Back To School Reading Recommendations Wanted

Community, I love the fall. I haven't been to school in years but this has always been my favorite time of the year. I've been in a reading drought. I've missed a lot of new works so I'm asking you to bring me up to speed.

Please tell me what you feel should be at the top of my TBR list. What have I missed that I must read? Brief descriptions or links to reviews welcome. Any review copies will be given priority and all donated reads will be made available to the community so feel free to recommend and send books.

What's on your fall reading lists? I want to read from children to adult, all genres.

There are so many books. For those who don't know, I've shed twenty pounds (trying to remain a breathing reader), unexpectedly though I hadn't planned to reduced my daily reading.

Can you help a brown girl out?

Happy reading.

Sunday Salon: Healing

Hello all, it's Sunday and it's been one of the most peaceful Sundays I've have in a longtime. Does anyone listen to James Taylor? Do you know the song, “Enough To Be On Your Way”? It's based on Taylor's real experience of burying his sister in his hometown. Alice was a free spirit girl. A few lyrics are what Alice told him. She said, "It's enough to be on your way. Home, build it behind your eyes, carry keep it in your heart safe..." Today, it's enough to move on.

I had knee surgery week before last and it went well. Follow-up was Friday. The doctor and I came to a compromise. I'll take it easy for another week and start physical therapy and he signed off for me to return to work the beginning of August. Some of you know I've been actively trying to lose weight. Folks, obesity kills. I'm happy to share I'm 17.8 lbs lighter. I believe I can heal and it's been a long time coming.

Open discussion. Call or write someone you haven't talked to in awhile. There are three young women I plan to tell I love today including a much loved goddaughter.

Coming Home: Thank you

Dear friends,
When I asked Color Online staff to take the lead in my absence, I had no idea I’d be gone so long. I’d checked in a few times and I was flooded with gratitude.

There wasn’t a major crisis that occurred in my life rather there was a series of incidents pushing me in a direction I had refused to go. Like many people I think I’m open to change and I wholeheartedly believe we have to be willing to embrace change but when it’s actually time to change I resist.

Let me explain. Not long ago a friend gave a speech about work/life balance. Josh is a young man not long married and he has a toddler son. He quoted a speaker who said there is no work/life balance. The writer said life gives us choices and we have to be prepared to live with the consequences of our choices. Every day we have to choose our priorities. I believe my friend said that ultimately our goal is to have acceptance with our decisions.

The idea of acceptance versus balance struck a chord for me because my family and professional life had changed in major ways in the fall but I didn’t want to change, and I've never had balance. I struggled to define my priorities. I didn’t want to choose and consequently I didn’t have balance or acceptance.

I didn’t know how to evolve in my role as a mom and partner. I didn’t want to accept that I needed to be more in involved in my daughter’s activities and less involved in my own. I couldn’t make a real shift. Looking back on my teen years, my twenties and thirties, I could see changes in my interests and priorities were natural shifts so why was I resistant to another change when my daughter entered high school and was living with us full-time?

Failing to voluntarily change resulted in hitting a wall emotionally and mentally. Crashing forced me to to change how I parented and that meant making different choices. Parenting differently also meant rethinking how my relationship with my guy was changing. I'm in my mid-forties; I've been through a lot. I think it's time to trust that I can parent and love and pursue my passions, make mistakes and still remain whole.

My daughter rarely reads here and I wasn’t sure if you the community would be comfortable with me sharing something so intimate about my life or if I’d be comfortable sharing it but here it is.

I don’t know if my daughter recognized the stress and discomfort I was feeling, but I know spending more time with her has positively affected us. I think I’m headed in the right direction, and now I am able to come back to my second home, the space that is for me a space where I gain strength and joy and support. This space is evolving and I can’t thank the Color Online team enough for it.

Thank you all for the kind replies to Doret’s post. I had feared I was asking too much. I shouldn’t have worried. You’ve demonstrated the power of community and love women can give one another.

Change is inevitable and I know these changes are good. I am grateful to you, the women of Color Online.

Sunday Salon: The Memoir

Not long ago I read a review by Claire Burrows about a memoir at Feminist Review and her closing questions about memoirs and women's writing resonated with me. Today her questions will serve as our query:

What is the role of memoirs? Is it important as women to tell our stories? And why, as women, is it important that we read each others' stories?

My immediate answer was because we need to be heard. Ms. Burrows' questions instinctively made me think of Audre Lorde who had plenty to say about women and our work. She wrote, "And where the words of women are crying to be heard, we must each of us recognize our responsibility to seek those words out, to read them and share them and examine them in their pertinence to our lives." (From "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action")

As often as I quote Lorde you'd think I've read her extensively but I haven't. Everything I have read by her however has been potent and transformative. I think a memoir by a woman has the potential to move us to new places or heal old ones. Reading women's work gives us a mirror and/or a door to our lives and how we see ourselves in our world. I don't think every memoir is written to change us but I strongly believe in the feminine voice, and I believe hearing our voices is empowering. I enjoy women's memoirs because in a few like I know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Skin Between Us by Kym Regusa and The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin, I hear parts of my story and when a woman experiences healing and her own power, I do, too.







What are your thoughts about memoirs? Do you enjoy them? Please expound.

Women Unbound

A group of women have taken on the task of hosting a challenge that examines and celebrates women in literature and non-fiction. There are 3 levels of participation. The challenge will run one year including memes and other fun activities. For details visit Women Unbound. The first meme asked participants to address the following questions:

1. What does feminism mean to you? Does it have to do with the work sphere? The social sphere? How you dress? How you act?
2. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not?

Do you mean to say that you don’t believe in working in the interest of women? That’s what feminism is: It’s working to assure that women are not limited in their options and opportunities by virtue of their gender.~Faye Wattleton

I am a feminist. I am committed to speaking out against all forms of oppression. I believe the personal is political. I believe writing is political and a form of activism. I believe in a woman’s right to decide what is done with and to her body, her right to equal opportunity in employment and representation. I speak out for the liberation, protection and empowerment of all women especially those who are marginalized and disenfranchised. I argue that all people deserve access to health, safety, food, shelter, education and the opportunity to pursue the means necessary to support them without regard to gender or station.

3. What do you consider the biggest obstacle women face in the world today?

Is there ever a single obstacle when discussing a complex issue? Major obstacles include but are not limited to:

1) Restriction or non-access to education, employment, mobility.
2) Threats of physical harm, lack of safety and protection
3) Restricted or non-existent legal rights/protections and legal representation.
4) Second class status
5) The psychological onslaught of misogynistic and sexist behaviors and attitudes that compromise a woman’s ability to become a fully self-actualized human being.

Has that obstacle changed over time, or does it basically remain the same?

The question is very broad and therefore difficult to answer with a single response. It depends on what obstacle we're talking about, what time period and what culture. There are too many places and too many obstacles facing women worldwide. There is more wrong than right.

We were also asked to share our reading lists. I haven't finished my list but I do want to share a list of recommended titles as others have done.

Fiction

In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (historical fiction) This is a fictional account of the Mirable sisters who lost their lives rebelling against an oppressive regime. Told in alternate narrations from each sister. This is what hooked me on historical fiction and its power to teach.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (speculative fiction). I can't think of any other writer who challenges a reader like Butler does. All of her work is a critique and examination of accepted social mores and behaviors. All of her women leads and all of her books I've read have women leads are complex, flawed and often problematic. They refuse to conform to convention.

No Laughter Here by Rita Williams Garica (YA) Young girl suffers the cultural practice of FGM.

Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins (YA). A fantastic look at culture, gender and family.

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott (YA) an impressive blend of historical and speculative fiction. An accessible, noteworthy examination of race, racism, history and terrorism.

Non-fiction

The Skin Between Us by Kim Regusa (memoir) Moving, well-written work about 3 women of 3 different generations, cultures and race.

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. One woman's criticism of Islam, multiculturalism and her campaign to bring attention to a myriad of issues including female circumcision.

The Other Side of Paradise by Stacy Ann Chin (memoir) A young artist describes her difficult years and triumph. Chin is a writer, activist, lesbian poet.

Do They Hear You When You Cry by Fauziya Kassindja One woman's detailed account of seeking asylum in America to escape the horrific practice of FGM.

The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde. (essays) One of the most important and respected intellectual among her peers. She was brilliant, an iconic figure. You don't have a full picture of feminism without reading the Lorde.

Sex for One: The Joy of Self-Loving by Betty Dodson (sexuality) I think this should be required reading in Women Studies.

My Secret Garden by Nancy Friday (sexuality) A classic. For the progressive woman and for the woman who wants to explore who she is.

Why do we have to wait until we're young adults before we discover women studies? Wouldn't it help if we educated our young girls about their bodies, body image and biology before they go off to college?

Body Drama Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers by Nancy Amanda Redd Give me a 'V' for vulva. Say it like you're proud.

33 Things Every Girl Should Know: Stories, Songs, Poems and Smart Talk edited by Tonya Bolden (self-esteem)

Things I have To Tell You: Poems and Writings by Teenage Girls edited by Betsy Franco and Nina Nickles (body image/identity/self-esteem)

Plays

Flying West by Pearl Cleage. I think plays are Cleage's strength. This volumes contains plays that center on strong women if different places and different time periods. Strong emphasis on migration and place. Solid work.

For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Was Enuf by Ntozake Shange I don't a woman or girl who has read or seen a production of the seminal work that was not moved by it. Another work that should be required for any serious women's studies program.

Poetry

Like The Singing Coming Off The Drums by Sonia Sanchez. A true poet/activist. Sanchez embodies what it means to tap the feminine energy and power.

The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1995 by Nikki Giovanni Ms. Giovanni is old-school, the real deal poet/activist. She's been penning about social, political and feminist issues her entire writing career.

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.

Dear FTC: You're Invited to Book Blogging 101

I had no intention to weigh in about the FTC brouhaha, but after reading multiple posts that raise relevant arguments, I thought I owed you our readers, my take. For more information about the requirements read Colleen at Chasing Ray and read Liz’s response at A chair, A Fireplace& A Tea Cozy.

Most of our book reviews are not new releases sent by publishers. Most of the books I receive for review at Color Online come unsolicited, directly from the author. I don't promise a review rather I tell authors I will make an effort to promote the book (see our review policy). I don't promote any publishers or booksellers on our sidebar and consciously chose not to have any tie-in to sales. I worked in sales for 20 plus years (I was very good, too.), if I wanted to continue selling and earning a living promoting products, I'd still be in sales. At Color Online, it’s about literature and writers. Publishers are identified in reviews just above the copyright date. That’s all the press given to publishers (disclosure: I have featured publishers in our COLA feature; no books were received in exchange for the feature). And only one bookseller is listed at Color Online because that bookseller’s site is where I created our wish list.

Color Online, unlike most book blogs, is a community first. Color Online was formed as a real life group and the blog was created to provide young women a space where they were encouraged and supported via an introduction to writers and literature that positively represents their lives and aspirations. I am a literacy advocate not a book reviewer. You will find book reviews on Color Online but book reviews are not our focus; they are an integral part of promoting a love of reading, celebrating multiculturalism and increasing literacy.

I'm glad most of our reviews come from members and we focus on works we read because we love literature. My reading habits aren't influenced by pub dates. In fact, at Color Online very few reviews cover new releases. I'm all for supporting new writers, but our emphasis isn’t new but underrepresented. It seems to be my luck that Color Online is a niche blog so I’m not inundated with ARCs and book review requests. When we become famous, I'll hire an accountant. :-)

I’m annoyed by the whole mess with the FTC. If they knew anything about the majority of book bloggers let alone community organizations like Color Online, they’d know we lose money not earn any. Ask me how much I spend on postage, packaging and buying books that I give away, and I won’t mention what it costs to run the in-person group. I've run Color Online on my dime for four plus years. If anyone is looking to hire a literacy advocate full-time, I'm available.

I will post some kind of disclosure. I currently identify where our books come from in our features and no, I rarely identify publishers or authors because 1) a good number are donations, 2) picked up on trade, 3) borrowed from the library or 4) reviewed by a member. And let me repeat, we don’t focus on new releases or ARCs. Our review policy already states we distribute all books: giveaways, contests, book loans and we donate to schools, students and any organization that I learn about that is asking for donations. Color Online exists to connect readers with books. We don't hoard books here.

Feel free to share your thoughts. I’m pretty sure I’m done as in put a fork in it. If the FTC is silly enough to come after me, they don’t know whom to challenge because I’m a poor black woman. If they checked my bank account or tax returns, they might be moved to send me a few dollars.

Building Bridges: Chatting With Lorin from Arch Thinking

Today’s assignment is to introduce readers to one of BBAW’s participants. I’m going to argue I hit the jackpot with Lorin from Arch Thinking. This smart, young architect lives in the San Francisco area with her husband. They don't have children. Lorin says she's pretty happy spoiling her nephews and mentoring members of her church group.

I like to think I’m a pretty cool auntie to my nephews and niece, and I mentor young people, too. I knew this interview was going to be a good time. Learning she was an auntie and mentor was the first of many connections I was going to discover I share with this like-minded blogger.

I am a chatty Cathy and talking with Lorin flowed easily. We took an informal approach, opting to correspond over multiple emails and let the questions form as we got to know one another. Now, a good interviewer (I’m hoping I do Lorin justice here) takes time to do a little research. I spent some time reading Lorin’s blog and discovered she’s a Neil Gaiman fan. As a new convert, I wanted to know what she read so I wrote:

I'm a new Gaiman fan. Started reading him late last year. I've listen to him on audio. Really love him in that format and I was not an audio fan before. What have you read by him? Your favorite and why?
I haven't read much, really. Just Good Omens (which he wrote with Prachett) and Stardust, which I just loved and is probably my favorite graphic novel. My husband bought it for me when I was very ill a few years ago and I had to stay in bed for about a week. I was bored with trashy magazines after about a day but too sick to really concentrate on any extended reading. Stardust was just perfect. I've re-read it since and loved it even more. The illustrations (by Charles Vess) are lovely and the story is just a sweet love story, with enough darker elements to keep it from being a kids book.

Stardust was my first Gaiman book. This was going well.

I skimmed your review of Oates. Will go back to it. I have only gotten through one book by her, Them in college. I have tried to read her again. The English major in me says I should read her. What would you recommend? Why do you enjoy her work? My last attempt was Black Girl/White Girl. I was annoyed. Most of the time I kept thinking, "Get on with it already." Did I mention I keep buying her work?
Oates is such a prolific writer - she's always coming out with something new. I don't even try to keep up, so I've really only read a fraction of her work. And, even then, I've only liked about half of what I've read. So much of her writing seems intentionally dense. Either that, or I am getting stupider as I get older, and I just don't understand what she writes anymore. My favorite book by her is Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang. Partly for nostalgia reasons - I first read it when I was a teen, about the same age as the book's characters - and partly because I love the book's tone - that half mad, rushing towards something that is so evocative of what being a teenager is really like.

Now isn’t this the kind of smart and considered response, you hope for? It gets better, Lorin cares about others. On her blog she shares about social causes that matter to her.

Tell me a little about the causes you support.
Of my time, I give most to our church, primarily the youth group. The church and youth group support our local food bank -plans are underway now for our 3rd annual 30-hour Famine, which raises money and awareness about hunger, and is the number one contributor to whining among youth group participants! - and we started directly supporting the food bank a few years ago, as well.

On my blog, I support Kiva, an organization that allows people to make microloans to small businesses in developing countries around the world. What's amazing about it is that with an initial small investment of $25 or $50, you can help so many people because as the money gets paid back, you just lend it out again to someone else who needs it. The hardest part is deciding who to lend the money to. There are so many people out there, struggling to break free of the cycle of poverty they and their families have been stuck in for generations. For example, in Africa, it is very common to have to pay fees to attend school, and the fees can be a huge percentage of what the average income is around there. If you factor in that the child attending school isn't working, it is easy to see why a bright young child, especially a girl, could miss out on an education.

How could you not be impressed with this blogger?

I love architecture. Living in a city built on a river meant lots of commerce and development during our early history. We boast exceptional historical neighborhoods and amazing churches. Have you ever visited here? What types of structures interest you most? I confess I did not dig deep enough in your archives to be sure.
I've never been to Detroit, even though I have friends there. There are just so many places I'd love to visit someday.

My firm specializes in working with small institutions, non-profits and public entities. In particular, we are well-regarded in our area for our work with churches. I had always been interested in working with churches and, while I did not seek out a firm that does this kind of work, the firm was just a great fit for my interests. The firm I worked at previously mostly did housing - lot of multi-family residential and high-end single family residential. While I enjoyed certain aspects of that work, I found parts of it to be very wearing. At one point, I was working on a house, and the master closet was bigger than my apartment at the time! Eventually, I realized that I wanted to do work that was more meaningful. Even putting aside the religious aspects of the church work we do - and to be honest, here in the SF Bay Area, some of the churches we work with actually pretty secular! - working with a church does have a lot of meaning. Our clients have frequently spent years deciding what they want to do, have spent many more months raising the money, and the community at large usually takes a strong interest in the work we do. I like that the work we do matters so much to so many people.

You describe yourself as liberal. On my personal blog, I say I am a bohemian wannabe, veg-head, loc wearin' (black) Quaker. I attend Meetings but it's been a long time, and I'm a new convert. Still, it is a faith that resonates with me.
I tried out vegetarianism for a while in my teens but I just like steak and bacon too much to do it permanently! But, yes, I am proudly very liberal. I was raised in a strongly Catholic and (politically) liberal house. I've since left the Catholic church but that's a conversation for another day and a different blog, I think. =)

Let’s switch gears. What were your earliest impressions of the book blog world? Has your perception changed, if yes in what way?
When I first started blogging, I had no idea how big the book blogging world was. I knew (from Librarything) that book blogs were out there, but I couldn't have imagined what a large and vibrant community there really was. (I don't think this is an uncommon discovery.) At first, I tried to read everyone and everything, but I've calmed down a bit and just try to focus on the ones I really enjoy.

Quality writing aside, what are some of the qualities that draw you back to your favorite blogs?
Humor! I am not funny on my blog (I'd like to think that I'm funny in real life, but I'll let others judge) but I really appreciate the humor some writers can put in their blog, even into a review of a book I may not actually be interested in reading.

Has there been a book that significantly impacted or changed your worldview?
There have been many books that have impacted me, but no one big book that was my bible (not even the actual Bible - though I suppose if I were a "better" Christian, that's what I would have answered).

There is one book that I read over and over as a kid that may be a little unusual - The Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durrell. I was just a very curious kid and very interested in science. The (small, Catholic) school I went to did not have a very robust science program. This - and The Trials of Life by David Attenborough - were my own private science tutor. I didn't end up growing up to be a scientist, but I think that, as an architect, I use a lot of the same kind of analytical thinking I learned.

On a more personal level, as a teen or young adult, was there a book that helped you with a personal issue(s) or helped you grow in some way?
When I was a young teen (13 or so, I don't exactly recall), my aunt gave me a book (which I have long since given away, so I no longer remember the name) about being a teen. It covered puberty, peer pressure, sex, drugs, etc. Most interesting to me was the sex talk. I had gotten the birds and the bees from my mom, of course, but not too much more. Reading this book was the first time I had ever really gotten the low-down on what birth control was and how it worked. I hadn't even kissed a boy at that point, but I found it fascinating!

List 8 reasons why you read.
What a tough question! There are a hundred reasons and yet only one - because I have to! I'm a reading addict. Take my books and magazines away and I'll read cereal boxes. Take those away and I'll write stories just so I can read them.

Why, though, am I a reading addict? I was brought up to be one, for a start, as my parents are avid readers. For my own part, I'll just say that during some of the roughest parts of my life, I have gotten to be somewhere else and someone else by reading. Robin McKinley, Tamora Pierce, C.S. Lewis, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margaret Frazer, Pat Conroy, Robert A. Heinlein, Orson Scott Card - thank you for creating new worlds for me to explore, as a youth and as an adult. Add in how much I have learned about the world through reading, especially nonfiction. Science, but also about architecture, cooking, history and language. I'm not sure if that's eight reasons but that about sums up my top reasons.

Lorin, thanks for chatting me. I’m looking forward to chatting with you more and spending time at your blog.

Did I not hit the jackpot? Read my responses to Lorin's questions at Arch Thinking. Hope you enjoyed our chat and happy reading.

BBAW: Better Than Football!

Yesterday kicked off football season. In my house, it was about FOOTBALL. For my guy that is. Well, today is the beginning of BBAW and to kick it off, we get to send a shout out to the blogs we love. With so many bloggers blog hopping this week, I decided I had to pull out the stops so grab your nachos and a cold one and get ready for a BBAW blogfest! Here are a few of my favorite blogs shortlisted according to BBAW categories:

Best Literary Fiction Review Blog
A Striped Armchair
Eudaemonia
Lotus Reads
Fresh Ink Books
Bookslut


Best Cultural Review Blog

papertigers
La Bloga
Listeranista
Shen's Book Blog
Brown Paper

Best General Review Blog
Page247
Sakura of Doom


Best History/Historical Fiction Blog
Rhapsody In Books



Best Publishing/Industry Blog
Chasing Ray
The Rejectionist
Amy Bowllan at SLJ
Editorial Anonymous

Best Kidlit Blog
A Year of Reading
The Happy Nappy Bookseller
Mother Reader
Into the Wardrobe
creative literacy
The Children's book Blog Tour

Best YA Blog
Reading In Color

Persnickety Snark
Read Into This!
Reading Rocks

Best Nonfiction Review Blog
Feminist Reviews

Best Special Interest Blog
Authorslatino.com
The Brown Bookshelf
Poetry For Children
Feminist Reviews
My World-Mi Mundo

Best Graphic Novel Review Blog
Glyphs at PopCultureShock(Rich Watson)
Afrogeek Mom and Dad
Seeking Avalon

Best Speculative Fiction Blog
A Working Title
Seeking Avalon
Ndendi's Whala Zone

Best Design
In Spring It is the Dawn
papertigers
Kids Lit
Crazy Quilts

Most Eclectic Taste
Crazy Quilts
kiss a cloud
Taste Life Twice
Fill in the Gaps 100 Project
Sakura of Doom

Best Name
Nnedi's Whala Zone
The Happy Nappy Bookseller
a wrung sponge
The Bottom of Heaven
Afrogeek Mom and Dad
A Striped Armchair

Best Commentator
Worducopia

Best Published Author Blog
Justine Larbalestier
Mitali's Fire Escape
Neesha Meminger
Fledgling
Tayari Jones

Funniest Most Humorous Blog
Hello Ello 2

Best Book Club Blog
RAWSISTAZ

Best Challenge Host
Weekly Geeks


Best New Blog
Reading In Color
Taste Life Twice
BronzeWord Latino Authors

Most Extravagant Giveaways
Presenting Lenore

Most Prolific Blogger
A Striped Armchair
Becky's Book Reviews

Most Altruistic Blog
Readergirlz
papertigers
Shen's Books

Best Series or Feature
Writers Against Racism, Amy Bowllan at SLJ
The Tigers Bookshelf at papertigers
The Multicultural Minute at Shen's Books
Because of a Book at Write for a Reader

Best Challenge
Writers of Color 50 Book Challenge
Diversity Rocks! Challenge

Best Community Builder
White Readers Meet Black Authors (Carleen Brice)
BronzeWord Latino Authors (Jo Ann Hernandez)

Best Writing
Fledgling
Eudaemonia
Booksluts
Lotus Reads

Best Reviews
Feminist Reviews
Eudaemonia
A Striped Armchair
Lotus Reads

Best Collaborative Blog
A Year of Reading
The YA YA YAs
Bookslut

Show Some Love: Vote for Color Online at BBAW

Friends,

Voting ends Saturday. I'm asking for your vote. I'm in good company:
Guys Lit Wire, Maw Books Blog, My Friend Amy and She Is Too Fond of Books.

Thanks to the BBAW organizers, panelists and above all, our readers. For me, Color Online is a small but mighty community. We are close-knit. We come here and we chat; we browse. We hang out. Our community is growing. We're doing something that keeps you coming back. That makes me very happy.

Next week will be chock full of activities. One of the requested posts we were asked to write was to acknowledge our favorites who didn't make it. Well, I'm doing it today. Well, not really. See, when nominations opened, I took to heart the core of this event: celebrating my peers. I nominated more than 15 blogs here. I encouraged you to check them out and to nominate blogs of your choice. Celebrating one another is one of our core aims here so I don't need a meme on a designated day to do that. Our focus is multiculturalism and diversity so I'm only going to list personal favorites among the BBAW nominees I'm campaigning for in these areas:

The Bottom of Heaven- Best Cultural Blog
APOOO Book Club- Best Book Club

In my mind Color Online is a special interest and cultural blog. And while we didn't make these categories (I didn't expect us to. One, to have expected it is vain and two, we're barely on the radar), my disappointment is not in not making these categories rather that these shortlists did not include greater diversity. I was hoping like mad that among the finalists there would be a multicultural blog. I wanted to see a POC blogger who was committed to celebrating a variety of cultures, shortlisted. I did expect that celebrating people of color would be one of the defining factors if you're going to be shortlisted for a cultural, eclectic or special interest blog. And Maude knows, I'm not looking for tokenism. That would set off a rant; I'm talking about inclusion and acknowledgment. This is one drum I won't stop beating: the absence of color is an issue that needs addressing and as long as POC are underrepresented, I'm going to talk about it.

I will confess, I will likely lighten up next year. This process was pretty intense and in all honesty the goal of BBAW is something we do every day: celebrate and promote you. Participating in events like BBAW means exposure and exposure is opportunity. Let me keep it real, I'm fiercely concerned about diversity, and this event is an opportunity to share with readers writers and works I love.

I hope we grow so we can share more and enjoy more. Color Online is about community, and I think we are meeting that goal already.

I look forward to blog hopping next week, adding blogs to our roll, but most of all, I'm happiest here with you all. Your ongoing support and encouragement has significantly impacted what we do here. Because of you, we are getting the word out about great authors and great books, we continue to build our library collection which means providing greater access to young readers and we are learning from one another. I say we've already won.

Have a great weekend.

BBAW Meme

There is quite a bit of excitement about BBAW. In anticipation of the big week, the committee has provided a few activities to keep psyched and busy. Busyness helps with nervous, right? So here's a meme for first time BBAW participants.

1)What has been one of the highlights of blogging for you?

That's easy. Connection. In the comment section on both blogs (Black-Eyed Susan's) I talk about the power of connection, engaging one another. I already know what I think and how I feel. What I crave is to connect with others: to learn from you, to laugh with you, to engage you in ways that enrich me. I’ve met some amazing people in the blogosphere. Sometimes, I’m not all that excited to publish a post or write a review, but I never get tired of reading something and being able to relate, commenting to the post and then the writer responds. I love the conversations that ensue.

2) What blogger has helped you out with your blog by answering questions, linking to you, or inspiring you?

I am a social animal with an insatiable appetite. I will ask anybody anything if I want an answer. But I have a close circle of friends I chat with daily on the blogs and off. They are my sistergirls. We became fast friends and because of them, I have access to more information than I could have found on my own, I have discovered more reads that allow me to share more with my girls and blog readers and I have connected with more like-minded folks. When I’m famous I’m going to thank my family for their love and support and then my girls, Doret from Happy Nappy Bookseller, Zetta from Fledgling and Edi from Crazy Quilts for listening to my madness, smoothing down my feathers and for their unconditional support and love.

I can't talk about my sistergirls without mentioning the unexpected joy I experienced when I met two amazing new teen bloggers, Ari from Reading In Color and Tashi (and looking forward to getting to know Kiki better) from Taste Life Twice. These teens found me and expressed an interest in finding more YA lit that feature POC characters and they wanted to promote it. I asked these young women to be CORA girls and they said yes. Since then it's been an amazing time being their blogging godmother.

3) What one question do you have about BBAW that someone who participated last year could answer?

Any strategies for keeping up with the events during BBAW week?

Find more responses here. Thanks again to all who nominated us and good luck to all nominees. To see a short list of who we read and nominated go here.

Confession Tuesday: Attack of The Cookie Monster

I'm cross-posting this. Confession Tuesday is a regular feature at Black-Eyed Susan's. Today's topic however applies to a lot of bloggers who read as well.

It’s Tuesday. And I’m having a sugar-fit. Now if you think, I’m eating up calories I wish I were. I’m not talking sucrose but bits, computer script. I’m talking about being weighed down by the cookies encoded on sites that I’d love to visit but I can’t because either my pc doesn’t have enough memory to download all the script that supports a site’s widgets or my script blockers are keeping me from sites laden with ads. Either way, there are a lot of sites I’d love to read and comment to that I can’t.

Are you unknowingly blocking readers from your site? Do you wonder why you aren’t seeing more traffic at your blog? I’ve talked about this before, and I confess my frustration is growing. I wish bloggers would give more thought to functionality and accessibility. Now, I’m not tech savvy. Actually, my guy is constantly chastising me about my blog hopping habits, because I’m the one who usually brings home the viruses. We have firewalls and virus scanners (are those the same thing?) and he does stuff like defrag the computer regularly so our antiquated machine will keep running. Of course, me, the blog foodie, refuses to be denied so I’m guilty of turning off the virus protection, allowing script so I can read your blog. I rationalize that I’m only ‘temporarily allowing script’ (because that's what the message says and I tell myself I’m not likely going to pick up anything too nasty). Of course, every few months I do pick up something. Then I have to confess my sin with downcast eyes looking apologetic while my guy mutters and banishes me from the computer for a day while he sweeps our computer of all the junk I picked up schlepping around the Net.

If you’re like me and not tech savvy, please do you and me a favor think twice about all the widgets you have on your site. Ask yourself do you really need them? Make an effort to install a few virus scans and periodically sweep your pc. You could be unknowingly spreading viruses or simply blocking visitors from your site because their blockers won’t read the script on your page. Periodically visit your site from a public pc or someone else’s pc and see how quickly your site downloads. See if any filter warnings pop up when accessing your site. If you can stand it, read a little about what you can do to make your blog more accessible and easy to navigate.

I’d like to come by.

Susan Says: What We Can Do

Steph wrote a great post about the Liar controversy and the comments that ensued are the expected, praise and then confusion, "What can we do?" Okay, let's talk more about what we can do.

We cannot remain powerless victims. Why do we keep circling the wagon of "What can we do?" and sounding as if we don't believe we have power? Even after we DID affect change.

For starters, can we grow a pair and concede the dollar talks? We're speaking truth to power. We're speaking truth to Corporate power. You don't shame a corporation, you affect their bottom line. Justine is nobody's naive little girl. She was fully aware of the potential financial risk here and she took it anyway, and if you don't think she considered the money factor shame on you.

We can confront the issue of under-representation of POC characters in books and on covers by reading and promoting those books.

In response to the controversy, Color Online launched the Color Me Brown Challenge. I asked readers to read and blog brown. If you want publishers to know you do believe in diversity, that whitewashing is unacceptable, then show some love. Blog brown.

Color Online, Reading In Color and Taste Life Twice and Black-Eyed Susan's exist as response to the the absence of color among book bloggers particularly YA blogs. And Color Online existed before the Liar controversy. We are activists. We are committed to expressing the social commentary necessary to elicit dialogue and change.

I have been an outspoken advocate for diversity and multiculturalism before Liar. And before me there was Mitali's Fire Escape, Paper Tigers, The Happy Nappy Bookseller, White Readers Meet Black Authors, Diversity Rocks! and more. There are bloggers who have been actively advocating for greater diversity in the publishing industry for years. Join the ranks.

When you visit your library, evaluate the collection. How diverse is it? What's on display? Offer suggestions to the YA librarian or the general collection librarians. Ask them to purchase titles you've discovered and enjoyed. Do the same at your favorite bookstore.

Check out the school library. Talk with the librarian and teachers about their reading selections for the school. Ask if diversity and multiculturalism is part of the curriculum. Suggest schools broaden the variety of people of color writers they are requiring students to read. Morrison, Wright and Baldwin are literary icons, but we want to also foster diversity in students' leisure reading. Ask the educators to look to writers like Mitali Perkins, Neesha Meminger and Zetta Elliott.

Weigh in more regularly on forums and panels that are addressing issues of race and diversity in publishing. Create space for dialogue on your own blogs.

Bloomsbury didn't act in a vacuum and not all readers were unaware. Now that you know what will you do?

John F. Kennedy said every person can make a difference and every person should try.
Spend less time lamenting what you can't do and get busy doing what you can. That's what you can do.

What Do I Read Next: How To Recommend POC titles to non-POC readers

Colleen has a great post expressing her frustrations and concerns about how we go about recommending POC books to Caucasian readers. Personally, I have always found blanket requests odd. When girls ask for recommendations at the library or readers ask me for recommendations on my Black-Eyed Susan's, I start with questions. How do I know what you might like if I don’t know what you read and what you’re interested in?

Okay, let’s talk about what I read. Shingle on the door says we promote women writers of color. I read mostly realistic fiction. I lean towards the literary though for more than a year now, I’ve passed over a lot of literary works in an effort to keep up with what’s worth reading in YA. Not surprisingly what I read in YA very closely matches what I read in adult fiction: social and political themes, women issues, sexuality, body image, sexual orientation, culture, family, sci-fi, dystopia, historical fiction and memoirs. Genres I’m slowly learning more about include graphic novels and fantasy.

I love talking about books but I’m pretty lousy at writing reviews. Still, I’m always looking for more ways to share good reads with you. For the next few weeks, let’s try this: On Mondays, post your requests for POC recommendations for genres you enjoy, and I’ll answer your requests the following week. You don’t have to limit your requests to what I read. If I don’t have a recommendation, I’ll find someone who does. In the same post, I’ll share a title or two, providing links to reviews, identifying tags for the book and identifying books in the same genre for comparison.

To kick off “What Do I Read Next?” I highly recommend Purple Hibiscus. Nymeth at things mean a lot recently posted a great review. If you enjoy coming-of-age novels and like the writing style of writers like Chinua Achebe, I think you’ll enjoy Purple Hibiscus.

Set in Nigeria, Purple Hibiscus is the story of fifteen-year-old Kambili. She and her family live in fear of her father, a brutal and controlling man. Kambili’s father fights corruption and censorship, pays the school fees of numberless children, and helps those of his community who are in need. Yet in return he demands that they all share his strict Catholic faith, and rejects those who don’t, including his own father. And at home, he terrorizes his wife and children.

Tags: domestic violence, family, verbal abuse, coming-of-age, African writers, multicultural lit.

You might also like: Everything Good Will Come by Sefi Atta, The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Coffer or In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.

Can I get a review?: Color Me Brown

Okay, I’d say it’s partly because it's Monday, but that isn’t it. I’m in a funk today because when I edited our Summer Madness giveaway, I had to do a few searches to find a review for the addition I was including. And finding reviews was a challenge for every book we’re giving away. Why so few reviews?

I have to step up my own review game. If I want to read more reviews of books by women of color, it’s clear I’m going to have to write them. I love literature across a broad spectrum but I feel compelled to do more to create what I want.

Today I visited Readergrlz and like most mainstream book sites, it is predominantly white. Race is an issue because it defines the dominant culture; race sets the standard and that means the dominant culture calls me the minority. In our politically correct spaces you get a sprinkle of color but I feel invisible in these spaces. I want to achieve what Readergrlz does: positively impacting young people and all readers who enjoy YA literature, but I want a space full of color, a space where I don’t feel like an afterthought or token. I want teens of color to reject invisibility as the norm. I want a space where we can acknowledge race without being polemic or exclusionary.

Okay, so it has taken me more than a bit to create a functioning, organized and inviting space here. I concede it takes time to build a readership and it’s a learning curve to create features and articles that are hits more often than misses. I realize Color Online is one small fish in a huge ocean. It’s not the popularity that’s bugging me. It’s a long history of feeling marginalized, ignored and powerless.

I want more people of color readers reading and reviewing books by writers of color. I’ll give up the funk. Anyone willing to help me to inject some color into the book blogosphere?
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Susan is my penname. Wannabe bohemian mama, loc-wearin', veg-head, feminist, activist, writer. I have two daughters whom I drive crazy and the sentiment is mutual. Love a great cook and I have the pounds to prove it.

Susan Says

Recently Nymeth at things means a lot, wrote about some of her favorite reads so far this year. She asked readers to share theirs. The following titles immediately came to mind. I'll share more later but these four best represent to my reading choices this year. Tell us, what you've enjoyed so far.

Short list:

A Cool Moonlight by Angela Johnson. There is beauty and magic, growth and acceptance in this slim volume. After reading it, I felt a quiet joy in remembering what it means to believe in something intensely. If you’ve failed to pick up a children’s book lately and have forgotten the power of it, pick this up. A good story doesn’t have to be complicated or long to impact the reader.

The River and The Rock by Kekla Magoon. Historical ficition seems to be a popular sub-genre for me this year. For the YA reader, I think one of the strengths of this novel is how accessible prose is. Magoon draws the reader in what feels effortlessly. For the discriminate reader, Magoon’s style is impressive. Her command of language and mechanics here is on par with any adult novel. For those critics who argue the lack of depth and skill in YA fiction, they can’t say that about The River and The Rock. It is exceptional writing, great pacing, solid characterization, believable dialogue and this works explores a gap in historical fiction in a meaningful way. Love, love, love this debut novel. If you want to learn about the Black Panthers beyond the hype, read this.

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott. Ms. Elliott gives us time travel, history of the New York race riots and the Civil War, domestic terrorism, 911, romance and self-discovery all in one YA novel. Zetta weaves a tale both fantastic and realistic. Genna is contemporary, believable, strong, flawed and resilient. She gives us romance but not the pining, I-need-him-to-be-complete, dependent female lead. Genna makes mistakes and learns from them. She adapts. She comes to terms with her own prejudices. The book is thought-provoking and the pacing is heart pounding. The exploration of race is intimate and complex. No broad strokes here. Like Butler's Kindred, the author illustrates that when it comes to race, the circumstances and issues are complex so our behavior and attitudes equally reflect complexity. The book left me with an aching and sense of what it means to see ourselves fully human and flawed. It's easy to criticize and hate caricatures. Very different when you see parts of yourself in the other person you hated. Hopefully, all readers will feel compelled to re-examine race relations and ideas of terrorism in an informed way.

The Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins. I read a lot of multicultural lit and what I try to remember is that I come to a read with a lens: my personal experiences and values. If I want to really appreciate another person's world, I have to try to avoid allowing my lens to obscure my view. My view isn't the only way to live and to be happy. Mitali allows the reader to see the world through another person's lens. We see the world as Asha knows it. We get an intimate look at her life and the lives of other young girls growing up in India in the 70s. In Asha’s and Reet’s world, family is everything. Keeping your word and doing everything you can for the sake of the family is paramount. There is nothing this family would not do for each other. And learning about marriage customs and values, decorum, dress and caste is fascinating. The book is tender and heartbreaking. Mitali could have easily given us a fairy tale ending instead the story remains consistent with the culture and values the characters. I particularly appreciate how the story illustrates that we can find joy and exercise our strength within the restrictions of our times. We push when we can. Secret Keeper is story about heartache, loss and creating a meaningful life.

In the three historical novels I’ve discussed here, a common element is the writer’s ability to render history personal and relevant. Two common misconceptions about historical fiction is that because it is dated the reader doubts she can relate and that the material is dry and therefore lacks the action or thrill of other genres. These stories prove that isn’t always true. In each of these works, the conflicts are palpable, the pacing and events have the reader anxiously turning the pages to see what happens next and the endings while rooted in reality are no less climatic than what pleases a reader in a good mystery or romance: there’s a sense of hope and purpose. If you haven’t read any historical fiction lately, start with these.