Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2019 Challenge Prompt - Advanced
>
43 - An "own voices" book
Zsanett wrote: "Is You Will Not Have My Hate could work with this topic?"I don’t think so. A, it’s a memoir. If you look above there’s been some discussion about that but I believe the intention of the own voices movement is to support books where the author shares a marginalized identity with their fictional main character. And B, in the book’s description, I don’t see any indication of the author having a marginalized identity.
Excited to see Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe fits perfectly for this prompt!
Stephanie wrote: "Eat, Pray, Love would fit, right? It's in her own voice?"No, it doesn’t. That’s not what own voices means. See the link in post 102
Ariel wrote: "Zsanett wrote: "Is You Will Not Have My Hate could work with this topic?"I don’t think so. A, it’s a memoir. If you look above there’s been some discussion about that but I believe..."
Thanks for your reply ^^ I think than I will stick with The Hate U Give or maybe The Sun Is Also a Star
☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ wrote: "There There
Does this one fit this genre? WDYT?"Yes! This is what I’ve picked too.
Ariel wrote: "☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ wrote: "There There Does this one fit this genre? WDYT?"Yes! This is what I’ve picked too." Ah! Great! So I'm not alone in choosing this one. Especially that I've wanted all along to have read it in 2018 but didn't get to it, somehow...
Hi I need some advice please, would this be appropriate for this category? I do not know the authors background and I do not like books about slavery but it’s coming on the radio next week so if it counts I’ll listen.Washington BlackEsi Edugyan
For me own voice means author has written about someone with similar ancestry to themselves and which is different than mine so I read a different perspective. Is that right? I’m British so looking for anyone not british for a read for me I guess. I’m presuming The Long Song by Andrea levy would count and this sounds similar.
Would Lilly Singh's book How to be a Bawse be a good choice for this category?
Angel wrote: "Hi I need some advice please, would this be appropriate for this category? I do not know the authors background and I do not like books about slavery but it’s coming on the radio next week so if it..."It looks to me like it would count, but I'm only going with a basic definition of the category myself. You might get others with more nuanced understanding of the category who disagree.
Raquel wrote: "Angel wrote: "Hi I need some advice please, would this be appropriate for this category? I do not know the authors background and I do not like books about slavery but it’s coming on the radio next..."Thanks that’s why I’m checking as want to know I’ve read the right thing, I’m listening to Maya Angelou
‘s autobiographical books on radio as well at the moment but don’t think that counts as it’s a true story, plus she’s living in Africa in this book so not sure if that would count either.
Angel wrote: "Hi I need some advice please, would this be appropriate for this category? I do not know the authors background and I do not like books about slavery but it’s coming on the radio next week so if it..."Historical fiction is a bit of a grey area as obviously the writer didn't live those experiences. However it is more appropriate for a black writer to write about slavery than a white author, so it's in the spirit of the prompt. Note Esi's parents were immigrants to Canada from Ghana, so it's not her family's history if that makes a difference. I enjoyed the book though, whilst that start depicts Wash as a slave, the rest of it is more about life after slavery and how it's hard for him to stop thinking of himself as a slave.
Otherwise you could use it for:
35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter
37. A book with a two-word title
Ellie wrote: "Angel wrote: "Hi I need some advice please, would this be appropriate for this category? I do not know the authors background and I do not like books about slavery but it’s coming on the radio next..."Thank you very much, well I’m going to listen to it anyway as I like to try new authors and probably find something else more appropriate. Just hard to find different things in my little library.
I read She's My Dad for a diversity class in my MLIS program last year and really enjoyed it - the main protagonist is a transgender woman, and it's written by a transgender woman. I would highly recommend it for those looking for something in the LGBTQ+ category.
As it is appears on the long list for Canada Reads 2019, I'm going to go with Brother by David Chariandy.
would on the come up by angie thomas work for this one?
Mod
I think so.
Not sure if anyone had mentioned it yet (apologies if you have), but A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini might fit this prompt (the #ownvoicesOctober list on here says it does). I read The Kite Runner and just loved it. I’m excited to see a couple of prompts this year will suit Hosseini books.
Nadine wrote: "Anabell wrote: "I've wanted to read Now, Voyager by Olive Higgins Prouty for ages. I FINALLY found the book and its about a woman who has a mental breakdown. The autho..."Sorry didn't see your message until now. So many comments in this group that I can't keep up.
Well am glad to have cleared it up for you. I absolutely loved the story and I liked the book just as much as the movie. I can only recommend both. Just to bad it is nearly impossible to get a hold of the book I would love to have a copy myself. Hoping one day to find a copy at a used bookstore...
Goodreads needs a new genre for #ownvoices. I keep hearing different things for different books.
Mod
I haven't read it, but it doesn't look like it's "own voices." It would work for more than a million reviews, or for a ghost story, though!
I just started reading The Kiss Quotient (filling the author first/last name same letter prompt), and realized it's also an Own Voices book - the author is autistic, and wrote this book based on her life. It's a fun, fluffy romance novel, so if you're looking for that, this would be a good pick!
Nadine wrote: "Navile wrote: "Would The Lovely Bones work for this prompt?"I haven't read it, but it doesn't look like it's "own voices." It would work for more than a million reviews, or for a ..."
The Lovely Bones would also work for "book about a family," and I would consider it to work for a book with "love" in the title.
I got a Netgalley of Heart Berries: A Memoir, so I bumped my original choice for this! It feels odd to call this memoir beautiful, because there is so much pain and darkness in it. But Mailhot creates an almost dream-like mist of confession and rawness that sweeps you along. My heart broke for her and her children a thousand times as I read. But I also felt hope and empowerment, because under all the hurt is clearly a strong and self aware woman. A woman who isn't afraid to examine and admit to those things she has been through and things she has done which so many other people would keep deep inside themselves. The Native American voice is one I have only come to this year, and after the incredible There There it was important to me that I read something from a female writer. This was such a perfect book to fill that space. As a woman, as a mother I could identify with much of Mailhot's revelations, but she weaves her Indian experience into those revelations. The result is a raw yet rich read which I think will stay with me for a long time.
Does The Sun Is Also a Star fit this one since Nicola Yoon is from Jamaica? I'm still trying to get a good grasp on this prompt...
Mod
I loved Mailhot's book and if you ever have the opportunity to meet/speak with her or listen to her talk, please do it! She is amazing! So honest and straightforward. Much like Roxane Gay in that respect. I am rather anxious to read There There especially since Mr. Orange will do a reading at a location close to me in April!
Lynn wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I got a Netgalley of Heart Berries: A Memoir, so I bumped my original choice for this! It feels odd to call this memoir beautiful, because there is so much pain and da..."I'd love to hear her talk!
Cecreyn wrote: "I recommend Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows. Read it for ATY "own voices" prompt this year and really enjoyed. Plus, the title is intriguing!!"Thank you for that recommendation, that book sounds like fun and it is a great title!
Does it count as ownvoices if a woman writes a novel specifically about the marginalization of women? (e.g. The Handmaid's Tale)
It will be either ”The hate you give” by Angie Thomas or ”If I was your girl” by Meredith Russo for me. I will probably read both.
So I've had A vindication of the rights of woman standing in my shelf for years. Would you peeps say it could be considered "own voice"?Here's a link to it.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
I think both of those work as ways to approach the prompt. One of the underpinnings of the ownvoices movement is "nothing about us, without us", meaning don't write about the marginalization of a group if you aren't part of that group.
Drakeryn wrote: "Does it count as ownvoices if a woman writes a novel specifically about the marginalization of women? (e.g. The Handmaid's Tale)"No, because own voices is part of the diverse books movement. Its not just about marginalization of a group. It’s about promoting books with diverse characters written by diverse authors. Authors/characters who are white, cis, hetero, and able bodied are not own voices.
How about An American Marriage? Would that work? (I'm trying to find a category for this one that isn't already filled up by something else).
Would Citizens Creek be a good fit. It is about a slave who is sold to a Creek chief. The book is also written by an African American.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Good Kings Bad Kings (other topics)Americanah (other topics)
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (other topics)
Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster (other topics)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (other topics)Bryn Greenwood (other topics)
Bryn Greenwood (other topics)
Lorraine Hansberry (other topics)
Louise Erdrich (other topics)
More...
http://www.corinneduyvis.net/ownvoices/