Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion
Read And Recommended
, by Eleanor Shear was Incredible. Here is my review if anyone is interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...I am really Happy
, Dolen Perkins-Valdez was selected for the July Discussion. I read that last year and in is definitely a 5 Star 🌟 Read and Important Socially Conscious Book. My TBR is very long with so many wonderful books to read.
Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
An OwnVoices historical fiction focussing on the Vietnamese experience during the war. Mostly great.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just released the first offering in my BLACK Novel Series, "The Bear on Our Backs". It's the story of an elite black American sprinter and what happens after he is charged with the attempted murder of a white security guard. The learn more about this title, visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB2FV1VQ.
Midsummer's Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca
A middle-grade retelling of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' An ambitious debut that gets it mostly right.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed
An Arabian Nights spinoff centred on Scheherazade (or Shaherazade, as she is called in this version.) A great attempt, but too ambitious for a debut novelist. You might fare better with it if you don't know much about the original. I did.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Remember, Mr Sharma by A.P. Firdaus
Indian historical fiction with a talking vulture. Interested? ;)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women
An anthology of stories written by Afghan women. Poignant!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
Not a bad collection. But expected far more from her.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriothttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
If you like literary fiction, you might enjoy this.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Linghun by Ai Jiang
Anyone who loves allegorical dark reads ought to give this a go. The content gets quite dark and disturbing though, so take that into consideration before picking it up.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Good Girls by Leesa Gazi
A great option for literary fiction lovers. Not a thriller though - don't believe that cover.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
When Morning Comes by Arushi Raina. This is YA, not literary fiction, but I recommend it because it gives an excellent glimpses into the events of the Soweto Uprising on 16 June 1976 from the perspective from four South African teens - schoolgirl Zanele, tsotsi Thabo, privileged Jack and aspiring-med-student Meena
I have read We Are a Haunting by Tyriek White and it is one of top reads for 2023.So, I am glad to learn that We Are a Haunting by Tyriek White (Astra House) has won the $15,000 2023 First Novel Prize from the Center for Fiction.
Organizers said that "We Are a Haunting follows three generations of a working class family and their inherited ghosts: a story of hope and transformation. In 1980s Brooklyn, Key is a doula serving the Black women of her East New York neighborhood. She lives, like her mother, among the departed and learns to speak to and for them. Her untimely death leaves behind her mother, Audrey, who is on the verge of losing the public housing apartment they once shared and her son, Colly, who soon learns that he too has inherited this sacred gift and begins to slip into the liminal space between the living and the dead on his journey to self-realization."
My review of Those Who Saw the Sun: African American Oral Histories from the Jim Crow South by Jaha Nailah Averyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee
If you haven't yet read this brilliant and shocking short story, please do!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The House On Sun Street by Mojgan Ghazirad
Quite an interesting OwnVoices Iranian historical fiction. I liked much of it, except for the final quarter.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I enjoyed Beyond the Door of No Return by the French & Senegalese author David Diop (translated from the French). It is the story of a French botanist, posthumously relating to his daughter the most formative event of his life, which took place during his travels in Senegal. It is set in the early 1800s and is longlisted for the National Book Award for translated literature. I'm looking forward to reading Diop's previous book, At Night All Blood is Black.
I enjoyed both of these as well -- preferred At Night All Blood is Black a tad bit more; just a stronger story that resonated with me more.
Rose wrote: "I enjoyed Beyond the Door of No Return by the French & Senegalese author David Diop (translated from the French). It is the story of a French botanist, posthumously relating to his ..."Glad you enjoyed Beyond the Door of No Return.
I have read both of David Diop books,
While my favorite of the two is At Night All Blood is Black, both books are excellent and showcase his storytelling and writing skills.
At Night All Blood is Black has won several prizes:
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction (2020), Prix Goncourt des Lycéens (2018), Europese Literatuurprijs (2020), Premio Strega Europeo (2019), Prix de l'Algue d'Or Nominee (2019), International Booker Prize (2021), Dublin Literary Award Nominee (2022)
David Diop is one of my preferred authors and I would forward to his future books.
Omar Epps new book series Nubia is amazing! Promise you wont be disappointed Nubia: The AwakeningNubia: The Reckoning
I really liked Jesmyn Ward's Let Us Descend and all her other works,Jacqueline Woodson's YA fiction is incredible as well as her novels\
The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson is strong and feminist as well
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris is one of my all-time favorites
The Vanishing by Britt Bennett
Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende is fascinating
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne finished by his daughter is an exhausted biography of the man's life from childhood on
Next I'm starting The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers. It looks daunting but I'm excited to get into it.
I'd love to know if anyone has read any of these and wants to chat about them. Happy Black History Month!
Faith wrote: "My review of Erasure byPercival Everetthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
Hey all, did we know that "American Fiction" starring Jeffrey Wright is based on "Erasure"? I hope they don't screw it up!
, by Antonia Hylton. This was an incredible well written and researched book by the author. It is quite disturbing, but fair and balanced. I would not be surprised if she was nominated for The Pulitzer in Journalism, it’s that good. Here is my review: 5 Stars, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Yes, I enjoyed Erasure by Percival Everette.Here’s my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Listen to the audiobook if you can! Great experience!
Charlene wrote: "Yes, I enjoyed Erasure by Percival Everette.Here’s my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Listen to the audiobook if you can! Great experience!"
I'm listening to it now and loving it!
For The Dead are Arising, I meant exhaustive!
A Kind of Madness by Uché Okonkwo
The first great short story collection of the year. Loved this amazing Nigerian work.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hi everyone,I recommend my book for encouraging little girls in STEM.
https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Write...
Our Daughter, Who Art in America by Mukana Press
An interesting anthology for those who would enjoy short stories infused with African culture.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This play is free on Audible PlusYellow Face by David Henry Hwang
https://www.audible.com/pd/Yellow-Fac...
Zulaikha by Niloufar-Lily Soltani
An OwnVoices Canadian indie novel about an Iranian woman caught in circumstances beyond her control. Interesting plot.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Peacocks of Instagram: Stories by Deepa Rajagopalan
An interesting collection of short stories about Indians in Canada. Loved the writing.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts by Gregg Hecimovichhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Please check out my wife's amazing Paranormal Romance Thriller titled Dear Dead Xander by M. Hunt. They're a nonbinary drag queen Latina writer and this is their first novel! If you like vampires, ancient mythology, and souls that intertwine throughout time, you'll love this book available on Amazon in ebook for $7.50 and paperback for $16.25. I thoroughly recommend it.The author would love to send a signed copy if anyone is interested!
Book Link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D63W5MND
I look forward to reading your books as well, I'm going back through the links now!
Fang Si-Chi's First Love Paradise: A Novel by Lin Yi-Han
This was so, so difficult to read, and I am still not sure if I am advocating it for the content or the author. But if you can handle the traumatising topic and like literary fiction, do try.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Shanghailanders by Juli Min
A literary fiction with reverse storytelling, going from 2040 to 2014. An innovative structure but a bit tricky to read. Good for those who like character-oriented writing.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This Motherless Land by Nikki May
A loose retelling of Jane Austen's 'Mansfield Park', but works much better if you don't read it as a retelling.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
recently i read martyr! by kaveh akbar and i must it was stunning! it was a delight to read, i was fully immersed, fully invested in cyrus' quest on alterative martyrdom and death. i think this novel also depicts sobriety in a honest, vulnerable and human way, of which i was and still am deeply appreciative of. kaveh akbar's writing is raunchy, witty and vulnerable. i highly recommend!
Vā: Stories by Women of the Moana by various Polynesian woman writers.
An astounding anthology featuring 38 women of Polynesian heritage. I adore this cover!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Widow Fantasies by Hollay Ghadery
A slice-of-life short story collection with a strong feminist theme. Might have worked better for me had I liked slice-of-life, but for those who like this style, it is a great option.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed. I just finished it and its now one of my favorites. It's kind of a new release though (may 2024) so dunno if you can find it that easily.
Literary Fiction by People of Color
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