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Black Literature on Opinions of a Wolf
I have always been committed to reading from diverse authors. I think it’s important for reading to not only be fun but also to broaden my worldview. Additionally, I like to vote with my dollars (or my advanced copy request at NetGalley or my hold request at the library) to help make it clear that diversity matters.
I have made it clear on Instagram that I support Black Lives Matter, but for those who don’t follow me there, I wanted to also make it clear here. I thought what better way than to provide you with a list of books I’ve previously read and reviewed on this book blog by Black authors to help you support the Blackout Bestseller List movement started by Amistad Books. “Saturday June 13 – Saturday June 20, we encourage you to purchase any two books by Black writers.” (source)
The list will be title, author, genre, who I recommend it to, and buy it link. The title will link to my review. If I’ve only reviewed it in short form on GoodReads, it will link there.
List is presented alphabetically by author last name.
- With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo, contemporary YA, for those who love cooking shows and Latinx culture, buy it
- Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, contemporary (trigger warning for abuse), for those who love a highly literary story, buy it
- Brothers (and Me): A Memoir of Loving and Giving by Donna Britta, memoir, for women with siblings who are men or who are raising sons, buy it
- The Xenogenesis trilogy by Octavia Butler (link goes to first book in trilogy), scifi, for those who want a twist on an alien invasion, buy it
- The Earthseed trilogy by Octavia Butler (link goes to first book in trilogy), scifi, for those who want a twist on dystopia, buy it
- Kindred by Octavia Butler, fantasy, for those who want a real and raw time travel story, buy it
- Like One of the Family by Alice Childress, short story collection, for those who want the maid’s perspective on being “like one of the family,” buy it
- Living in, Living Out: African American Domestics in Washington, D.C., 1910-1940 by Elizabeth Clark-Lewis, nonfiction history, for those who want an oral history of the great migration, buy it
- Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert, contemporary LGBTQIA YA, for those wanting representation of a blended family facing mental illness, buy it
- Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks, nonfiction educational literature, for those interested in transformative pedagogy, buy it
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, historic fiction, for everyone (this is one of my favorite books) ok a more specific recommendation…..for those looking for a truly tear-jerking story set in Florida, buy it
- The Book of Night Women by Marlon James, historic fiction, for those looking for a heartbreaking historic read set in Jamaica, buy it
- The Untelling by Tayari Jones, contemporary fiction, for those wanting to see what impact a maybe pregnancy has on a relationship, buy it
- Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones, historic fiction, for those looking for a multiple perspective historic fiction set in the mid 20th century centering around kidnappings, buy it
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Lamon, memoir (trigger warning for abuse), for those looking to address their weight bias or see a Black perspective on weight bias, buy it
- Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Classic Autobiography of a Young Black Girl in the Rural South by Anne Moody, memoir, for those looking for an in-the-moment depiction (this was published in 1968) of Jim Crow from a Black perspective, buy it
- Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely, mystery, for those who love a cozy mystery, buy it
- Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes, mystery combined with magical realism, for those who love a detective story and don’t mind some magic tossed in, buy it
- The Street by Ann Petry, historic fiction, for those who want a family drama or who enjoy settings in the 1940s or Harlem, buy it
- Everlasting: Da Eb’Bulastin by Rasheedah Prioleau, fantasy horror, for those who want to see what might happen with a curse on an island that’s half Gullah and half Indigenous, buy it
- Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown, nonfiction, for those who want to lead and facilitate change, buy it
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker, historic fiction LGBTQIA, for those looking for a moving female/female romance set in the early 20th century in the American South, buy it
- Meridian by Alice Walker, historic fiction, for those who want a story set during the Civil Rights era, buy it
- Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright, urban fantasy, for urban fantasy lovers looking for some fun twists like the addition of Santeria, buy it
Celebrate Pride! 5 Unexpected Fantasy Reads Featuring Bisexual Characters
The month of June in the United States is Pride Month, celebrating LGBTQ people, culture, and history. In Boston, the culmination of Pride is this weekend, with the Pride Parade and block parties. I wanted to contribute to my local celebration with a little something on my own blog–obviously a reading list! There are a lot of good reading lists out there for LGBTQ reads, so I wanted to do something a little different. First, I wanted to feature one of the letters not featured very much — the B for bisexual. Second, I wanted to to highlight both that bisexual people are everywhere and the issue of bi invisibility (more info on that term and issue here) by featuring books that have bisexual characters but that don’t mention that in their blurbs. You’d be amazed how hard it can be to just find books with bisexual characters. It’s usually downplayed or not named. So, here is my list, in alphabetical order, with a mention as to which character is bi and whether the book ever actually uses the term “bisexual.”
Bad Glass
by Richard E. Gropp
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Lovecraftian
Brief Blurb:
Something strange is happening in Spokane, and the US military has taken control of the city, closing it and its happenings to the press. Dean sees this as the perfect opportunity to break into photography before he graduates from college and is forced into giving up on his artistic dreams to work a regular 9 to 5 job. So he sneaks into Spokane, where he meets an intriguing young woman and her rag-tag household of survivors, and quickly starts to see the inexplicable things that are going on inside the city.
Who’s bi? Dean, the main character, is bi. He at first appears to be straight but later it is revealed he also sometimes is interested in men.
My Full ReviewThe Drowning Girl
by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Genre: Fantasy, Psychological
Brief Blurb:
India Morgan Phelps, Imp to her friends, is sure that there were two different Eva Canning who came into her life and changed her world. And one of them was a mermaid (or perhaps a siren?) and the other was a werewolf. But Imp’s ex-girlfriend, Abalyn, insists that no, there was only ever one Eva Canning, and she definitely wasn’t a mermaid or a werewolf. Dr. Ogilvy wants Imp to figure out for herself what actually happened. But that’s awfully hard when you have schizophrenia.
Who’s bi? Eva Canning (both iterations of her). Also, Abalyn, a transwoman who is also Imp’s girlfriend at one point. She states that she likes both men and women but currently prefers women because men in her experience tend to negatively react to her now that she has had bottom surgery.
My Full ReviewDoctor Sleep
by Stephen King
Genre: Fantasy, Thriller
Brief Blurb:
Danny Torrance didn’t die in the Overlook Hotel but what happened there haunts him to this day. Not as much as the shining does though. His special mental powers that allow him to see the supernatural and read thoughts lead to him seeing some pretty nasty things, even after escaping the Overlook. He soon turns to drinking to escape the terror. But drinking solves nothing and just makes things worse. When he sees his childhood imaginary friend, Tony, in a small New Hampshire town, he turns to AA to try to turn his life around and learn to live with the shining.Abra is a middle school girl nearby in New Hampshire with a powerful shine. She sees the murder of a little boy by a band of folks calling themselves the True Knot. They travel in campers and mobile homes, seeking out those who have the shine to kill them for it and inhale it. They call it steam. They’re not human. And they’re coming after Abra. Abra calls out to the only person she knows with a shine too, the man she’s talked to before by writing on his blackboard. Dan.
Who’s bi? Rose, the main antagonist. What makes her the antagonist or the “big bad” has absolutely nothing to do with her sexuality. She’s just an antagonist who happens to be bi.
My Full ReviewLove in the Time of Global Warming
by Francesca Lia Block
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Brief Blurb:
Her life by the sea in ruins, Pen has lost everything in the Earth Shaker that all but destroyed the city of Los Angeles. She sets out into the wasteland to search for her family, her journey guided by a tattered copy of Homer’s Odyssey. Soon she begins to realize her own abilities and strength as she faces false promises of safety, the cloned giants who feast on humans, and a madman who wishes her dead. On her voyage, Pen learns to tell stories that reflect her strange visions, while she and her fellow survivors navigate the dangers that lie in wait.
Who’s bi? Pen, the main character. She has a crush on one of her best female friends in the time before the disaster, and then later falls for a transman. There is one particularly beautiful scene where she talks about being afraid of telling her friends that she likes girls the way she likes boys.
My Full Review not yet postedThe Miriam Black Series
by Chuck Wendig
Genre: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
Brief Blurb:
Miriam Black is an early 20-something drifter with bleach blonde hair and a surprising ability to hold her own in a fight. She also knows when and precisely how you’re going to die. Only if you touch her skin-on-skin though. And it’s because of this skill that Miriam became a drifter. You try dealing with seeing that every time you touch someone. But when a kind trucker gives her a lift and in her vision of his death she hears him speak her name, her entire crazy life takes an even crazier turn.
Who’s bi? Miriam, the kick-ass main character. Miriam uses no labels for herself whatsoever (she would probably hate even being called a brunette, to a certain extent), so she also refuses to label her sexuality. However, she also states she enjoys being with all genders. It’s interesting to note that the first time Miriam’s sexuality comes up is not until the third book in the series, and only because she (minor spoiler warning) breaks up with her boyfriend. A great example of how bisexual people’s sexuality can be erased when they’re in a monogamous relationship.
My Full Review of the first book in the series