New Crayons is hosted by Color Online. New Crayons is when I share what new books I got this week.Finals are Tuesday-Thursday. I'm hoping I can get reviews up because they're shortened schooldays, but I haven't read as much to do reviews. I do have a Male Monday post coming up and an author interview :)
Indie Girl by Kavita DaswaniFIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD INDIE KONKIPUDDI HAS ALWAYS DREAMED OF BECOMING A FASHION REPORTER. She'd do anything to land an internship with glamorous Celebrity Style magazine -- even babysit publisher Aaralyn Taylor's two-year-old son. Indie's neurosurgeon dad can't understand why Indie would want to spend her weekends picking Play-Doh off of someone else's Persian carpets, and pretty soon she starts asking herself the same thing.
Then Indie finds out that (1) Celebrity Style is in trouble, and (2) Hollywood's hottest star is having her wedding dress made in a village in India. Indie's sure she's scored the juiciest gossip in town -- the kind of story that will put the magazine back on the map and finally land her the internship! But when things don't pan out exactly as planned, Indie wonders -- will Aaralyn ever see her as anything more than just the hired help?
-Love the cover, a poc in a prominent place! For the South Asian Author Challenge
The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
The Time: 1968
The Place: Chicago
For thirteen-year-old Sam it's not easy being the son of known civil rights activist Roland Childs. Especially when his older (and best friend), Stick, begins to drift away from him for no apparent reason. And then it happens: Sam finds something that changes everything forever.
Sam has always had faith in his father, but when he finds literature about the Black Panthers under Stick's bed, he's not sure who to believe: his father or his best friend. Suddenly, nothing feels certain anymore.
Sam wants to believe that his father is right: You can effect chnage without using violence. But as time goes on, Sam grows weary of standing by and watching as his friends and family suffer at the hands of racism in their own community. Sam beings to explore the Panthers with Stick, but soon he's involved in something far more serious -- and more dangerous -- than he could have ever predicted. Sam is faced with a difficult decision. Will he follow his father or his brother? His mind or his heart? The rock or the river?
-I've heard nothing but good things about this book. It's historical fiction, about a poc and while still about the civil rights movement, but it's about the Black Panthers and there's so few books on them. And to have a guy of color on the cover? Awesome!
Both books from Lyn. Thanks a ton Lyn!
The Challenge That Dare Not Speak Its Name: GLBT 2010, January Mini-Challenge
This challenge is important to me because I feel that by reading the stories of those who are GLBT, I can learn more and become even more tolerant. I'm tired of people treating GLBT people unequally and I'm hoping that reading these books will inspire me to stand up for all those who are mistreated. Also, I don't think readers should ignore literature from GLBT writers, as long as there are poc in it, I'll at least give it a try.This Week in Reviews
Monday-Nothing
Tuesday-Nothing
Wednesday-Off Color: Magic and Misery
Thursday-Nothing
Friday-Hotlanta
Saturday-Nothing
Bad week for reviews. I will try and do better this week!
Indie Girl sounds pretty good. Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteI have Indie Girl. I'm planning to read it as well. My daughter didn't care for Hotlanta. Glad you're participating in GLBT challenge.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't read add to your GLBT list:
From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
The House You Pass On the Way by Woodson
Burn by Black Artemis
Yay for being part of the glbt challenge. I am too.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
You know what? Our mini-challenge for February is about GLBT people of color! Maybe you can write a guest post for us! :)
ReplyDelete@BrittLit-Same to you!
ReplyDelete@susan-House You Pass is on my list already. Is Burn YA? I'll probably read it anyway, but it takes me so much longer to read adult fiction when I'm in school so I'll save it for summer. I do want to read From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun (really I just want/need to read all Jacuqeline Woodson!)
@Shooting Stars/Lauren-Yay! It's an awesome challenge, looking forward to reading your reviews.
@Amanda-That's great that you're doing a mini challenge about glbt poc, although I wish it wasn't in february. Feel free to email me
The Rock and the River sounds like a good book for the school library. I would love to read Indie Girl also. Thanks for the info on the books, and these are going on my school's wish list.
ReplyDeleteI just read The Rock and the River (and reviewed it). I really liked it - I didn't really know anything about the Black Panthers before I picked it up and was admittedly surprised to learn that the party wasn't nearly as violent as it is sometimes made out to be. I think it does a great job introducing an aspect of the civil rights movement a lot of readers (at least white ones) aren't familiar with, and doing it through the eyes of someone who is quite familiar with the non-violent movement really helps.
ReplyDeleteAlso, glad you're joining the the GLBT challenge - I can't wait to hear what you read. I know LGBT lit is definitely overpopulated by white characters, so I look forward to your recommendations.