Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion
2019 Read Harder Challenge
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Task #7: An #ownvoices book set in Mexico or Central America
Ann wrote: "This one - Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - looks intriguing. "A literary fantasy about love, music and sorcery, set against the background of Mexico City...."I really enjoyed Signal to Noise!
I'm going to try reading Love in the Time of Cholera. A classic, and Gabriel García Márquez is from Colombia.
Sara wrote: "I'm going to try reading Love in the Time of Cholera. A classic, and Gabriel García Márquez is from Colombia."Columbia is in South America, not Central America so I don't think that will work
Susanne wrote: "Whitney wrote: "Karen wrote: "The Black Flower and Other Zapotec Poems by Natalia Toledo who writes in Zapotec and Spanish."That looks like a great choice, I think..."
Libraries can order it too! I think almost every book I've suggested to my local library (just using their online form for it) has been purchased. That's one of my favorite things about these challenges--my fellow library patrons might get exposed to new books too. :)
rae wrote: "Susanne wrote: "Whitney wrote: "Karen wrote: "The Black Flower and Other Zapotec Poems by Natalia Toledo who writes in Zapotec and Spanish."That looks like a great..."
I'm a big fan of the library ordering system, as well. But it looks like this one is out of print, so they wouldn't be able to order it, either.
I found another title that fits this task! The Dream of My Return by Horacio Castellanos Moya. An El Salvadorean exiled to Mexico due to the Civil War. And the author is a journalist and the English translation is by a woman - for double dippers.
since this category seems to be especially related to disability and/or queer identity, I went looking for disabled Mexican writers and found Gaby Brimmer, Gaby Brimmer: An Autobiography in Three Voices
The last time I tried to follow a link to Duyvis' explanation, i got a broken link, so here is another one: http://www.corinneduyvis.net/ownvoices/
Several people have mentioned The Hummingbird’s Daughter - does it meet the #ownvoices criteria?
Many of the books here are not ownvoices but are just written by Mexican and Central American writers. Luis Arrea is, as far as I know, a straight white American man (born in Mexico but raised in the US where he now lives.)
here's what one of the main proponents of the #ownvoices says to clarify what this category means - not sure if this will help people decide or not. from : http://www.corinneduyvis.net/ownvoices/
Q: Is this about race? LGBTQIAP+? Disability? What counts? And can we use the hashtag for picture books? What about movies? Short stories? Do you think this character/author combo counts? What about a situation where—
Whoaaa remember what I said about not wanting to moderate or regulate it? Use it for whatever marginalized/diverse identity you want (I personally like the WNDB definition) and for whatever genre, category, or form of art you want. As long as the protagonist and the author share a marginalized identity.
Let’s highlight some of those words, though:
“Author,” as in the actual author has this identity, not their relative or student.
“Identity,” as in at least somewhat specific. Aim for: “character and author are both blind” and “character and author are both African-American,” rather than: “character is blind and author is autistic, thus both are disabled” and “character is African-American and author is Korean-American, thus both are people of color.”
And “a” marginalized identity, not “all.” Sometimes a character will be part of a group the author isn’t. For example: a straight Cuban author writing a lesbian Cuban protagonist. As long as there’s another marginalized aspect of their identity they do share, it’s #ownvoices. (I have more on this further down.)
Beyond that? It’s not my place to decide what counts as diverse/marginalized, nor what counts as “same group.” I won’t police either the hashtag or people’s/characters’ identities.
Hi there everyone! I'm compiling lists of everyone's suggestions for the challenges in case that's easier for people (I know it is for me!) and I think it might be particularly useful for this list as there is so much discussion. Check it out belowhttps://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I've always wanted to read Mamita Yunai by Carlos Luis Fallas or Limón Blues by Anacristina Rossi. I think they would fit in this category. I'm half Mexican and half Costa Rican. I grew up in Mexico, and I have read a lot of Mexican novels, but these would be my first Costa Rican novels. Very excited about reading them. 
Karen wrote: "Whitney wrote: "Susanne wrote: "Hi Whitney and Karen, I found it still available at books-a-million in the US (and Thalia in Germany, if someone else is interested). :) Maybe some local bookstores ..."I can use City of Kings too - it's available on Kindle Unlimited - Thanks!
I am probably going to be yelled at for this, but I felt like the prompt meant a book set in Mexico by a Mexican author or a book set in a Central American country by an author from that country, which would fit the spirit of #ownvoices, rather than something like Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy, which is set in a Central American country but by an American. Technically for a book to be #ownvoices the author and the protagonist have to share a marginalized identity, which has nothing to do with the setting. So, I think, in theory, if you interpret this as an #ownvoices book set in Mexico you could include something like Under the Volcano because Malcolm Lowry was a raging alcoholic writing about a raging alcoholic and the book is set in Mexico. I don't think this is the spirit of the prompt. (This is kind of a silly example, but it was the first book I could think of that I could make work, and alcoholism is sort of a disability, although an acquired one.)
Again, I think the spirit of the prompt is that the author is from the country in which the book is set.
Repost from the other thread ( we have two going for this prompt). The other is here:#own voices Mexico and Central America
for Mexico, maybe
Like Water for Chocolate
The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait
Cartucho and My Mother's Hands
The Transmigration of Bodies
I think I’m going to read Pierced by the Sun by Laura Esquivel. I loved her Like Water for Chocolate though was less keen on Swift as Desire.
Mod
Does this category need to be novels or can it be nonfiction? I’d like to read America Ferrera book American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures. I also have a few books on immigration like, Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions byValeria Luiselli.
Okay after reading through this thread my shortlist for this challenge is:1. Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Alire Saenz
2. Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
3. The Black Flower and other Zapotec Poems by Natalia Toledo, translated by Clare Sullivan
4. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
5. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
All are set in Mexico and, I believe, by Mexican writers. The first is by a gay man about gay characters, and the others are by women about female characters. I'll decide which one I want to read for the challenge later, probably depending on which I can find at the library. If you think any of them don't actually fit the challenge please let me know, but as women and the LGBT community are both marginalised and the authors share these traits with their characters I think they all fit an #ownvoices challenge
The Body Where I Was Born is about a woman born with a congenital defect and her experience of growing up in Mexico. The author, Guadalupe Nettel says it's an autobiographical novel, so I'd say it counts. It was on the NYPL blog.
Thanks Margaret, I had planned on the Saenz book but will find something else.
Thanks Margaret! I didn't realise he's from New Mexico as opposed to Mexico - I need to pay more attention to my research. I'll take him off the list and see about getting one of the others.
Margaret wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Thanks Margaret, I had planned on the Saenz book but will find something else."It sounds like such a good book -- I'm going to try to fit it into another challenge; if not this yea..."
I'm going to do the same I think, hopefully I'll find a space for it somewhere.
Karen wrote: "Does this category need to be novels or can it be nonfiction? I’d like to read America Ferrera book American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures. I also h..."Karen, the prompt says "book" so I think nonfiction should count! I read Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions for my writing class in college last semester and it was brilliant. However, although Luiselli was born in Mexico, the book itself I don't think would necessarily fall into a book set in Mexico or Central America since it's specifically about the journey of Central American and Mexican immigrants from their countries to the States and their treatment by the law, hope that helps you choose!
I want to read Sudden Death by Álvaro Enrigue... I know that that author is Mexican, however, I'm not sure if the book is set in Mexico, if anyone has read it, let me know!
Hafsa wrote: "Karen wrote: "Does this category need to be novels or can it be nonfiction? I’d like to read America Ferrera book [book:American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures|39939..."Thanks so much for the feedback. I have this huge backlog of purchased books and I’ve challenged myself that 80% of the books I read this year will be from that backlog. Although not a perfect fit I think 40 questions will be close and I really want to read it. :)
Karen wrote: "Hafsa wrote: "Karen wrote: "Does this category need to be novels or can it be nonfiction? I’d like to read America Ferrera book [book:American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between ..."In that case, I highly recommend that book, it's heartbreaking, eye-opening and important, probably one of the best I read for that class, here's hoping you'll love it too!
Margaret wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Okay after reading through this thread my shortlist for this challenge is:1. Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Alire Saenz
2. Signal to Noise by Silvia Mo..."
Darn it, I was halfway through Kentucky Club! Ah well. It's been a good read anyway :) Going to switch my choice for this task to Summer of the Mariposas.
Mercedes wrote: "https://www.google.com/amp/s/bookriot...https://lithub.com/15-books-by-contem...
'm looking st..."
The Lithub link is a fantastic list!
Kate wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Okay after reading through this thread my shortlist for this challenge is:1. Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Alire Saenz
2. Signal to N..."
It looks really good so I think I'm going to keep it in mind and hopefully squeeze it in later in the year!
I am thinking of reading The Honey Jar by, Rigoberta Menchu for this challenge. A Nobel Peace Prize award winner in 1992, she is a Guatemalan who has also written books retelling stories she learned from her grandparents.
North of Happy by Adi Alsaid - I was pleasantly surprised by Let's Get Lost and I need to read more from the author. :)
The #ownvoices requirement has caused me some confusion. Does anyone have a link for what is and is not considered an #ownvoices book? Also, I’m going to start reading “Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions” by Valeria Luiselli, who is from Mexico. Does this count as an #ownvoices book?
Christopher wrote: "The #ownvoices requirement has caused me some confusion. Does anyone have a link for what is and is not considered an #ownvoices book? Also, I’m going to start reading “Tell Me How It Ends: An Essa..."This is the person's website who created the hashtag--
http://www.corinneduyvis.net/ownvoices/
I read that book and it's great--I was going to read Story of My Teeth by Luiselli for this challenge. I thought it needs to be fiction because "character/protagonist" is used. Tell Me How It Ends is nonfiction. However, Corinne's link says "any genre" and keeps saying over and over she doesn't want to define it almost at all. I would take issue though with the "set in Central America/Mexico"--Tell Me How It Ends is mostly set in the US.
American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures edited by America Ferrera is one of my favorite books I read last year. I recommend it strongly. But it's essays by immigrants, some of whom are from Mexico and Central America, and some are not. There are also Native essays in this collection. So my take on it is: absolutely read it, but not for this challenge.
Karen wrote: "Would Erika L. Sánchez book, I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter fit here?"No. Sanchez is American (Mexican American, but born and raised in the U.S.), and it looks like the book takes place in Chicago.
Vanessa wrote: "Would this book work? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..."
well, it's not set in Mexico or Central America, so probably not.
Mod
What about Prayers for the Stolen, by Jennifer Clement? I loved that book.Jennifer Clement is the President of PEN International- the oldest and largest writers organization in the world- and the first woman to be elected since PEN was founded in 1921.
Clement was raised in Mexico City, Mexico and studied English Literature and Anthropology at New York University and French literature in Paris, France. She has an MFA in fiction from the Stonecoast MFA program at USM.
Clement is the author four novels: Prayers for the Stolen, A True Story Based on Lies, The Poison That Fascinates and Gun Love.
Jessica wrote: "What about Prayers for the Stolen, by Jennifer Clement? I loved that book.Jennifer Clement is the President of PEN International- the oldest and largest writers organization in the world- and the..."
Since Jennifer Clement appears to be white, I wouldn't personally count it as #ownvoices. But I added it to my list for the journalism challenge!
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Sofía Segovia (other topics)Simon Bruni (other topics)
Silvia Moreno-Garcia (other topics)
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Simon Bruni (other topics)
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See previous posts in this thread. Start from page 1 and go through the posts."
I had started doing that, but everyone seemed to be listing books without really saying what the criteria for #ownvoices was, so I asked.
I looked it up though and found this definition, which was helpful: "The #OwnVoices term was coined by the writer Corinne Duyvis and is meant to define marginalized characters written by marginalized writers — as opposed to, say, black characters created by white authors."
My plan is to read Like Water for Chocolate. :)