Task #19: Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey

[Katie]

Do y'all have any good suggestions for a Christian book in this category? I love C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rowan Williams, Henri Nouwen, and Nadia Bolz-Weber, so I'm certainly good with explicitly Christian books! I don't know of any that have a spiritual journey by a POC though. (Or for that matter, any written by a POC.

[Teresa]

Re: The Law of Love. I read New Age-Sci Fi-Magical Realism and my first thought was H*ll ya! Lol, the irony.

[Diana]

Renee wrote: "I'm considering The Color Purple. I feel it will fulfill multiple challenges :
9-book read before
16 challenged or banned
17 classic by author of color
19 Spiritual journey
20 LGBTQ+ romance
24 all..."

Sounds correct to me! One of my all-time favorite books.

[Diana]

Re Underground Railroad, while is there absolutely both a physical and an emotional journey, I can't really make any argument for a spiritual journey. One of my favorite reads this year, though.

[Melissa]

I made a list of feminist book recs for the challenge. For this task, using both definitions of "spiritual," I came up with:

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet by Xinran
So Far from God by Ana Castillo
The Undertaking of Lily Chen by Danica Novgorodoff

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older and The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson (crossovers from my Fantasy recs) will work if you're going with the "spirit world" definition.

And Beloved by Toni Morrison, which is not on my list of recs, would also work. Come to think of it, so would The Turner House by Angela Flournoy. OH! And The Miraculous Day of Amalia Gómez by John Rechy (I think this might be a good one for my fellow atheists/skeptics).

[Bobby]

I will probably be reading The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches, by Bashō Matsuo. I hope it counts. I think it would also fit the travel memoir and the translated poems, although it is partly in prose.

Also, can anyone tell me if The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, by Carlos Castaneda would fit this category, or if I would need to read the entire trilogy to appreciate the author's entire journey?

Two books I recommend are The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Malcolm X and Alex Haley, and The Conference of the Birds, by Farid al-Din Attar. In the latter the characters are of many brilliant colors indeed, because they're all birds! They are also Persian, and go on a literal and spiritual journey.

[Bobby]

Katie wrote: "Do y'all have any good suggestions for a Christian book in this category? I love C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rowan Williams, Henri Nouwen, and Nadia Bolz-Weber, so I'm certainly good with expl..."

One book I've been considering for this challenge is Confessions, by Augustine of Hippo (also known as The Confessions of Saint Augustine). The author is partly of north African Berber descent, but I don't know what exactly that designation means or whether it would qualify him as a person "of color."

[Sheri]

Would The Autobiography of a Yogi work?

[Christy]

SibylM wrote: "This is going to be a hard one for me. As an atheist with a kind of naturally snarky personality and take on the world, I hear "spiritual journey" and my eyes reflexively start rolling. On the othe..."

Hello fellow Atheist. I am struggling with this one to. Hopefully we will find something that we enjoy.

[Christy]

Writing God's Obituary Writing God's Obituary: How a Good Methodist Became a Better Atheist would fit this category and may be interesting for those of us that are unbelievers.

[Bobby]

Katie wrote: "Do y'all have any good suggestions for a Christian book in this category? I love C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rowan Williams, Henri Nouwen, and Nadia Bolz-Weber, so I'm certainly good with expl..."

There are several biographies of the Chinese minister and martyr Watchman Nee. I read one book by him that were excellent—The Normal Christian Life and The Spiritual Man—but not these books about him. There are some reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.

Against the Tide - The Story of Watchman Nee, by Angus I. Kinnear

Watchman Nee - A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, by Witness Lee

Watchman Nee's Testimony by Watchman Nee (autobiographical, but doesn't discuss the latter part of his life)

[Olivia]

I'm an atheist too, so a bit iffy about this one but I enjoyed the spiritual element in Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko. Melissa is an Aboriginal Australian woman and it is more about the spiritual connection to the land of her ancestors rather than organised religion.

[Sandra]

I think I'm going to read Black Apple by Joan Crate. I'd second (or third) the recommendations for Medicine Walk and Birdie as well.

[Barbara (The Bibliophage)]

I'm thinking of The Round House. Do you think it would count?

[Cheri]

Ellie wrote: "It might be a long shot but how about 'Kafka on the shore' by Murakami. Not quite sure though but it kinda fits."

I would agree. There is certainly a spiritual journey there. Good luck verbalizing it, though!

[Stina]

I just finished Alif the Unseen, and while it's not my favorite book and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, it was pretty good, and I'd say it qualifies for this task. Think Snow Crash, but with genies.

[Martha]

Stina wrote: "I just finished Alif the Unseen, and while it's not my favorite book and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, it was pretty good, and I'd say it qualifies for this task. Think Snow Crash, but with ..."

I loved that book! I agree that it meets this task. I wish I hadn't read it but I may reread it so that I'll complete two tasks.

[Bonnie G.]

loved The Round House but I can't see that it fits this challenge at all. Others are often much more expansive than I in finding challenge connections though so maybe I am wrong.

[ChezJulie]

I was having trouble with this category, too, but I think some of Toni Morrison's books would work. Song of Solomon and Beloved are both described as having elements of a spiritual journey.

[Vicky]

Illusions by Richard Bach and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho would work for this. But I have already read them both... Hmm.

[Jodi]

Vicky wrote: "Illusions by Richard Bach and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho would work for this. But I have already read them both... Hmm."
The Alchemist is always worth a re-read :)

[Colleen]

Alexandra wrote: "Has anyone read LaRose by Louise Erdrich?

It's one I've been wanting to read for awhile and I *think* it might qualify?"

This is on my list as well- is the consensus that it counts for this category?

[Julia]

Ooh! If you're into YA fantasy, Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova is a great story about both a literal journey into the spirit world and a spiritual journey to accept oneself and one's heritage.

[Katy]

I was wondering if Labyrinth Lost qualified, and saw it on the NYPL rec list (https://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/12/22/...) so I'm penciling it in!

[Heather]

I was looking at "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse". I am viewing "spiritual journey" not literally as having to do with religion or even spirituality, but one where the main character goes on a personal journey (in this case, learns more about himself and his heritage). What do you guys think? (Also, I'm a Children's Librarian, so where I can, I'm reading Children's/YA lit.)

[Lindsey]

Colleen wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Has anyone read LaRose by Louise Erdrich?

It's one I've been wanting to read for awhile and I *think* it might qualify?"

This is on my list as well..."
I'm curious to know this too! It looks really interesting.

[Amy]

I was thinking of The Round House, too. Having not read it yet, it appears that the themes include revenge/forgiveness/grief and coming to terms with the existence of evil. Those are spiritual concepts to me.

[Barbara (The Bibliophage)]

Amy - I think coming of age is a spiritual journey also. But that's just me ...

[Sonia]

Sandra wrote: "Do you think The Alchemist would work for this challenge? I know the main character is from Spain, but the author is from Brazil. I sometimes have a problem in determining what constitut..."

I was sort of wondering the same, but I guess any book with a non-caucasian protagonist would fit the bill. I don't remember much of The Alchemist but I always imagined the protagonist being of arab/muslim heritage (since Spain was occupied/dominated by the arabs quite a while back in the day).

[Claire]

I'm thinking of reading Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton for this challenge- I've been meaning to read it for years!

[Andrea]

A Poet of the Invisible World: A Novel is perfect for this.

[Elizabeth]

Murakami's Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage was worth the read, and would definitely count for this challenge.

I'm not really sure what I plan to do for this challenge, but the thread has definitely given me some ideas so far. I had been planning on reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X soon anyway, and I hadn't even considered that would possibly count. I wouldn't want to make a definitive statement on this so soon though, because I am really not sure.

[Jodi]

Elizabeth wrote: "Murakami's Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage was worth the read, and would definitely count for this challenge.


Thank for this! Now I know which book goes on my list for this task :)

[Jackie]

What about Still Water Saints by Alex Espinoza? Description says it deals with faith & hope, and 3 people have it shelved under 'religion'.

[Rokkan]

Renee wrote: "I'm considering The Color Purple. I feel it will fulfill multiple challenges :
9-book read before
16 challenged or banned
17 classic by author of color
19 Spiritual journey
20 LGBTQ+ romance
24 all pov characters persons of color
Am I wrong?"

Ah, I think I love you! The Color Purple has been on my TBR list for a while! May or may not double it up, but I can certainly use it for #19

[Erophilie]

Do you think Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man would qualify as a "spiritual journey"?

[Storm Indigo]

Renee wrote: "I'm considering The Color Purple. I feel it will fulfill multiple challenges :
9-book read before
16 challenged or banned
17 classic by author of color
19 Spiritual journey
20 LGBTQ+ romance
24 all..."

Thank you! I rarely reread anything but this ticks too many boxes to resist!

[Marcella]

I recommend Who fears death by Nnedi Okorafor. I read this last year and I think it fits this challenge very well.

It would also fit a book where all point of view characters are of color, and since it is set in Sudan I guess it would also fit for a book that is set more then 5000 miles from your location for many people.

[Bianca]

I still have Dante s inferno on my shelves. would that count?

[Rokkan]

Marcella wrote: "I recommend Who fears death by Nnedi Okorafor. I read this last year and I think it fits this challenge very well.

It would also fit a book where all point of view characters are of color, and si..."

I would second this! A good book IMO, worthy of a read. And also fits for reading a fantasy novel.

[Michelle]

I'm thinking I may read "Children of God," which is the sequel to Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow.

In the Sparrow, a Jesuit priest from Latin America organizes an expedition to make first contact with an alien race. What happens first reinforces and then challenges his faith.

In Children of God the same man returns to the planet.

Either book could certainly by classified as a spiritual journey by a person of color.

[[deleted user]]

If you're still looking, it seems that A Tale for the Time Being might work for this. Both characters are Japanese (or Japanese American), and both explore Zen Buddhism and questions surrounding time and being.

[Katy]

Amy wrote: "I'm thinking about The Underground Railroad for this one. I think my problem with this category is that unless a book has a very overt religious theme (which tends not to appeal to me) it can be ha..."

I read that; not sure she goes on a spiritual journey... all she is met with is challenges and she survives them but doesnt have time to grow spiritually; she is trying to survive.

[Katy]

I 100% recommend "Dodgers" By Bill Beverly for this topic. It's Huck Finn with an LA gang member... he goes on spiritual journey across America.... in that he grows, spiritually and morally. Single greatest book I read last year. Dodgers

[Margaret]

Would The Sellout by Paul Beatty work for this?

[Chrissy]

I think The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell would be a great fit, and it is one of my favorites.

[Maggie]

Book Riot wrote: "Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the nineteenth Read Harder task, from Daniel José Older, author of Salsa Nocturna, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, and Y..."

Has anyone mentioned Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

[[deleted user]]

Claire wrote: "I'm thinking of reading Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton for this challenge- I've been meaning to read it for years!"
Yes, this is a wonderful book that fits this challenge. I'd forgotten about this book. Thanks for the reminder.

[[deleted user]]

Vicky wrote: "Illusions by Richard Bach and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho would work for this. But I have already read them both... Hmm."

Have you read A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki? It would definitely work.

[Jade]

Would 'The Vegetarian' by Han Kang count for this task? I'm hoping so as it's been on my tbr for a while