9. A book about a problem facing society today

[poshpenny]

Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming

White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate

Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet

Climate Changed: A Personal Journey through the Science - graphic novel

Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class

The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race

I Speak for Myself: American Women on Being Muslim

Citizen: An American Lyric

The Sellout

The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help

All American Boys

[Krissy]

I'll be reading:

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives


It touches on race, homophobia, transphobia, poverty, social justice, bullying, and so much more.

[Ariane]

Sara wrote: "Oh my...where to even start! One of the books on my list to read is The Hate U Give. I have it checked out of the library right now, but I may save it for next year."

I think I'll be reading this as well. Several of my friends said it was good. Now I just have to wait another couple of weeks.

[Rhonda]

Tara wrote: "What about Still Alice by Lisa Genova? That's a great book!"

Would this work for this prompt? I own this and am trying to stick to my shelves as much possible for the challenges.

[Rachel]

I'm struggling with this one a bit, and it doesn't help that I have a couple of variations on this prompt in a couple of my challenges this year (a book about current events, for example).

The options I've come up with so far from my TBR are How It Went Down, Dear Martin, and Tyler Johnson Was Here although I'd like to branch out more since these are all on similar topics.

[Tara]

You can really play with this one there are lots of options for topics;
Wat, poverty, famine, gun violence, crime but also less violent/depressing things like food issues (wheat belly, the dorito effect), consumerism (that decluttering book everyone talks about? The magic of tidying up or whatever), global warming (flight behaviour is a fiction novel but focuses on that), debt etc etc
And within these there are lots of ways you could go, like for poverty or broken families or mental illness there are any number of fantastic novels and memoirs that broach those topics (the glass castle, a million little pieces, lullabies for little criminals)

I think this will end up being a relatively open topic for interpretation because it also is a problem facing “society” (whose? Doesn’t have to be a problem you see or face) today, but not that it has to be today’s problem specifically. Like I think you could read the outsiders and count it even though it’s not modern, it can account for race relations, poverty, gun violence.

[Nadine in NY]

Tara wrote: "I think this will end up being a relatively open topic for interpretation because it also is a problem facing “society” (whose? Doesn’t have to be a problem you see or face) today, but not that it has to be today’s problem specifically...."

Good point. I think a lot of us (including me) are focused on this being about racism or sexism, but this is actually a very broad category. There are SO many problems facing society today, in so many societies! You could read a book about politics (The Manchurian Candidate!), environment (including dystopians in the "cli-fi" sub-genre like The Windup Girl), poverty (The Glass Castle), CIA meddling in other governments (A Brief History of Seven Killings), domestic abuse, underfunded public schools, gun violence, healthcare, infrastructure, global trade, civil wars (Half of a Yellow Sun - yes, this is historical, but this same problem happens today), coups, famine, over-eating, over-use of petroleum, nuclear meltdown, threat of nuclear war, on and on!

[Shannon]

I read American War by Omar El Akkad and it’s about global warming/use of fossil fuels. I really enjoyed it.

(I can’t figure out how to link books from the app sorry!)

[Nadine in NY]

Shannon wrote: "... I can’t figure out how to link books from the app sorry!)"

That's because Goodreads hasn't figured out how to let us link books when using the app! One of the more frustrating features of the app ...

[Crumb]

Krissy wrote: "I'll be reading:

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
[bookcover:The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Th..."

Krissy.. such a good idea! Thank you.. I have been waiting for this one at my local library.

[Beth]

Naomi wrote: "I am going to read This Is Where It Ends for this one."

GREAT book! Still thinking about it months later and I recommend it all the time.

[Megan]

For those who have chosen it, The Hate U Give is on sale today for $4.99

https://www.amazon.com/Hate-U-Give-An...

[Shelly]

Megan wrote: "For those who have chosen it, The Hate U Give is on sale today for $4.99

https://www.amazon.com/Hate-U-Give-An......"

Awesome! I just got it. Thanks.

[Crumb]

I'm thinking about maybe doing The Color of Our Sky.. it is about human trafficking

[Megan]

Shelly wrote: "Megan wrote: "For those who have chosen it, The Hate U Give is on sale today for $4.99

https://www.amazon.com/Hate-U-Give-An......"

Amazon must have spies on this site because it almost NEVER fails that books mentioned here suddenly go on sale on Amazon!

[Nadine in NY]

LOL it's possible, since Amazon owns Goodreads!

[Nicole]

I was thinking of reading The Hate U Give,
but I'm not sure if I'd rather read a nonfiction book for this prompt. Some ideas I had:

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth
The Ecological Rift
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

[Laura • lauralovestoread]

I read to escape, but sadly our society has many problems today. Race, shootings, not to mention the wildfire of sexual misconduct in the #metoo revelation. I’ll pick one of these

BRAVE Sexual Misconduct
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Go Set a Watchman Race

[Johanna]

Fierce Kingdom is going to be my choice for this prompt. With all the random shootings happening, I think this is an appropriate choice.

[Lauren]

I'll be reading Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right for this one, but I also recommend:
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Angels with Dirty Faces: Three Stories of Crime, Prison, and Redemption
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together.

[Juliet]

Last Chance in Texas

An amazing book about rehabilitation vs punishment within the criminal justice system. Especially when it comes to teens and young adults.

[Wendy]

Taylor wrote: "I would recommend The Hate U Give for anyone wanting to explore race relations, police brutality, gun violence, etc. It's a great read and 100% relevant to today's world unfortunately."
A few other YA titles that have similar themes:
All American Boys
How It Went Down (My personal favorite of the four.)
When I Was the Greatest

[Wendy]

Wendy wrote: "Taylor wrote: "I would recommend The Hate U Give for anyone wanting to explore race relations, police brutality, gun violence, etc. It's a great read and 100% relevant to today's wo..."

oh, and Dear Martin

[Wendy]

I'm considering What Happened

[SarahKat]

I'm reading Solar by Ian McEwan for this one.

[tif]

I'm going to be reading the new Russell Brand book Recovery. I think addiction in its many forms effects the majority of society and I LOVE Russell and actually put off reading this book to see if it would fit one of the 2018 prompts.

[Keren]

The Hate U Give is a must-read.

I'm excited to read Long Way Down and Wishtree, but for this category, I am going to read American Street by Ibi Zoboi.

[Teresa]

This Is Where It Ends

[Crumb]

White Oleander by Janet Fitch could be a good one.. It's about the foster care system and prison, as well.

[EllenZReads]

Lauren wrote: "I'll be reading Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right for this one, but I also recommend:
[book:Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption|203426..."

We have similar reading tastes in this area! I would also recommend We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates if you haven't gotten to it yet.

[Briar]

For fiction about refugees, what about Exit West?

[Jess]

If anyone wants to read a book about climate change I would highly recommend Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsoliver

[Chloe]

Probably going to read either Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class or The Establishment: And How They Get Away with It by Owen Jones

[Tina]

The Circle? Would that work?

[Shelby]

I would recommend “American War” by Omar El Akkad. It is a very interesting dystopian “historical fiction” read on Climate Change and the divide it creates between political parties in the year 2073 thus causing the Second World War. I read it during the Paris Climate Agreements when the book was originally released.

[Cait]

I just read Fever Dream and realized it will work for this prompt (environment/toxins). Great book, too.

[Emily]

I am going with "Exit, Pursued by a Bear," which includes both rape and the decision to choose abortion in the case of pregnancy by rape. Both very prevalent topics in society today.

[Taiwo]

The Hate U Give
Love, Hate & Other Filters
Tyler Johnson Was Here
Dear Martin
Juliet Takes a Breath
Small Great Things
The Nowhere Girls
All American Boys
Long Way Down

[SadieReadsAgain]

That would be Everyday Sexism then...

[Nancy]

I chose to read The Pivot of Civilization by Margaret Sanger. It is a book on Eugenics and addresses the the question of who has a right to live and who doesn't. I finished it today. It was interesting.

[Devon]

I'll be reading I'm Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering, which covers alcoholism and addiction, as well as the pressure of perfectionism that too many parents (especially mothers) face.

[Jule]

I can recommend Just Like Us by Helen Thorpe. I'm using the prompt for a local author. It is about 4 Mexican girls, 2 documented, 2 not, and their coming of age in Denver. The issue is still pertinent. It is non-fiction, written by the wife of then governor John Hickenlooper and an excellent read.

[Mel]

I chose Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture and What We Can Do about It for this task.

Some of my reads from last year that I'd definitely recommend for this challenge, because the authors all tackle important issues based on what they've experienced in society:
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
Between the World and Me
Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age Story

[Randi]

Haunted by James Patterson and James O Born is about drugs use and its effect on families

[Kenya]

I was originally going to read We Need to Talk About Kevin, which is the (fictional) story of the mother of a mass/school shooter... but have instead opted for A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy, which is actually written by the mother of one of the Columbine shooters. I usually choose fiction over non-fiction, but somehow I feel this subject matter would be better served by a true account rather than a fictional one.

[Tania]

I chose a nonfiction book that's been on my TBR for a while, which addresses morality and how it impacts many of the social issues (education, healthcare, poverty) we face in America today from a Christian perspective:

Silent No More: Bringing moral clarity to America…while freedom still rings by Rod Parsley

[Trish]

I read In a Lonely Place, a noir novel (turned into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart) about a serial killer who targets women. He's a WWII vet who is incredibly misogynistic (and bitter about his economic status after the war), which is a problem that is still relevant today! I definitely recommend it for a shorter read!

[Diane]

I read A Child Called "It" for this prompt. With the recent news of the 12 children in California I wonder how many more are suffering right under our noses. This book made me think back to my childhood school days to see if I could have missed something especially from the kids that were picked on the most. As a mom of two I will never be able to wrap my brain around how a mother could do this to a child of her own. Heartbreaking.

[Cornerofmadness]

I finished The Complete Persepolis for this and it looks at being force out of your country, xenophobia, mistreatment of women under religious extremism just to name a few.

[Sarah]

I have chosen to read Street Crazy: America's Mental Health Tragedy. There are so many directions you can go with this prompt, but I feel that America's health care, especially mental health, is severely overlooked.