2022 Q4 Challenge - Caribbean or African OR Classics

[Carol]

Our last quarterly challenge for 2022 is to read nonfiction or fiction books:

1 - relating to Caribbean or African countries or by authors of Caribbean or African descent; and/or

2 - that are classics

Our challenge starts 1 October and ends 31 December. Our October RAtW group read selection is Cuba: An American History and our October fiction group read is a classic, initially published in 1901, Old Indian Legends by Zitkála-Šá. If you join in both discussions, you've got 2 qualifying novels in your challenge bucket. For those participating in our annual Women in Translation challenge, this quarterly challenge gives us an opportunity to share recommendations of translated works that either relate to the Caribbean or Africa.

There's a great deal of debate online about how many countries lie in the Caribbean (13? 26? 28?). For purposes of this challenge, we'll include non-sovereign territories as well as those 13 states recognized by the UN as sovereign nations, and also Puerto Rico. If you want to limit your choices to the 13 nations, on the other hand, it's no one's business but your own, since ... reading!

Similarly, Africa includes 56 sovereign states, but also 2 non-sovereign territories of non-African sovereign states, and 9 sub-national regions of non-African sovereign states. The below links are to Wiki lists because I find an alphabetical list most useful for finding qualifying books, but there are many lists and every member determines for themselves what qualifies.

List of Caribbean Countries and Territories: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbe...

List of African States and Dependent Territories:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Classics
The most commonly agreed definition of a classic on GoodReads is, first published at least fifty years ago, so prior to 1 October 1972. On the other hand, anyone who has sought to read classics in translation written by women from less wealthy countries or regions has had the experience of finding few WiT prior to 1980, so if a member wants to set that bar a bit more recent, that's an understandable choice.

Let's use this thread to capture our plans, thoughts and conversations about it. Each member can choose to focus solely on one of the two themes, or read works from each theme, as you choose. Share any resources or recommendations, even if you haven't read a work yet, to help other members who want to participate find their way. I recommend thinking of, environment, broadly, to include nature, ecosystems, global warming, and related topics.

Feel free to set up your own threads to capture your progress, or comment here.

Do you plan to participate? Let us know what you're thinking about reading for these themes.

[Carol]

Here's a link to the challenge widget for members who like to use them to track qualifying books read.

https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

[Anita]

I've put off Austen's Persuasion all year just for this quarterly challenge so I'd have at least 1 book lined up. Now I've just got to squeeze it in! Also planning to join both group reads, so I'm up to 3. Looking forward to gleaning some recommendations from everyone's lists, as usual.

[Michaela]

Great themes, especially since I´m reading three Victorians atm, two of them female authors. Thinking of an African book to read too...

[Anita]

I've done unknowingly well with this chalenge so far. I did get a few from group reads, so thanks group!
African or Caribbean:
Cuba: An American History Ada Ferrer
Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender
The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna
Classics:
Old Indian Legends by Zitkála-Šá
And still determined to read persuasion this challenge

[Michaela]

I had forgotten about this challenge, but read so far:

The Half Sisters by Geraldine Jewsbury

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Atm reading Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

[Anita]

Michaela wrote: "I had forgotten about this challenge, but read so far:

The Half Sisters by Geraldine Jewsbury

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

[..."

I've been wanting to read The Talented Mr. Ripley, how did you like it? I read my first Highsmith this year and was pretty smitten.

[Michaela]

Anita wrote: "Michaela wrote: "I had forgotten about this challenge, but read so far:

The Half Sisters by Geraldine Jewsbury

North and South by [author:Elizabeth Ga..."

It was my first one too, and I really liked it. Found myself rooting for the baddy lol, so this means she wrote it very well.

What did you read?

[Anita]

Michaela wrote: "Anita wrote: "Michaela wrote: "I had forgotten about this challenge, but read so far:

The Half Sisters by Geraldine Jewsbury

North and South by [autho..."

[book:Deep Water|427281] and yes it was dark and felt very guilty pleasure-y. Makes me more excited to read Mr. Ripley, I think I'll have to bump it up my list.

[Carol]

I've read Cuba: An American History (Caribbean) and Old Indian Legends (classics), but I've also been reading several classic short stories and have really enjoyed taking that approach to exposing myself to more classic woman authors. A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf, Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield, Flowering Judas by Katherine Anne Porter and The Giant Wistaria by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

I'll finish Finding Me, our group read, which will fall into the authors of African descent category.

The Half Sisters looks interesting, @Michaela. I'm unfamiliar with it.

@Anita, depending on when you start Persuasion, let me know if you want to make it a buddy read. I've wanted to read it for awhile, have a copy at home, and think it might be quite a nice change of pace for this December. Once I get past maybe next Tuesday, I'm good to start any time. (no pressure)