Task #24: Read a book wherein all point-of-view characters are people of color

[Rebecca]

Rachel wrote: "I'm most likely going with The Sun Is Also a Star, which has perspectives from a Jamaican character and a Korean-American character."

Thanks! This one has been on my to-read list for a while, but I didn't know the characters are POC. :)

[Shawn]

I highly recommend The Break by Katherena Vermette for this. I read it at the end of 2016 so can't use it myself, but want to pass it along to enthusiastically to others.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[[deleted user]]

Elizabeth wrote: "I have been considering both The Color Purple and Beloved for this challenge. I have never read any Alice Walker, but I have heard wonderful things about The Color Purple (obviously). I have read T..."

I love the Color Purple. It's well worth a read. Beloved is also beautiful, but I think harder to get through because it is so full of fantasy and haunted by ghosts. Both are amazing novels

[[deleted user]]

Chris wrote: "Would Beloved qualify for this task? I've never read it but I've always wanted to, so I have no idea if the point-of-view characters are all POC. If not, is there anything else by Toni ..."

Yes, Beloved qualifies. All of Morrison's novels that I've read have only POC as POV characters.

[[deleted user]]

Bill wrote: "I am planning on reading "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas". I need a group ruling on its legitimacy for this prompt.

Thanks!"

Since Douglass (double s) is the POV character of this first of his three autobiographies, this should work. I can't remember if he ever gives us the POV of a white character.

[Julia]

Any of the Peter Grant Series by Ben Aaronovitch would work.
Rivers of London and so on... I am using the current one: The Hanging Tree

[Avid Reader and Geek Girl]

I was planning on reading The Sun Is Also a Star

[Kristen]

I've never actually read anything by Louise Erdrich, but plan to this year. Would any of hers count for this category? Many of the blurbs sound like they'd fit the requirement but again, I haven't actually read her works, so...

[Ozge]

Does Kindred fit into this category? My second option is to read The Sun Is Also a Star.

[Maddie]

Chasity wrote: "Martha wrote: "The Mothers if you haven't read it yet."

I might double dip for this one since this was my selection for a debut novel. I haven't double dipped for anything else but..."

I am currently reading the Color Purple - about 3/4 way through. The sexual assault description is mostly at the start and if you can get through it - it was depressing but it's not a trigger for me - then the book moves on from that as a focus it seems.

[Avid Reader and Geek Girl]

Maddie wrote: "Chasity wrote: "Martha wrote: "The Mothers if you haven't read it yet."

I might double dip for this one since this was my selection for a debut novel. I haven't double dipped for a..."

Depending on where you live this is a frequently challenged book in many countries.

[H]

Currently reading kindred by Octavia e butler

[Shawn]

I can't imagine how Kindred would qualify here. There's only one point of view.

[Ozge]

Shawn, thanks for letting me know!

[Ashley]

I would like to recommend The Book of Phoenix for anyone still looking for a book to fit this task. Not only is it fantastic, IMO, all the characters are POC. There is one actual protagonist, who is African, and all the other characters are of ethnicities other than Caucasian as well (if my memory serves me correctly). Either way, the book is awesome and would be a great option, especially if you are looking for something in the sci-fi realm! I'm considering reading the companion book, Who Fears Death, for this task myself :)

[Jools]

Julie, thanks for the Rivers of London suggestion! It's on my shelf, waiting to be read, I for no good reason have been avoiding it even though it's next on another challenge of mine!

[Pamela]

It didn't say it needed to be fiction so I read I'm Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi...worth reading; a quick read; not for the overly sensitive to criticism but she has some important things to say and some amusing things as well...

[Anneke]

Just finished Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue, which would qualify both for this challenge, and the immigrant challenge. Though the book only has two POVs, they are both PoC (a Cameroonian immigrant couple) and the book is very compelling...

[Jodi]

Today I realised that I have a book by Vikas Swarup on my TBR shelf. So I'm finally going to read that book.

[Brandy]

Beyond the River: The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad

Has anyone read this? I have owned this book for years and had it on my to read shelf (ok shelves, I have lots of to read shelves...and boxes of books) Would this fit in this category?

[Pamela]

Shawn wrote: "I can't imagine how Kindred would qualify here. There's only one point of view."

To me it reads that it doesn't specify there has to be more than one....just that if there is, they should all be people of color.

[Bonnie G.]

Kristen wrote: "I've never actually read anything by Louise Erdrich, but plan to this year. Would any of hers count for this category? Many of the blurbs sound like they'd fit the requirement but again, I haven't ..."

Nearly all Erdrich qualifies. I recommend The Round House. It is my favorite from her.

[Bonnie G.]

Ozge wrote: "Does Kindred fit into this category? My second option is to read The Sun Is Also a Star."

Kindred absolutely fits. If there is only one character, than 1 is all the characters.

[Katie]

For this one I plan on reading The Association of Small Bombs.

[Shawn]

I wouldn't think a novel with only one narrative point of view would qualify here, or else the task would've been phrased much more simply. Any first person narrative with a person of color narrator - so pretty much any novel about a person of color - would fit the simpler task. This task is more challenging than that, I think. But since nobody died and made me queen, I'll bow out of this debate. :)

[Cante Tenza Win]

Margaret wrote: "Let me also suggest A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. Both of the point-of-view characters are Japanese or Japanese American"

Ooh, yes, Ruth Ozeki books are awesome!

[Erin]

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin? Would that work for this challenge?

[Bonnie G.]

Erin wrote: "Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin? Would that work for this challenge?"

I am reading this book for the Classic by a POC catagory, but it absolutely works for this too.

[Erin]

Bonnie wrote: "Erin wrote: "Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin? Would that work for this challenge?"

I am reading this book for the Classic by a POC catagory, but it absolutely works for th..."

I was thinking of a Dumas book for the classic by a POC. But I got this one Audible, and I love Baldwin.

[Bonnie G.]

Erin wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Erin wrote: "Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin? Would that work for this challenge?"

I am reading this book for the Classic by a POC catagory, but it absolute..."

I am a huge fan of Count of Monte Cristo. I read it with my then 14 year old son (we used to have a quarterly "book club") and we both really enjoyed the read. I have not read nearly enough Baldwin, but I am reading GTIOTM for Classic and Giovanni's Room for LGBTQ+ romance.

[Erin]

Bonnie wrote: "Erin wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Erin wrote: "Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin? Would that work for this challenge?"

I am reading this book for the Classic by a POC catagory, bu..."

I read Count of Monte Cristo last year, and I loved it! I was thinking maybe The Three Musketeers this year! The Fire Next Time is really good by Baldwin, too.

[Bonnie G.]

Erin wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Erin wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Erin wrote: "Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin? Would that work for this challenge?"

I am reading this book for the Classic by a P..."

Thanks for the suggestion!

[Meg]

Adnan's Story - Rabia Chaudry (Continuation of Serial season 1 investigation by family friend/lawyer). Does nonfiction have POV characters technically? Would it have to be fiction to count?

[Erin]

I'm reading that book sometime this year too, after listening to Undisclosed and Serial!

[Meg]

I've listened to it all as well so I'm def reading it. I'd like to be able to count it as something. I could almost do 100 miles with it but Baltimore is 130 miles from me

[Erin]

Dammit, Baltimore! So close, but so far!

[Alice]

I just read Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor and it works for this. Set in Lagos, Nigeria its a bit science fiction/ magic realism but so amazing! Would recommend to anyone doing this challenge.

[Kate]

I would highly recommend Ghana Must Go for this task.

[Sarah]

Does anyone know if Underground Airlines would work for this? Thanks!

[[deleted user]]

Lots of books fit this category. If you're looking for a series of short stories that works, I recommend Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. All of the POV characters are either Indian or Indian-American.

And, it won the Pulitzer so it's pretty incredible writing

[Fred]

A Brief History of Seven Killings Has anyone read "A Brief History of Seven Killings" by Marlon James? I'm interested in reading it for this category and was wondering if the multiple narrators meet the criteria of the challenge.

[Rainey]

Fred wrote: "A Brief History of Seven Killings Has anyone read "A Brief History of Seven Killings" by Marlon James? I'm interested in reading it for this category and was wondering if the multip..."

I think it would. Good book. Buy the audio version as well. Helps with the Jamaican patois

Most of the characters are POC enough to count in the category

[Trudie]

I was planning on reading A Brief History of Seven Killings for this as well. But I guess it depends how strictly you want to apply the rule as while the majority of the many characters are POC, not all are.
I am still going to get to this soon but maybe not for this task.

[Darlene]

Would Queen Sugar qualify?

[Rainey]

Darlene wrote: "Would Queen Sugar qualify?"

I believe it would.

[Michelle]

I read Jacqueline Woodson's Another Brooklyn for this task.

I hadn't planned to read it for this task, but it was on the new release shelf at the library and, having read good reviews for it, I snatched it up.

I think the best description for the work is elegiac. It had a kind of melancholy quality without being depressing.

If you'd like a peek at the life of a black girl and her friends in 1970's Brooklyn, read this book.

[Lianne]

Shawn wrote: "I can't imagine how Kindred would qualify here. There's only one point of view."

And if that POV character is black, I would say it does count. All the category says is that 'all' POV characters are POC. It doesn't specify that there has to be more than one.

[Ramona]

Rainey wrote: "Ira wrote: "Does the Underground Railroad meet this criteria? I bought it but haven't read it yet."

It doesn't. There are a couple while characters who have their own chapters.

[Barbara]

I read Salsa Nocturna: A Bone Street Rumba Collection over the weekend. I realized once I was done that it fit this challenge. If you've liked anything else that Older has written, this is definitely worthwhile. It's a collection of linked short stories, rather than an actual novel, which worked really well for me in this universe.

[Nicole]

I'm readingWe Love You, Charlie Freeman for debut novel, but would it count for this too?