Weekly Color Me Brown Round-Up

Color Me Brown is the feature you should by now be accosted to. In fact, you should be striving to be featured as one of our five links we round-up relating to race and/or literature. Just kidding! But please do visit the links we spotlight (it's even better if you comment). We need to show that posts about race in literature wheter interviews/discussion posts/reviews/etc. are popular and will get comments.

Portrait of a Woman is having a week to raise HIV/AIDS awarness which is such an amazing idea to have. Wish I thought of it ;) She invited bloggers to guest post and Clover from Fluttering Butterflies reviewed Chanda's Secret by Allan Stratton

It's an absolutely heartbreaking book, this one. Reading of the make-shift coffins especially for children at the funeral home. You'll be angry at the doctor who claims multiple medical diplomas and that his medicines will cure even AIDS and taking advantage of his ignorant and illiterate patients. There's precious little running water and lots of work involved in order to get water for cooking and cleaning. Through poverty and general hard times, Chanda's mother has had several different relationships borne of a need to provide for her family, some of which left permanent scars.

Over at Buy Books For the Holidays, there is a list of books by Nigerian authors (all recommended). If you live in currently-cold place, this might be just the list you need to warm you up.

• Wole Soyinka - a huge political activist. I've heard his memoirs and plays are incredible. I read a non-fiction book, The Burden of Memory, The Muse of Forgiveness which is a discussion of forgiveness and accountability in African nations, as well as a discussion of African literature.

• Ben Okri - I've only read one of his books, Flowers and Shadows, which dealt with the topic of corruption, but this is not his most well known and all his books are reputed to be excellent.

• Amos Tutuola - Magical realism and Yoruba religion. Fascinating stories.

• Ken Saro-Wiwa - a political activist who was put to death by the Nigerian government after all his struggles for independence for the Niger Delta

No brown hobbits were going to be allowed (for the movie, The hobbit by J.R. Tolkien) but the casting call director who turned away poc actors has been fired. So let's hope for some colorful hobbits ;) Corutesy of angryasianman

Apparently, somebody was under the impression that only white people could be hobbits. That's racist! Good to know that the casting agent responsible for the pale-skin hobbit casting call has been fired: According to director Peter Jackson's production company, the casting director, who was contracted by the film, was never directed to make any restrictions based on skin color.

One of our favorite authors, Neesha Meminger, has announced the title, cover and description for her upcomng YA book, Jazz in Love.

We have discovered a new website Diversity YA, a book tour that will travel to five cities and get together a diverse group of authors.