Main Characters - Black or a Person of Color

[Rita]

I loved The Secret Life of Bees, which is about a little white girl fleeing from an abusive father who takes shelter with 3 black women, beekepers. It's set in South USA in the 60s if I remember correctly, the main character is definitely strong and protective of her human rights. Beautiful book.

[girrl]

Their eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

The Underground Girls Of Kabul: in search of a hidden resistance in Afghan by Jenny Nordberg

The getting of wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson

Four sisters of Hofei by Annping Chin

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

The Red tent by Anita Diamant

[[deleted user]]

Try Justina Ireland. She's a good writer and an active voice of reason for PoCs and marginalized groups.

[Iamshadow]

I just read Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey and am about to start on Saints Astray, the sequel. The main protagonist is Black and Latina, and most of the other characters are of colour, too. There are good themes of taking back power and fighting against an unfair system, and it's also great to have key characters who are queer but where pushing back against homophobia isn't the main challenge their relationship faces.

Edit: Jacqueline Carey isn't of colour herself, as far as I know, but as far as I could tell it was a good portrayal and highlighted issues women of colour face, ie, sexualisation of young WOC by white males in power, etc.

[Melaslithos]

Empress by Shan Sa.

It's a novelization of the life of the only Empress of China. I read it a long time ago, but remembered being fascinated by it.

[Gnome Claire *Wishes she was as cool as Gnome Ann*]

I've remembered another few:

Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman, the world is flipped so that whites are second class citizens and it just highlights how ridiculous racism really is.

and Jeannie Lin writes romance that's set in China, I've only read one short story myself so I can't recommend a particular one.

not sure if anyone's mentioned Memoirs of a Geisha

Life of Pi, MC is Indian.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini main character is Afghan.

Other than Memoirs of a Geisha and Life of Pi the authors are also POC. None of them are feminist though.

[Ann]

I've updated and edited the list a little (including taking my own thriller off - since it seemed out of place amongst books so well known).

I've also added The Pearl That Broke Its Shell and for those of you who are interested, I shall be interviewing the author (Nadia Hashimi) in a November blog post over on my website.

The list is now 46 books and I intend to stop at 50 books and then keep the list up as a group resource.

Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions !

Here's the link to the updated list -
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[Melaslithos]

Thanks for creating and sharing this list with us.

If you are also interested in litterature from all around the world, I can recommend another GR group, The World's Litterature.

Every year, we visit a different country/region of the world, from a different continent. It allows us to discover a lot of writers from different regions of the world.

Last year for example, we discovered a few authors from South-East Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.). This year, we are exploring Africa. All these authors are writting about their countries, and therefore have people of color as their characters. So even though the main focus is not feminism, if you are only interested in having writters/characters of different horizons, I invite you to go have a look at that group and its shelves.

[Makella]

Girl In Translation by Jean Kwok, Everything Everhthing by Nicola Yoon,

[Ann]

thanks, Makella!

[MeerderWörter]

Corey wrote: "I have to second bunny on both Isabel Allende and Amy Tan. Almost all of their books deal with the role of womenand both authors base their stories in the United States as well as Chile and China, ..."

The child of the protagonist is Native-American, I just checked it here on Goodreads (You can always try and look for the book here on Goodreads, normally you'll find a blurp - seems to be a wonderful book)

[MeerderWörter]

Oh, and thanks Ann for all that work that you do/did with this book list. I definitely have to keep in mind some of these, broadening my mind is something I really LIKE to do!

[Ann]

We're at 46 books - let's hit 50 and get the list posted up as a group resource!

[MeerderWörter]

Ann wrote: "We're at 46 books - let's hit 50 and get the list posted up as a group resource!"

Maybe some of these books are good to read as well, all written by Asian-American authors:)

http://www.crazyredpen.com/2014/06/di...

[Ann]

Such a big thank you to everyone for all the great suggestions.

The list is now at 50 books !

[Savannah, Our Shared Shelf Moderator]

I think there is another thread you can look at for more book recommendations where the main character is a POC =)

[Sasha]

Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovich, superb detailed paranormal detective.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/5193...

[Mirja]

The Peter Grant books by Ben Aaronovitch. Entertaining fantasy novels for adults.

[Ann]

Thank you Sasha and Mirja.

Also, I'm asking the mods to post the book list up as a permanent resource for the OSS group - lets see what they say!

[Ann]

I read Americanah for Black History Month (Feb in USA, though it's in November in the UK)

I so enjoyed it, I'm posting a link to my review here! 4 stars. Recommended.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lynn]

This is a brilliant YA historical novel, and one of the main characters is black. The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

[Ann]

Hi Rebeca and thank you.

I'm looking for something new to read - could you pick out your one or two favourites from your list - I'm curious to see what comes out on top for you?

[Astrid]

I just discovered "Bluest Eye" by Morrison. Such a strong, well told novel! Black children growing up in the Ohio of the 50s and trying to keep up hope and joy of living. Nothing to do with the world I grew up in, yet, I feel like having been there after the reading. Strong insights into how racism and shame works inside people to do the worst dammage there. To think that this book has been banned from several school bibliotheques until recently! Unbelievable.

[Edgar]

If you are into lovecraftian environment:
Lovecraft country, main characters black during the Jim Crow laws.

[Ann]

I just finished Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich .

Others on this thread have recommended it and it's such a remarkable book, I wanted to post a link to my review here for anyone's who's interested.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Ann]

I've re-arranged my booklists a little.

Here's an up-to-date link to the booklist for this thread -

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[Chike]

Road No Good by Bridget Isichei

[Ann]

]I've just finished reading these two and I really must recommend them both. If you're looking for some summer reading....

Lolas' House: Filipino Women Living with War

The women in this book became very real to me, and they will stay in my mind for a long time. I was glad to witness their accounts and survivor stories of the second world war.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

LaRose

Wonderful writing about the traditions followed by one Native American family, following a terrible accident.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Molli]

Just read The Mothers by Britt Bennett & loved it

[Ann]

hi Molli and thank you.

I can also recommend The Orphan of India


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Annie]

Ann wrote: "This seems a great place to ask for suggestions for adult fiction where the main character is black or a person of colour (non white, non Caucasian).

There seems to be a great lack of adult ficti..."

While reading the comments in this group I came across your question. I recently finished reading a book in which the lead character is a young Tennessee Indian woman. Great read about her journey into the confederate states after saving a confederate captain wounded at the battle of Shiloh.

Another Tribe

Oddly enough, I was looking at this group on goodreads because I had been imagining Emma Watson as the heroine in one of that same author's other books.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Annie"

[Ann]

thank you, Annie :)

[Ann]

I know that screen adaptations of books don't always work well, however, fans of Octavia E. Butler might like to know that Dawn is being adapted for screen.

This is the first of the iconic sci-fi writer’s works to be developed for television.

You can find out more from this BookRiot article.
http://bookriot.com/2017/08/09/octavi...

[Annie]

Ann wrote: "This seems a great place to ask for suggestions for adult fiction where the main character is black or a person of colour (non white, non Caucasian).

There seems to be a great lack of adult ficti..."

A book entitles 'Another Tribe'. Tennessee Indian heroen.

[Annie]

Ann wrote: "thank you, Annie :)"

By the way, Ann. Does Emma W ever read these messages. I found this group because I couldn't stop thinking about her as the lead character in a book called Another War. Has anyone else ever had that experience? It was like watching a movie as I read each page. I can't imagine anyone else in the role.

[David]

Annie, One of my favorite series is the Alex Cross series of detective novels. Cross is a black male police detective who, with his late wife, had adopted several at-risk children and teens of all ethnicities. The writer James Patterson (although white) creates a stimulating story with a believable protagonist. Cross is not Mack Bolan or Sgt Friday, yet, (at least from my own experiences as a police officer) is a realistic man with all the uncertainties and foibles of any. He is educated and while having suffered the loss of his wife while he was an FBI agent, continues as a NYPD cop. Give any of them a read; they are all worth your time. He is also responsible for another excellent series "The Women's Murder Club', about a group of 'very' professional women who...investigate murders.

Morgan Freeman portrayed Cross in the screen adaptation of 'Kiss The Girls' and 'Along Came A Spider'. and Tyler Perry dos so in 'Alex Cross', all excellent movies.

[David]

Ann, I've seen no indication so far that she does. -Sigh- It would be nice to get her impressions on these and other topics once in a while. Personally, I'd like to see her portray Dr. Laura Ernst in Rendezvous With Rama. David Larkin

[Ana, Our Shared Shelf Moderator]

I am sure Emma browse her own forums more often than we would think. :) Still, with her agenda I imagine it's not easy for her to come hang out here freely. :(

[David]

Ana wrote: "I am sure Emma browse her own forums more often than we would think. :) Still, with her agenda I imagine it's not easy for her to come hang out here freely. :(" I offer my apologies to both Ms. Watson and the Moderators. Perhaps my statement was ill-advised. David Larkin

[Ann]

If you like Memoir, I can highly recommend this one. Red Blood, Yellow Skin

A young woman's recollections of growing up in Vietnam during the wars.

Here's a link to my review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Annie]

Ana wrote: "I am sure Emma browse her own forums more often than we would think. :) Still, with her agenda I imagine it's not easy for her to come hang out here freely. :("

I can't stop thinking about her playing the lead character of the book I was reading. I hope she checks it out.

[Garance]

Hi everyone, I'm new to Goodread and have just been through this thread. Thank you for all the wonderful reading recommandations and related articles. It's quite enriching.
As many have already, I join the raves about Americanah. This book is a must read, especially regarding the mentioned subject. I know the list is over now but I've recently heard of the book No Home by Yaa Gyasi. I haven't started to read it yet but I'm really looking forward to it. I heard of it through the French feminist newsletter "Quoi de meuf" if any of you French readers are interested: http://quoidemeuf.net The book is the first one by the 28 years old author. It seems pretty relevant in today's time, where the inheritance of slavery and race is more than ever present. It tells the story of Effia and Esi, born from the same mother but because from different fathers bound to live separate lives. Effia lives in a wealthy family in Ghana whereas Esi becomes a slave in American cotton fields. The book relates the destiny of their descendants over three centuries, two continents and especially two societies in which racial issues are lived differently: Ghana and USA. It is said to be a highly addictive novel with multiple characters, Game of Thrones style! Maybe that can be relevant to the list as well.

[Ann]

Thanks for your comments, Garance.

Don't worry - this thread will stay open for comments and recommendations, even though the list is at 50 books :)

[Pam]

-The three body problem.
-Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Fey Series, they are Elfin, but dark elves and the story deals with interracial marriage

[Emmanuelle]

Dorothy Koomson who is a contemporary English novelist.

[Pam]

Anansi Boys is a novel by Neil Gaiman. In the novel, "Mr. Nancy" — an incarnation of the West African trickster god Anansi — dies, leaving two sons, who in turn discover each other.