Here’s what I’ve been listening to lately:
You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins
I’ve said it on Twitter. I think this is Perkins’ magnus opum. What a beautiful portrayal of a Southeast Indian family’s life as they struggle with each other, old family values, and the need to fit in (or not) in modern New York. So much love. A cross-cultural gem. I had the pleasure of meeting the author a couple of years ago at KidLitCon Baltimore. She’s just lovely. Her book Tiger Boy helped me look at tigers completely differently. Here’s my review.
How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana, Abigail Pesta
I’m 300% over the moon excited that Ms. Uwiringiyimana (MUST. PRACTICE. LAST NAME. TO IMPRESS) will be joining us at KidLitCon 2017 in November! woooooo!!! If you’ve ever wondered what the life of a refugee is like or the life of a war child or anything like that, How Dare the Sun Rise is the book for you. Not only is it an excellent indication of the racial divide within the African American community, it also speaks to the lack of substantive support immigrants receive when entering this country. Striking similarities between this and Perkins’ book.
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
Not sure how accurate a depiction of baby jail is or of a girls group home, but WOW is this story punching me in the gut. A very young girl is accused of killing the baby her mother is babysitting. That’s all I’ll say.
All of these titles are eligible for the Diversity Reading Challenge. I hope you’ll put one or all of them on your TBR list.