BeDazzler. Brooklyn Jamaicans were crazy about the potential for transformation locked away in every bite of the BeDazzler. Three braclets of rhinestones sparkled on Kath's cuffs and a line of jewels dotted up each arm. From the shoulders the stones ringed the neck of her sweater in three rows to mimic the cuff effect. Kathy had repeated the triple pattern on the hem of her jeans and had studded up its outer side seams to the front pockets. This dazzling effect was completed with purple, spiny stars on both back pockets and one final oversize rinestone centered on her back loop. All in all I estimated about two and a half pounds of gems.

When the author broke out the BeDazzler, couldn't help but like the story just a little more. Minding Ben is firmly set in NYC early 90's more so Brooklyn. It was fun for me to be reminded of past trends, like Karl Kani and being able to picture much of the world Grace was living in.

Brown has created a great character in Grace. I loved her voice. Minding Ben was an easy novel to fall into. I really enjoyed it.

An excerpt

Summer Selections

I thought it would be fun for some of us at Color Online to list a few recommendations for the summer. Ari's Summer Selections went up last week.

I cheated a little and didn't show covers so I could fit more titles. I also included some paperbacks since not everyone likes to travel with hardcovers.

When I go on vacation I always take one mystery, one book that will have me laughing so much it hurts and one novel that's tad on the serious side.

Black Water Rising by Attica Locke - This is perfect for fans of Lehane or Pelecanos. Or anyone that's ever lived in Houston. (paperback)

The Long Fall by Walter Mosley - The Long Fall is the first book, introducing Leonid Mcgill one of the best new mystery sleuths out. (paperback)

32 Candles by Ernessa T Carter - This story is ridiculously good and very funny. (paperback)

Waking Up in the Land of Glitter by Kathy Cano-Murillo - This is must for anyone who loves to craft or enjoys watching crafty show. Or just loves to laugh a lot. (paperback)

Pym by Mat Johnson - This is so freakin good. A must for fans of satires - One of my favorites of the year.

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok -Once you start reading this you won't be able to stop. So if its the only book you have in your carry on and the plane is delayed, your good to go. (paperback)

If Son Then Heirs by Lorene Cary - I loved losing myself in this story. The writing was pure beauty.

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin - Gorgeous. This is one of the few times I've read a translated novel and didn't feel like part of the story was lost in translation. One of my favorites of the year.

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones - Amazing, this story came together so well. Another favorite of the year.

New Crayons

Got big plans for Independence Day? Have fun, be safe and, hopefully they include some reading. If you're looking for some inspiration, here ya go...

Natasha--

Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon

Set in a suburb of Las Vegas, Ella and Zachary, called Z, have been friends forever, but Z has always been "the weird kid" in their class. He collects stubby pencils, plays chess, and maintains an elaborate –and public– fantasy life, starring himself as a brave knight. Z's games were okay back in 3rd or 4th grade, but by now their other friends have ditched them both. Z doesn't care, but Ella longs to be part of a group of friends, even though most of the class makes fun of her. Ella's mother is black and her father (now deceased) was white, and she's the only black girl in their sixth grade class. When a new boy, Bailey, moves to town, he befriends Ella, because they are now the only two black kids in class. But Bailey is popular – popular enough to make Ella cool and give her a wider circle of friends – but only if she stops hanging out with Z. Ella's faced with a difficult decision – remain loyal to the boy who has been her best and only friend for years, or pass up the opportunity to be one of the popular kids that she has always longed to be.

Africans Thought of It: Amazing Innovations by Bathsheba Opini

Set in a suburb of Las Vegas, Ella and Zachary, called Z, have been friends forever, but Z has always been "the weird kid" in their class. He collects stubby pencils, plays chess, and maintains an elaborate –and public– fantasy life, starring himself as a brave knight. Z's games were okay back in 3rd or 4th grade, but by now their other friends have ditched them both. Z doesn't care, but Ella longs to be part of a group of friends, even though most of the class makes fun of her. Ella's mother is black and her father (now deceased) was white, and she's the only black girl in their sixth grade class. When a new boy, Bailey, moves to town, he befriends Ella, because they are now the only two black kids in class. But Bailey is popular – popular enough to make Ella cool and give her a wider circle of friends – but only if she stops hanging out with Z. Ella's faced with a difficult decision – remain loyal to the boy who has been her best and only friend for years, or pass up the opportunity to be one of the popular kids that she has always longed to be.

Redeemers: Ideas and Power in Latin America by Enrique Krauze

Latin America has been of vital importance to the United States almost since the birth of our nation, and the significance of this relationship has only increased in recent decades. But mutual understanding between these regions is lacking, even as Latin Americans are striving to promote the values of democracy in their native countries and beyond. Why has this process proved to be such a struggle, and what does the future of the region hold?

In Redeemers, acclaimed historian Enrique Krauze presents the major ideas that have formed the modern Latin American political mind during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from early postcolonial authoritarian regimes to nineteenth-century Liberalism and Conservatism, and then the impact of Socialism and Marxism as well as nationalism and indigenism and the movement toward liberal democracy of recent years. Krauze looks closely at how these ideas have been expressed in the lives of influential revolutionaries, thinkers, poets, and novelists—figures whose lives were marked by a passionate involvement in history, power, and, for some, revolution, as well as a personal commitment to love, friendship, and family. Krauze’s subjects come from across the continents. Here are the Cuban José Martí; the Argentines Che Guevara and Evita Perón; the groundbreaking political thinkers José Vasconcelos of Mexico and José Carlos Mariátegui from Peru. Writers José Enrique Rodó, Mario Vargas Llosa, Octavio Paz, and Gabriel García Márquez reinforce the importance of imagination to inspire social change.

Redeemers also highlights Mexico’s Samuel Ruiz and Subcomandante Marcos and Venezuela’s president Hugo Chávez, and their influence on contemporary Latin America.

In this brilliant and deeply researched history, Enrique Krauze uses the range of these extraordinary lives to illuminate the struggle that has defined Latin American history: an ever-precarious balance between the ideal of democracy and the temptation of political messianism. Through this comprehensive collage of the distinct but interconnected experiences and views of these twelve fascinating cultural and political figures, we can better understand how this balance continues to affect Latin America today and how its nations will define themselves and relate to the larger world in the years ahead.

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by . . . and the beauty of her very own papaya tree.
But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape . . . and the strength of her very own family.
This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next.

Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia

Brought together each summer at a boarding school in Switzerland, three girls learn a lot more than just French and European culture. Shirin, an Iranian princess; Ingrid, a German-Canadian eccentric; and Vivien, a Cuban-Jewish New Yorker culinary phenom, are thrown into each other’s lives when they become roommates. This is a story of 3 paths slowly beginning to cross and merge as they spend the year apart, but the summers together. Through navigating the social-cultural shoals of the school, developing their adolescence, and learning the confusing and conflicting legacies of their families’ past, Shirin, Ingrid, and Vivien form an unbreakable bond.

Terri--

Act of Grace by Karen Simpson

Why would Grace Johnson, a bright, African-American high school senior, save the life of a Ku Klux Klansman named Jonathan Gilmore?

That question hovers over Grace’s hometown of Vigilant, Michigan, and few people, black or white, understand her actions—especially since rumor has it that many years ago, a member of the Gilmore family murdered several African-American residents. And if Grace had her way, she would not reveal the circumstances that led her to make what some deem to be a foolish sacrifice and an act of treason against her race.

The decision to remain silent, however, is not Grace’s to make, for the spirit of her ancestors have emerged and insist, in ways Grace cannot ignore, that she bear witness to the violent racial history that continues to divide the town of Vigilant. But when Grace discovers a century-old tale of a bloadsoaked, eye-for-eye vengeance that includes the mysterious death of her own father, she questions whether she has the ability and the will to accept the mind-bending spiritual challenge in front of her.

As Grace reluctantly embarks on the unlikeliest of journeys and into the magical world of the African-American traditions used by her ancestors to fight slavery and oppression, she undergoes a spiritual transformation that leads to the true nature of her calling: to lead Jonathan Gilmore, the town of Vigilant and her own soul on a path toward reconciliation, redemption and true grace.

Summer Selections

I thought it would be a fun idea for some of us, Color Online contributors to name a few summer read picks.

Ari's Summer Selections

Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins -I'm late on reading this one but I'm very glad I saved it for summer. Jazz travels to India for the summer with her family and it's the classic tale of discovering yourself in a foreign country. What makes this book really stand out is that I learned a lot about India both directly and indirectly, through conversations Jazz had with girls at her school (I know attending school in the summer, the horror!) and through her observations. While I hated her attitude towards helping others, I admired her entrepreneurial spirit and she did change :)

Saving Maddie by Varian Johnson -Joshua is the narrator, he wants to "save" his old childhood friend (and crush), Maddie who has moved away from the church. Maddie challenges Joshua on his beliefs and the author challenges readers to ask themselves if everyone needs to be saved (not just in the religious sense of the word, mind you). The relationship Joshua has with his parents is rare in that his parents are a known presence in his life who both frustrate him and make him happy. His parents also grow as characters. Plus there's a sly side to the novel, it's not always clear if Maddie and Joshua are going to be romantically involved, it's tastefully portrayed. I only wish a sequel would be in the works and that the cover was more guy-friendly (although I love that lipstick shade and pretty cross!)

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves The only reason I have for making this a summer read is because it's set in Texas. Texas is hot. Therefore it's a summer read. Wonderfully bizarre, not for the faint of heart (well actually it is because I scare so easily but I was able to handle this book. Then again it's not paranormal/fantasy that scares me). Hanna is the main character and she's so bold, confident and yet vulnerable at the same time, aching for her mother's love. I adore her.

The Great Call of China by Cynthea Liu - A summer in China leads to observations and knowledge being imparted on the one-child policy, surprisngly deep. A bonus is one of the minor characters being the complete opposite of the 'submissive Asian girl stereotype' and I really liked the romance (I'm a sucker for cross-cultural love yes but I also like when love interests bond over their shared ethnic culture, it's cute).




Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier -Probably one of the slowest-moving books I've ever read, but this contemporary YA is well worth a read if you ever wanted an All-You-Need-To-Know-About-South-Asian-American-Culture guide (which is both good and bad). Dimple is one of the funniest main characters I've ever come across, definitely a laugh out loud worthy book. I could really relate to Dimple for feeling left out because she didn't come from a broken home. Because her personal issues were less obvious, her best friend Gwyn dismissed her as having a perfect life and not understanding pain. But Dimple did understand pain and she wanted to be there for her friend. And Karsh actually made me think omg when I read this one scene that was about pictures of Dimple and Gwyn. Haha

Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon - A sequel to Silver Phoenix that could be read as a stand-alone but I would really recommend reading Silver Phoenix first. Less action, more character development but it's a wonderful trade-off. I'm still in awe that the author made me understand the villain. And there's some smoldering sexual tension, essential for a summer read ;)