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

[Lea]

Irreverent, hilarious, dirty, oddly touching - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

Jesus's bff is brought back from the dead to write a new gospel about what Jesus did in the 20+ years missing from the Bible. I think this one will appeal to not-easily-offended Christians and people with any or no religious affiliation. I re-read this book every few years, and it always makes me laugh.

[Bobby]

I'm thinking of reading House Made of Dawn, by N. Scott Momaday; A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines; or The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches, by Bashō Matsuo. I'm not familiar enough with the plots to know for sure whether they qualify as spiritual journeys.

[Viv]

Margaret wrote: "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 question..."

I've had that book on my TBR for ages - hadn't thought of it for this task, so that will definitely spur me on to read it!

[Julie]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm going with Medicine Walk!

[Rainey]

Julie wrote: "Thanks for the suggestions! I'm going with Medicine Walk!"

I loved that book. LOVED.

[Barbara]

Can someone who has read Pull Me Under: A Novel tell me if it fits this task? It seems from the description that it's pretty likely, but I figured I'd check.

[Malvina]

I read Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine in 2016 and I think it could count towards this category. It's not at all cheesy or preachy towards any religion but rather shows how one character uses religion to cope.

Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho would qualify although I didnt particularly enjoy it.

[Caryn]

Margaret wrote: "My thought here was The Law of Love by Laura Esquivel. This is the description from Publisher's Weekly.

" Composed in a tantalizing style of New Age-sci-fi-magical reali..."

I think Esquivel's Pierced by the Sun may also qualify for the spiritual journey category.

[Emilie]

I was thinking of re-reading Go Tell it on the Mountain by Baldwin. Also ticks classic by author of colour and characters of colour too?

[[deleted user]]

Emilie wrote: "I was thinking of re-reading Go Tell it on the Mountain by Baldwin. Also ticks classic by author of colour and characters of colour too?"

Absolutely a classic.

[[deleted user]]

Lea wrote: "Irreverent, hilarious, dirty, oddly touching - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

Jesus's bff is brought back from the dead to write a new gospel about what Jesus did in th..."

It's actually a wonderful book, well-researched and dead funny. You will cry laughing. And I say that as a person with a Ph. D. in New Testament.

[Alexia]

Thanks for all the suggestions. This one stumped me. I couldn't think of any spiritual journey stories a about POC. Your suggestions have helped me broaden my definition of spiritual journey and given me some good possibilities.

[Martin]

I may regret it, but I'm going to take a big bite for this one and read Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I've wanted to read it for awhile, and now I have a reason to. It may be the biggest book I read during this challenge. But that's the point, right?

[Jools]

I have chosenA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.

I dunno if it's gonna be a spiritual journey, but it's looks really interesting and since other people's religions are not my thing, I figure it's worth a try.

It's early in the year, so if it doesn't fit this category, it will fit a different one and I have time to read something else.

eta: It's definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone. I don't think I would read it without this challenge.

[Laura]

Jools wrote: "I have chosenA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.

I dunno if it's gonna be a spiritual journey, but it's looks really interesting and since other people's religions are not my ..."

I would definitely class ATFTB as a spiritual journey! It was out of my comfort zone as well, but it is a wonderful book.

[Sam]

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..."

I haven't read The Color Purple, but I've meant to for a long time, so I think I will use it for this task as well as "all POV characters are people of color".... it will hopefully motivate me to actually get around to it!

[Rachel]

A post about this challenge went up on Book Riot today: http://bookriot.com/2017/01/06/read-h...

[Jools]

Okay! A Tale for the Time Being is on the Book Riot post so I was right on track.

Now I'm just waiting for my used copy to arrive in the mail. Good thing I am reading 3 other books right now...

[[deleted user]]

I just finished reading The Color Purple for the first time and it was perfect for this challenge!

[Katie]

For this one I plan on reading The Alchemist.

[Coco]

I think I go with "Kafka on the shore" by Murakami. I want to re-read it for a long time. And spiritual journeys are definitely not my favorite.

[Diane]

Tim wrote: "Could I justify reading A Brief History of Seven Killings to fulfill this category? I started it once when it came out, and I feel like it could. This could be a good excuse to go b..."

I'm reading that now. It's fantastic. But not a spiritual journey for any character in it. I was thinking it might work for multiplePOC POV characters challenge

[Juniper]

I read Flight by Sherman Alexie just because I enjoyed the Part-Time Indian book, but it turned out to fulfill this category :-) Heavier and more rambling than his best-known work, but glad I read it.

[Diane]

Christy wrote: "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 rolli..."

I just finished Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and I was thinking it fits in with this category.

[Diane]

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

I love that book. Perfect for this challenge

[Ramona]

I'm currently reading The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and wondering if it could count for this task.

[Bonnie G.]

Ramona wrote: "I'm currently reading The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and wondering if it could count for this task."

Brilliant book! I don't see a spiritual journey in it. It was a journey of escape and survival, really. But maybe someone else sees it differently?

[Doug]

I was thinking of reading Flight by Sherman Alexie for this one.

Do we think it counts?

[Malvina]

Melissa wrote: "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) ..."

I just finished Underground Railroad earlier this week and I don't know if it fits into the category. I'm taking a more liberal definition of 'spiritual journey' to mean a quest of self-fulfillment and/or self-realization but I saw Cora's journey (both literal journey and internal journey) as being grounded in survival more than anything else. It's a tough one.

[Malvina]

I'm currently reading The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between and I think it meets a liberal definition of 'spiritual journey'. It involves an actual journey to Matar's homeland after living in exile for 30+ years in order to visit the cell where his father was imprisoned by Qaddafi for years (number of years is unknown as his father essentially 'disappeared'). It contains a lot of self-reflection and musings about family, politics, and the meaning of home. Has anyone else read it?

[Kate]

Bianca wrote: "I still have Dante s inferno on my shelves. would that count?"

Definitely.

[Kate]

Per the discussions on Native lit (combining several comments), I think Flight counts if you consider a search for identity a spiritual one (which is up to you). As far as Alexie goes, a lot of his work falls into this category in a way but I'd highly recommend Reservation Blues for this.

I second the recommendation of Ceremony:. Anything by Momaday will likely involve a spiritual journey, and House Made of Dawn definitely counts.

I'd also recommend Truth and Bright Water and Winter in the Blood, which are devastating and gorgeous.

[Ashley]

Bianca wrote: "I still have Dante s inferno on my shelves. would that count?"

I'm not sure I would consider Dante a "character of color" (as he is the main character in his story). I admit, though, I have never read it myself (though I've seen many a play and other adaptations of it).

[Rainey]

Ashley wrote: "Bianca wrote: "I still have Dante s inferno on my shelves. would that count?"

I'm not sure I would consider Dante a "character of color" (as he is the main character in his story). I admit, though..."

I dont think he is a person of colour either.

[Kate]

Ashley wrote: "Bianca wrote: "I still have Dante s inferno on my shelves. would that count?"

I'm not sure I would consider Dante a "character of color" (as he is the main character in his story). I admit, though..."

I guess that depends on how you define POC (and whether you use a modern American definition or one from Dante's lifetime and locale). He was from medieval Florence, so I could see including him as a POC or not. We don't really know exactly what he looked like, but most likely more northerly Italians would have considered Florentines POC.

[Julia]

I absolutely recommend:
LaRose and The Round House by Louise Erdrich, two books that share only generalized geography. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is about spiritual journey as well as a physical one. The Sparrow and Children of God by Mary Doria Russell is a spiritual and physical journey taken by a Puerto Rican Jesuit priest and others. Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler are about a journey that becomes spiritual. Flight by Sherman Alexie is about a young man taking a journey, so he will live, which becomes spiritual. Saints and Boxers by Gene Luen Yang is Chinese history, they are graphic novels with main characters whose different religion and world views fuels the plot.

I have requested Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older from my library system. I hope it fits this or another challenge. I read and enjoyed Shadowshaper last year or the year before.

[Kate]

Julia wrote: "I absolutely recommend:
LaRose and The Round House by Louise Erdrich, two books that share only generalized geography. [book:The Underground Railroad|..."

Thanks for the Yang and Russell recs! Those weren't on my radar and they look great.

[Jonathan]

Does non-fiction count? Want to read A Black Theology of Liberation

[Leslie]

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

I recently finished The Vegetarian and would not count it in this category. A good read, though! I used it for the 5000 miles slot.

[Jessica]

I realized that Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance fits this, both in its overall thrust and in the "roots" trip to Kenya that Obama makes toward its end. It's been on my shelf since 2007; I think it's time to pick it up.

[Jacquelyn]

I just finished "The Famished Road," by Ben Okri and highly recommend it. It was not an easy read for me, in that the plot structure seemed more circular than linear. But if you can settle into his rhythm and immerse yourself in his fantastical descriptions, it's a beautiful read. As a friend put it to me, it's not so much magical realism as it is a meditation on poverty and how people survive in it. This would also count for a book where all the POVs are by people of color.

[Christy]

I'm considering State of Wonder by Ann Patchett for this one. Has anyone read it and have an opinion on whether it would qualify? Personally, as much as I liked The Underground Railroad, I wouldn't count it as a spiritual journey.

For anyone looking for recommendations, I loved A Tale for the Time Being and Reservation Blues!

[Mandy]

I'm always a bit unsure what a spiritual journey means. Would Trevor Noah's Born a Crime work for this topic? It's a collection of essays about coming of age so that counts in my book, but curious how others would weigh in.

[Mandy]

Jessica wrote: "I realized that Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance fits this, both in its overall thrust and in the "roots" trip to Kenya that Obama makes toward its end. It's been..." Great book!

[Jen]

I haven't seen anyone recommend Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon for this, but I think it absolutely fits and is, for me, a must-read.

I just finished The Mothers by Brit Bennett and am wondering if Luke and Aubrey's stories contain enough to count for this challenge. I'm leaning towards yes, does anyone else who's read it agree/disagree?

[Veronica]

Mandy wrote: "I'm always a bit unsure what a spiritual journey means. Would Trevor Noah's Born a Crime work for this topic? It's a collection of essays about coming of age so that counts in my bo..."

I would say no. It's a fantastic read and while he does talk about his mother forcing him to go to church, there isn't much about him getting to know himself spiritually. It's focused more on the effects of South African politics than anything else. I'd still highly recommend it and, if you're in the US, could count for your 5000 miles task.

[Julia]

Dennie wrote: "Do you think Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person would work?"

I was thinking of this book myself.

[Kate]

Jonathan wrote: "Does non-fiction count? Want to read A Black Theology of Liberation"

It seems like you should be able to count nonfic.

[Bonnie G.]

Kate wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Does non-fiction count? Want to read A Black Theology of Liberation"

It seems like you should be able to count nonfic."

This has come up in other challenges over the years, and BR has always said that unless the prompt says specifically "fiction" or "non-fiction" anything goes.

[Yrinsyde]

I'm going to read My Place by Sally Morgan. I've read this before but I don't want to count it a reread - want to do all these tasks! Morgan investigates her family history and discovers she is indigenous - and so discovers herself. I would count that as a spiritual journey. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...