2017 Diversity Challenge

[Ezi, Factory Superintendent]

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE

**New Challenge brought to us by Erica

This challenge was inspired by the very acrimonious presidential election cycle we in America have just survived. Our country seems bitterly divided, and many ugly sentiments have come to the fore. The purpose of this challenge is to see if we can gain a greater understanding of each other by stretching our boundaries and by considering the impact of non-diversity on society as a whole.

Duration: 6 months
Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Levels:
Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set
Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

*****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

[Ezi, Factory Superintendent]

******************************************

[Ezi, Factory Superintendent]

Rules: Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set


*****
Set I: 0 of 4
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

*****
Set II: 0 of 5
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

*****
Set III: 0 of 6
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

[Kris Mongo]

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Start: 1/1/17
End: 12/31/17

Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set


*****
Set 1: 3/4
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way-

☃ - Conception by Kalisha Buckhanon ***** 1/2/17

☃ - The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson **** 3/26/17

☃ - The Widow of Wall Street by Randy Susan Meyers **** 8/1/17

*****
Set 2 7/5
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation


Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

☃ The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson **** 1/10/17

☃ When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez **** 1/12/17

☃ The Song of David by Amy Harmon **** 1/18/17

☃ The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin ***** 2/1/17

★ All the Best People by Sonja Yoerg **** 7/11/17

★ A List of Cages by Robin Roe ***** 8/3/17

★ Pretend We Are Lovely by Noley Reid ***** 8/17/17

*****
Set 3 21/6
Going Abroad: A. a book about a culture you know little about or B. with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or C. a book about immigration or D. with a MC who has recently emigrated or E. plans to emigrate, or F. a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

☃- Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz *** 1/2/17

☃ A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri ***** 1/13/17

☃ Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill ***** 1/24/17

☃ The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi ***** 2/1/17 452 pp.

☃ Always Running by Luis J. Rodríguez ***** 3/2/17

☃ Lucy and Linh by Alice Pung ***** 3/8/17

☃ The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver ***** 3/23/17

☃ The Leavers by Lisa Ko ***** 7/1/17

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

☃ The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger ***** 5/1/17

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

☃ Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey *****! 1/23/17

☃ Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly ***** 2/2/17

☃ Girl at War by Sara Nović ***** 2/6/17

☃ The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes ***** 2/15/17

☃ This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel *****! 2/19/17

☃ Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult **** 5/3/17

☃ The Help by Kathryn Stockett ***** 5/4/17

☃ Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay ***** 5/6/17

☃ The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz ***** 7/2/17

☃ Everybody's Son by Thrity Umrigar **** 7/8/17

★ The Alice Network by Kate Quinn **** 7/12/17

★ People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks ***** 8/20/17

[Kathy]

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE

**New Challenge brought to us by Erica

This challenge was inspired by the very acrimonious presidential election cycle we in America have just survived. Our country seems bitterly divided, and many ugly sentiments have come to the fore. The purpose of this challenge is to see if we can gain a greater understanding of each other by stretching our boundaries and by considering the impact of non-diversity on society as a whole.

Duration: 6 months
Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Levels:
Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set
Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
- Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West - 1/2
- Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital by David M. Oshinsky - 2/11

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
- Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat - 1/14
- Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham - 1/14
- Swing Time by Zadie Smith - 1/19
- The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson - 1/22


*****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation
-Laughing All the Way to the Mosque: The Misadventures of a Muslim Woman by Zarqa Nawaz - 1/1
- The Sisters Weiss by Naomi Ragen - 1/4

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
- Fever by Mary Beth Keane - 1/5
- The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter - 3/5
- The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos - 3/7
- The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker - 3/13

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language
- How to Make White People Laugh by Negin Farsad - 1/4
- We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - 2/13
- Secret Lives of the Tsars: Three Centuries of Autocracy, Debauchery, Betrayal, Murder, and Madness from Romanov Russia by Michael Farquhar - 3/2
- Jazz by Toni Morrison - 3/4
- Paradise by Toni Morrison - 3/6

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
- The Spy by Paulo Coelho - 1/1
- People Who Knew Me by Kim Hooper - 2/6
- One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis - 2/19
- The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo - 2/20

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson - 1/6
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - 2/21
- Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto by Tilar J. Mazzeo - 3/10

Cannonball into the Deep End - Completed 3/10/17

[GreenFairy]

Sounds fun!

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
4/6/17 3* (Kalista is a baker and I love to bake)

Starters: a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
1/8/17 1* (Mariah is a damsel in distress over and over)

*****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture 5/13 6/15 7/3

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language Witness in Death 6/18 (theater performance)

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations 12/28/17 3 1/2 stars (part of the vampire race want to rule over the rest of the vampires and the humans)

[Lily]

9/9 ~ finished June 17th


Point of Departure
All Note Long by Annabeth Albert ~ 3/10/17 ~ 4★

Starters
Have a Little Faith by Diana McKinley ~ 2/26/17 ~ 4★

*****

Roadblocks
Addicted by Mark Summers ~ 3/6/17 ~ 3★
Damaged Goods by Susan Mac Nicol ~ 3/20/17 ~ 4★
Island Counselor by Sue Brown ~ 6/17/17 ~ 3.5★

*****

Going Abroad
Making It Work by Sean Michael ~ 1/23/17 ~ 3.5★

Really Out There
Viscount's Wager by Ava March ~ 1/16/17 ~ 3.5★
Warrior and Priest by Katie Howe ~ 4/6/17 ~ 3.5★

Danger Zone
Defenseless by A.J. Rose ~ 5/8/17 ~ 4★

[Nell]

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
...The purpose of this challenge is to see if we can gain a greater understanding of each other by stretching our boundaries and by considering the impact of non-diversity on society as a whole.
Almost all of my reading is by authors of a different race and about cultures different from my own. That flips the premise but there's still room to expand my scope e.g., different religion, different country.

Duration: 1 year
Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Levels:
Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set

Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set

Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

First Set:

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore 2/10/17



Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 6/26/17



*****
Second Set:

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho


Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
The Escape by Mary Balogh (MC is physically disabled) 2/06/17



*****
Third Set:

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language.
Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon 2/20/17 (recently emigrated)
The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith 12/25/17 (Botswana)
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan 1/13/18 (India)



Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her.
The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn (1700s) 8/30/17
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn (Adventurist, 1800s) 1/17/18



Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another, whether it be genocide or a social issue, or any book about violence in race relations.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 4/06/18

[~Melissa~]

DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Start: 1/1/17
End: 6/30/17
Level: Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
may change my level up at any time
read: 0/

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

*****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

[Erica, Quality Control Supervisor]

I'm in!! LOL - I was busy at work and only just saw this go up...

2017 Diversity Challenge
6 months from 1/1/17 - 6/30/17
Level: Cannonball into the Deep End

Read: 15/15

Set 1 (4 books)
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
✔ 1. Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind by Sakyong Mipham ♥♥♥♥♥ (1/1 - 1/20)
✔ 2. Chi Marathon: The Breakthrough Natural Running Program for a Pain-Free Half Marathon and Marathon by Danny Dreyer ♥♥♥♥♥ (1/1 - 2/10)

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
✔ 1. Selected Poetry of W. H. Auden by W.H. Auden ♥♥♥♥ (1/7 - 1/18)
✔ 2. Second Plays of A A Milne by A.A. Milne ♥♥♥♥ (1/9 - 1/15)

*****

Set 2 (5 books)
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation
✔ 1. Laughing All The Way To The Mosque by Zarqa Nawaz ♥♥♥ (3/17 - 3/20)
✔ 2. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel Ruiz ♥♥♥♥ (5/24 - 5/27)
✔ 3. Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa ♥♥♥♥♥ (6/2 - 6/16)

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
✔ 4. The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida ♥♥♥♥♥ (4/14)
✔ 5. The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City by Jennifer Toth ♥♥♥ (6/12 - 6/17)


*****

Set 3 (6 books)
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language
✔ 1. Un Anno Con Nonna Dowdel by Richard Peck ♥♥♥♥♥ (3/26 - 6/16)
✔ 2. The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen ♥♥♥ (5/23 - 5/28)

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
✔ 3. The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho ♥♥♥ (2/3 - 2/11)
✔ 4. I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzi ♥♥♥♥♥ (4/15 - 4/17)

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
✔ 5. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry ♥♥♥♥ (1/9 - 1/10)
✔ 6. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton ♥♥♥♥♥ (1/24 - 2/2)

[Alisa]

my spot

[Sunshine]

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Start: 1/1/17
End: 12/31/17

*****
Set 1: 0/4
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
1.
2.
3.
4.

*****
Set 2 0/5
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

*****
Set 3 0/6
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
*****

[JoAnne]

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Can we gain a greater understanding of each other by stretching our boundaries and by considering the impact of non-diversity on society as a whole?

Duration: 6 months 1/1/17 - 6/30/17
Minimum pages: 100
Read 21 books; all 7 categories
Level: Cannonball DONE!
Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have Read 3
1. A Million Little Things (Mischief Bay #3) by Susan Mallery 1/17/17 5stars (Pam likes to travel; Zoe's a homebody and has a cat as do I)
2. Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes 2/20/17 3stars (Nell wants to travel more and so do I)
3. An Avalon Valentine by Darien Gee 2/23/17 4stars (love chocolate, flowers and romance)

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way Read 3
1.
Love Finds You in Snowball Arkansas (Love Finds You #2) by Sandra D. Bricker 1/6/17 4stars (Christian Romance)
2. (EXIT Inc. #3 ) by Lena Diaz 1/21/17 4stars (romantic suspense/thriller)
3. The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin 3/5/17 4stars (psychological mystery)

****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation Read 2
1. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal 1/22/17 3stars (Lutheran Church has a big part of the story)
2. More Than a Marriage (Quilting Circle #3) by Amy Lillard 2/4/17 5stars (Amish)

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness Read 7
1. Light After Dark (The McCarthys of Gansett Island #16) by Marie Force 1/2/17 4stars (Quinn has a prosthetic leg from a war injury but doesn't want anyone to know)
2. Somebody Like You (Darling, VT #1) by Donna Alward 1/8/17 4stars (George - homeless vet)
3. The Discerning Gentleman's Guide by Virginia Heath 1/11/17 4stars (slums - poor that can't afford a place to sleep; food; medical care, etc)
4. It Started With a Kiss (Sequoia Lake #1) by Marina Adair 1/19/17 4stars (Avery was a transplant recipient; others battling cancer - local bereavement group to help people reclaim their life after loss - Living for Love)
5. His Cowboy Heart (Montana Men #6) by Jennifer Ryan 2/17/17 4.5stars (Jamie suffers from PTSD, has nightmares, has a hard time adjusting to civilian life)
6. Sunrise Canyon (New Americana #1) by Janet Dailey 2/18/17 4stars (Jake suffers from PTSD, has nightmares, gets angry and loses control, has a hard time adjusting to civilian life)
7. Forever Mine (Opposites Attract #2) by Erin Nicholas 2/25/17 5stars (Alex and Charli have homophelia and can't do some things; Charli's friend, Toby, is in a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy and he can't speak clearly)

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language Read 1
1. The Harlot and the Sheikh (Hot Arabian Nights #3) by Marguerite Kaye 1/29/17 5stars (Stephanie - English but mother is Egyptian; she goes to Arabia to be the Royal Horse Surgeon instead of her father)

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her Read 1
1. Miss Bradshaw's Bought Betrothal by Virginia Heath 1/13/17 4stars (England early 1800's)

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations Read 4
1. Yesterday Island by Renee Hart 1/31/17 4stars (rift among the People who lived on Yesterday Isle; killed their leader, fought among themselves, moved away to another island to survive)
2. Perfect for You (Sunshine Creek Vineyard #2) by Candis Terry 2/8/17 4.5stars (Brooke grew up in a compound where only the man had a say; would have been married off to an older man at just 14 like her sister and been continually raped and pregnant)
3. Wild Horse Springs (Ransom Canyon, #5) by Jodi Thomas 2/13/17 5stars (girl in red coat kidnapped by stepfather - he and his "friends" would beat her)
4. BLINDSIGHT (Psychic Agents Series Book 1) by Sarah Raplee 3/11/17 4stars (kidnapping those with Talents for ill gotten gains)

[JoAnne]

Ezinwanyi~ThatEzi wrote: "2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE

**New Challenge brought to us by Erica

This challenge was inspired by the very acrimonious presidential election cycle we in America have just survived. Our country se..."

It's in the yearly challenge folder but says duration 6 mos. Please advise which is correct.
Thanks!

[Agnieszka]

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Duration: 1/1/17 - 6/30/17
Level: Wading up to My Waist - completed
Completed: 10/12-15
Completed level(s): Dipping My Toe in the Water 2/20/17


Set 1: 3/2-4 books - level 2 completed
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

1. by Roseanna M. White 4* 1/7 - espionage, MC had to pretend to be someone she wasn't because of her family's pressure
2. by Cindy Blackburn 4* 1/25 - pool
3. by Andrzej Szczypiorski 5* 2/19 - set in Poland, my first native country
4.
*****

Set 2: 3/2-5 books - level 1 completed
Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

1. = by Jeffery Deaver 5* 1/11 - MC is quadrileptic
2. = by Jeffery Deaver 5* 2/18 - MC is quadrileptic
3. by Tobi Katze 5* 2/20 - autobiography about life with depression
4.
5.
*****

Set 3: 4/3-6 books - level 1 completed
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

1. by Zanna Mackenzie 4* 1/19 - UK, written in English
2. by Roseanna M. White 5* 1/29 female MC was sent from England into the colonies (USA), written in English
3. = by Jeffery Deaver 4* 2/5 - immigration, USA, China (also MC is quadrileptic)
4. by Vivian Arend 5* 2/17 - Canada, written in English
5.
6.


Just for fun and a real challenge:
Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
1. by Lauren Blakely 4* 2/14 - chick-lit, male POV, MC is a sex god
2.
3.
4.

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation.
1. by Matthew Costello & Neil Richards 3* 1/8 - different kind of spirituality
2.
3.
4.
5.

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

(view spoiler)[Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Levels:
Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set (9 - 12 books)
Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set (12 - 15 books) (hide spoiler)]

[Gabriela]

I'm in! Love the idea

2017 Diversity Challenge
Duration: 6 months from 1/1/17 - 30/6/17
Level: Cannonball into the Deep End

Completed: 15/15
DONE!

Set 1 (3/4 books)
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
- Dark Notes 3* - February 25th
- Every Last Word 4* - April 22nd

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
- The Law of Moses 3* - February 5th
- Cut & Run 4* - April 27th

*****

Set 2 (4/5 books)
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation
- A Time to Dance 4* - March 4th

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
- Kafka on the Shore 3* - February 3rd
- Full Tilt 3* - March 26th
- The Year We Fell Down 4* - April 10th
- I'll Meet You There 3* - April 30th

*****

Set 3 (5/6 books)
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language
- The Kite Runner 4* - April 17th
- The Sun Is Also a Star 4* - May 14th

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
- The Last Hour of Gann 5* - February 20th
- Nine Minutes 4* - May 6th

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
- The Winner's Curse 3* - January 17th
- The Book Thief 4* - March 23rd

[Leo(nie)]

DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Start: 1/1/17
End: 6/30/17
Level: Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
may change my level up at any time

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
The Nix read 1/3/17
Der Ursprung der Welt read 3/26/17

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe read 1/9/17

*****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation
Too Like the Lightning read 2/28/17

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language
Homegoing read 2/15/17

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
Leviathan Wakes read 1/23/17

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
Lovecraft Country read 2/9/17
The Ballad of Black Tom read 3/28/17

[Kme_17]

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Start: 1/1/17
End: 12/31/17

Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set


*****
Set 1: 4/4
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
1.Consider the Fork: How Technology Transforms the Way We Cook and Eat-Bee Wilson-1-4-2017
2.Aftertaste: A Novel in Five Courses by Meredith Mileti 1-8-17

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

1. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan 1-5-17
2. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller 1-7-17
*****
Set 2 0/5
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

*****
Set 3 0/6
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

[Bianca]

Sounds like fun, count me in.

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE

Duration: 6 months
Starts: Jan 1 2017 Ends: Jun 30 2017
Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Level:
Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****
Set One
Read:0/1-2
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

*****
Set Two
Read:2/2-3
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation
-The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (finished 6/14/17)

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
-Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (finished 6/20/17)

*****
Set Three
Read:9/3-4
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language
- The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See (finished 5/1/17)

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
- The Gilded Years by Karin Tanabe (finished 3/9/17)


Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
- The Book of Night Women by Marlon James (finished 4/5/17)
-An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Finished 3/28/17)
-A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir (3/30/17)
-Winter of the World by Ken Follett (finished 4/19/17)
-Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett (finished 4/26/17)
- Jubilee by Margaret Walker (finished 3/13/17)
- Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America by Patrick Phillips (finished 6/7/17)

[Jammin Jenny]

DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Start: 1/1/17
End: 6/30/17
Progress: 6/12

Level: Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****
Set 1 - 3/3 - COMPLETE

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
A Short History of Nearly Everything read 1/1/17
The Big Four read 1/3/17

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
Under the Tuscan Sun read 1/7/17

*****
Set 2
Read 1/4

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation


Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
Forever Odd read 1/6/17

*****
Set 3: 2/5

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
In Cold Blood read 1/10/17

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
The Kingmakers 1/4/17

[Rachel]

Great idea for a challenge -- love it!!!

Level: Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

1st Set: 3-4 books
Progress:
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have:
Plan on Reading: Defiant Daughters: 21 Women on Art, Activism, Animals, and the Sexual Politics of Meat ...these writers all credit The Sexual Politics of Meat in some way with the awakening of their identities as feminists, activists, and women.
Plan on Reading: Strays by Jennifer Caloyeras With sparkling prose and delightful humor, Jennifer Caloyeras’s novel beautifully portrays the human-animal bond.

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way:
Plan on Reading: First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung Chronicles the brutality of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, from the author's forced ''evacuation'' of Phnom Penh in 1975 to her family's subsequent movements from town to town and eventual separation.

*****

2nd Set: 4 - 5 books
Progress:
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
Plan on Reading: Girl Detached by Manuela Salvi Aleksandra has issues with her voice. Stress makes her stutter, and her life is one of stress. She can only speak clearly on stage, freed by the words of the character she plays. Then, when Aleksandra befriends her new neighbour Megan, and through her meets charming, handsome Ruben, it seems she has discovered a doorway into a different world, and a different Alek. But Ruben wants Aleksandra to play a particular role for him, and it is one that will come close to destroying her.

*****
3rd Set: 5 - 6 books
Progress:
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language
Plan on reading: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea A National Book Award finalist and National Book Critics Circle finalist, Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy is a remarkable view into North Korea, as seen through the lives of six ordinary citizens.
Plan on Reading:The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee This is the unique story not only of Hyeonseo’s escape from the darkness into the light, but also of her coming of age, education and the resolve she found to rebuild her life – not once, but twice – first in China, then in South Korea.

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her:
Plan on Reading: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Written with tremendous sweep and power, Homegoing traces the generations of family who follow, as their destinies lead them through two continents and three hundred years of history, each life indeliably drawn, as the legacy of slavery is fully revealed in light of the present day.

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
Plan on reading: Coming Home to Tibet: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Belonging: by Tsering Wangmo Dhompa In this beautifully written memoir, a daughter travels to her mother's Tibetan homeland and finds both her own deep connections to her heritage and a people trying to maintain its cultural integrity despite Chinese occupation.
Plan on reading: Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur With wit and candor, Assata Shakur recounts the experiences that led her to a life of activism and portrays the strengths, weaknesses, and eventual demise of Black and White revolutionary groups at the hand of government officials. The result is a signal contribution to the literature about growing up Black in America that has already taken its place alongside The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the works of Maya Angelou.
Plan on Reading: We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch In April of 1994, the government of Rwanda called on everyone in the Hutu majority to kill everyone in the Tutsi minority. Over the next three months, 800,000 Tutsis were murdered in the most unambiguous case of genocide since Hitler's war against the Jews.

[Ezi, Factory Superintendent]

JoAnne wrote: "Ezinwanyi~ThatEzi wrote: "2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE ..."

It's a 6 month challenge

[JoAnne]

Ezinwanyi~ThatEzi wrote: "JoAnne wrote: "Ezinwanyi~ThatEzi wrote: "2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE ..."

It's a 6 month challenge"

Thanks!

[Christina]

Duration: 6 months
Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Levels:
Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set
Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
Red Hill 1/6/17 - This is my type of book. I love this author, I love this genre, I love this topic. Very me.
Ashes 4/6/17 - involves outdoor/survival skills, something my whole family enjoys.

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
Children of Eden 1/14/17 - Main character is bisexual. It is not posed as an issue in this book so I feel it fits better here rather than in the LGBT issue section lower.

*****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation
Cruel Beauty 3/5/17 - MC worships Greek Gods/Hedge Gods and follows rituals such as Day of the Dead.
The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun 4/19/17 - Author goes through a year of transformation, including spiritual transformation.

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
It - 3/17/17 - stuttering
Shatter Me - 3/22/17 - mutant powers

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
Darkly Dreaming Dexter - 3/31/17 - Sociopathy

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
Falling Kingdoms -1/6/17 - Involves a kingdom killing and betraying its enemies and allies to be the only remaining group.
The Ask and the Answer - 1/24/17 - involves oppression/branding/abuse of women
Invisible Man - 2/6/17 - about the racism present in the 1950's
The Shade of the Moon - 3/12/17 - involves slavery and extremely poor treatment of "lower class citizens"

[Samantha]

DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1 - June 30, 2017
Minimum pages: 100
Level: Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set
9/9-12 books

Set 1
1. $10,000,000 Marriage Proposal - people different from me
2.
3.

Set 2
1. Stars Above - Winter had Lunar sickness
2. Dune - Paul becoming spiritual prophet
3. The Well of Ascension - Sazed goes through transformation
4.

Set 3
1. The Way of Kings - slavery/unaccepting of other races
2. The Truce at Bakura - takes place in different world
3. The Queen of the Tearling - slavery
4. Words of Radiance - one culture trying to eliminate a different culture
5.Saga: Vol. 1 - different world from me

[☘KathyD☘]

what a great idea! i think i'll start by dipping my toes! =)

[Ezi, Factory Superintendent]

I have moved the challenge into the Semi Annual folder as some of you have inquired about the length of challenge!
It is a 6 month challenge but it can be extended if participants later want it ro continue.
Thanks.
Ezinwanyi

[Laurel]

Thank you Ezi for the amazing challenge!

Level - Dipping My Toe in the Water (Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set)

Set 1 (1/2 books)
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

I'm a teacher

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

*****

Set 2 (2/3 books)
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness



*****

Set 3 (3/4 books)
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language



Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her



Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

[Ezi, Factory Superintendent]

Laurel wrote: "Thank you Ezi for the amazing challenge!

Level - Dipping My Toe in the Water (Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set)

Set 1 (1/2 books)
..."

Credit goes to Erica. I love it when members suggest challenges.

It so good to see you Laurel. Don't be a stranger :)~)

[Marty]

Cannonbaaaaaaallllll!

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Start: 1/1/17
End: 12/31/17

Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set


*****
Set 1: 4/4
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

The Book and the Brotherhood by Iris Murdoch - 1/17/16 (academics)

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

Scanty Particulars: The Scandalous Life and Astonishing Secret of James Barry, Queen Victoria's Most Eminent Military Doctor by Rachel Holmes - 1/22/17 (different profession from me)
South Africa: the art of a nation by John Giblin - 2/15/17 (don't read a lot of art historical nonfiction)
*****
Set 2 3/5
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

The Sea-Wolf by Jack London - 4/8/17 (main character's transformation)
In the Moors by Nina Milton - 6/13/17 (MC is a shaman)
Unraveled Visions by Nina Milton - 9/4/17 (MC is a shaman)

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness.

Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov - 5/8/17 (socially imposed disability/discrimination)

*****
Set 3 6/6
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami - 4/16/17 (originally in Japanese)
Kokoro by Sōseki Natsume - 6/20/17 (originally in Japanese)
Euphoria by Lily King - 7/5/17 (MCs are immersed in New Guinean cultures)


Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

The Courier by Gerald Brandt - 7/31/17 (takes place in distant future)

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - 2/15/17 (aliens repressing and killing Earthlings)
Humor and Violence: Seeing Europeans in Central African Art by Zoe S. Strother (colonial oppression of Africans)

[Ezi, Factory Superintendent]

Marty wrote: "Cannonbaaaaaaallllll!

2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Start: 1/1/17
End: 12/31/17

Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 bookst..."

LMAO at cannonball

[Laurel]

Ezinwanyi~ThatEzi wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Thank you Ezi for the amazing challenge!

Level - Dipping My Toe in the Water (Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set)

Set..."

Then thank you to Erica!

And I promise not to be a stranger - hugs Hon! (Have missed you all terribly)

[Erica, Quality Control Supervisor]

Thanks Laurel. I'm so glad people seem to be excited about this challenge!

[Logan]

Wow I LOVE this idea! Thank you Erica and Ezi!!

I'll come back and update after the holidays. :)

[Jim]

Good morning!

I'd like to join the 2017 Diversity Challenge.

This challenge was inspired by the very acrimonious presidential election cycle we in America have just survived. Our country seems bitterly divided, and many ugly sentiments have come to the fore. The purpose of this challenge is to see if we can gain a greater understanding of each other by stretching our boundaries and by considering the impact of non-diversity on society as a whole.

Duration: 6 months
Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Levels:
Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set
Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

*****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

I think I'll just be Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set.

Jim

[Mariana]

DIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1 - June 30, 2017
Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.
Level: Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
8/8 books FINISHED

Set 1
Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
1. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid, read 2/12/17, 4 stars (point of departure)
2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, read 3/11/17, 4 stars (a genre I don't usually read)


Set 2
Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation
Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, read 1/08/17, 5 stars (MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation)
2. By Your Side by Kasie West, read 2/12/17, 3 stars (mental illness and social issue)
3. Hard Wired by Megan Erickson, read 02/26/17, 4 stars ( socially imposed “disability”)


Set 3
Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language
Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
1. The Boyfriend Makeover by River Jaymes, read 1/08/17, 4 stars (social issue)
2. Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb, read 3/22/17, 3 stars (set in the future and on another planet)
3. Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk, read 5/08/17, 5 stars (set in the past and MM historical romance)

[Connie]

This is such a good idea!!!
Minimum pages: 100

Levels:
Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set
Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****
First Set:
5/4 completed


X X Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life by Robin Zasio. 1/14/17. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, this made me realize I am definitely on the hoarding spectrum. It's not a mess now, but I need to be careful.
To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey. 5 stars. 1/19/17. I could relate to the main female character a lot; we had very similar attitudes and interests, even though she lived long ago.


XXX Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way
As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds. 4.5 stars. 1/7/17. Characters live in poor rural Virginia, grandfather is blind, and they're African-American.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae. When I was younger, I was a lot like Issa Rae! However, she is African-American with different issues, including her hair, and is much younger than I.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. 4 stars. 1/29/17. This native American girl lives alone on an island for 17 years and manages to live and thrive.


*****
Second Set:
5/5 completed


Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation



XXXXX Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer Fredrik Backman. 1/9/17 4 stars dementia
Fractured by Karin Slaughter. 4 stars. 2/18/17. The main character, Will Trent, is severely dyslexic which causes plenty of issues for him.
Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter Rosemary had mental disabilities, and a great deal of the book is about dealing with Rosemary's issues or helping others with mental disabilities.
The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida. 5 stars. 4/16/17
Counting by 7sby Holly Goldberg Sloan. 5 stars. 4/29/17


*****
Third Set
7/6 completed



XX Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. 1/28/17. 4.5 stars. South Africa, both during and post-Apartheid, is a completely new world for me. Also, Trevor Noah has emigrated to the U.S. Also, he speaks a lot of different languages, which he uses in reading.
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. 5 stars. 2/20/17. The main character experiences life with Malays (and Japanese captors) in Malaysia before, during, and after WWII; also in the Australian outback



X X Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. 4 stars. 1/16/17 in strange futuristic, totalitarian world where the main character acts outside the norms
Lady Susan by Jane Austen. 1790s. Lady Susan doesn't exactly follow social norms, either. 1/21/17. 4 stars.

XXX Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

March: Book One by John Lewis. 2/9/17 4.5 stars.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. 4/4/17. 4 stars.
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman. 5/14/17. 4.5 stars.

[Denise]

Duration: 6 months
Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Levels:
Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set
Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

*****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

[Pat]

I'm in - Looking forward to getting into some good reading after being away from books for a while.

2017 Diversity Challenge (1/1/17 - 6/30/17)

Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set

Set 1:
Point of Departure
Starters: Rumble by Ellen Hopkins, finished 1/7/16, ****


Set 2:
Getting Personal
Roadblocks

Set 3:
Going Abroad
Really Out There
Danger Zone

[Katherine]

★2017 DIVERSITY CHALLENGE★ 1st Jan - 30th June 2017.

Point of Departure: (view spoiler)[
★ Christmas Caring: A Christmas Charity Short Story Anthology - (Christianity) 3/1/17
★ Zom-B Goddess - (British MC) 6/1/17
(hide spoiler)]
Starters: (view spoiler)[
★ Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life (Genre: essay) 22/1/17
★ Eblian Mates Complete Series (A Book about Alien's) 8/1/17
(hide spoiler)]
Getting Personal: (view spoiler)[
★ Jumping Barrel 1/1/17
★ New Beginnings 2/1/17
(hide spoiler)]
Roadblocks: (view spoiler)[
★ Nodame Cantabile, Vol. 4 17/1/17
★ Nodame Cantabile, Vol. 5 17/1/17
★ Nodame Cantabile, Vol. 6 19/1/17
(hide spoiler)]
Going Abroad: (view spoiler)[
★ The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 1 (Japanese) 17/1/17
★ Blue Exorcist, Vol. 15 (Japanese) 17/1/17
(hide spoiler)]
Really Out There: (view spoiler)[
★ Restoring Hope 17/1/17
★ Romeo x Juliet, Vol. 01 17/1/17
★ Romeo x Juliet, Vol. 02 17/1/17
(hide spoiler)]
Danger Zone: (view spoiler)[
★ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 30/1/17
(hide spoiler)]

[Agnieszka]

I completed the first level and upgraded it to the second. Details in message #15

[Connie]

Agnieszka wrote: "I completed the first level and upgraded it to the second. Details in message #15"

Nice job, Agnieszka!

[Ezi, Factory Superintendent]

Way to go Agnieszka. I'll update my post tomorrow. This Is US was too depressing. I love that show

[Viji]

2017 Diversity Challenge


Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Levels:
Dipping My Toe in the Water: Read 1-2 books from the first set, 2-3 books from the second set and 3-4 books from the third set
Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set
Cannonball into the Deep End: Read 3-4 books from the first set, 4-5 books from the second set and 5-6 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have
Anne of Green Gables L.M. Montgomery; 03/21/2017

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson; 06/09/2017 - (Fantasy -Paranormal Romance)

*****

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs by Ergun Mehmet Caner; 04/01/2017

The Name of the Rose byUmberto Eco; 04/11/2017


Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

The Vegetarian by Han Kang; 04/16/2017

*****

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

Girl Gone Greek by Rebecca Hall; 04/13/2017

Indigenous Peoples from Chile by Fresia Barrientos; 06/04/2017

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her
1984 by George Orwell; 03/15/2017

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations
The Grass Crown by Colleen McCullough; 06/18/2017 - Romans dominating over the Italians and annihilating people of the various tribes and regions and also enslaving the Germans who fight them

[Tania]

2017 Diversity Challenge

COMPLETE

Duration: 6 months, January 1 - June 30
Minimum pages: 100
*Audiobooks welcome.
*Re-reads allowed.

Level:
Wading up to My Waist: Read 2-3 books from the first set, 3-4 books from the second set and 4-5 books from the third set

*****SETS TO CHOOSE FROM*****

*Set 1 - 3/3

Point of Departure: a book that is really you – that embodies something about you or focuses on one or more interests you have

✓Guide To The Horses Of The World by Caroline Silver, (read 3/15); horses are my first love, and I enjoy reading both fiction and nonfiction books about them; it's been a while since I've read a book about breeds, and I find the history behind each breed fascinating

Starters: a book from a genre you don't usually read, or a book about people who are different from you in some significant way

✓Beloved by Toni Morrison, (read 3/24); these characters lived through something that most of us can't imagine in their search for freedom from slavery and in living in the aftermath of escaping their bondage, though we all seek to understand what happened and how we can keep it from ever happening again.

✓13 to Life by Shannon Delany, (read 3/28); with their supernatural powers and talismans, the characters in these novels live through events most of us only see at the movies. I can safely say that werewolves are significantly different from me.

*****
Set 2 - 4/4

Getting Personal: a book about a different kind of spirituality than you practice (or don't practice) or that has a MC who is going through some kind of spiritual transformation

✓The Queen's Lady by Barbara Kyle (read 3/21); the main character begins with a general idea of the religion she was born into, and then begins to explore other options as the world opens her eyes to how people can get caught up in religious zeal. Her faith and beliefs have a profound effect on her actions throughout the book.

✓ Angel by Mary E. Kingsley (read 4/30); the main character has been raised in a Christian household but has serious doubts about her own ties to God, as well as questions about how truly Christian some of the religious people she knows are. Throughout the novel she finds herself inching closer to answers about her own spirituality and examining the truth behind acting like a Christian vs. calling yourself one.

✓ To the Ends of the Earth by T. Davis Bunn (read 5/15); set in the 4th century, Travis is a pagan who encounters Christianity on his first travels away from his home in Gaul; spending time first in Carthage and then in Constantinople he begins to find a meaning in God that he's never felt before

Roadblocks: a book about any kind of disability or illness that separates people from the mainstream culture (be it physical, mental, emotional or even a socially imposed “disability”), or that has MC with such a disability or illness

✓Kathy by Charles Paul Conn (read 2/16); the main character deals with a traumatic brain injury after a tragic accident

*****
Set 3 - 5/5

Going Abroad: a book about a culture you know little about or with a MC who is immersed in a new (foreign) culture, or a book about immigration or with a MC who has recently emigrated or plans to emigrate, or a book that is written in a language that is not your native language

✓Istanbul Express by T. Davis Bunn (read 3/12 ); the main characters move to Turkey from England on a job assignment post WWII and must quickly adapt to the culture and political climate

Really Out There: a book that takes place on another planet, or that takes place in time many hundreds of years into the future or the past, or a book that has a MC who acts wholly outside social norms expected of him or her

✓Duchess by Josephine Edgar (read 3/2); set around 1900, the main character flaunts what is expected of a lady of her times but finds it is not so easy to live outside of the bounds of social expectations
✓Elizabeth I: Legendary Queen Of England by Michael W. Simmons (read 3/9); set in the 1500's during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who defied custom at the time to rule her land without a husband
✓Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn (read 4/15); a Star Wars novel set on several different planets, none of which were even in the same solar system as Earth

Danger Zone: a book about human bondage, or about one culture dominating and/or trying to eliminate another (ie, total lack of acceptance and diversity), whether it be genocide (like Hitler) or a social issue (like the whole LGBT rights issue), or any book about violence in race relations

✓Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglas (read 3/6); Frederick Douglass writes about his time in slavery and his fight against it

[JoAnne]

Finished on post #13 - Cannonball
Read 21 books in all 7 categories
6 in the first set; 9 in the second set and 6 in the third set

[Gabriela]

Finished on post #16! It was a great challenge, thank you!

[Ezi, Factory Superintendent]

Great job you guys!

[Connie]

Completed on post #38. Thanks for this great challenge!

[Erica, Quality Control Supervisor]

I'm so glad people are enjoying this challenge!