Friday, February 4, 2011

Multiculturalism at the Hop

This week's Hop question asks "What are you reading now and why are you reading it?" This is an interesting question for me this week as I've chosen a book I might not normally read. I'm reading One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. I saw this book listed as the winner of the 2011 Coretta Scott King Award

I decided to give it a try because looking at my books read in 2010 I realized I had read few books with multicultural themes and especially few with African American characters. I read some Native American authored books and some Asian-American themed books. And I did read The Girl Who Fell From the Sky (realistic fiction/historical fiction type of book) and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (fantasy/romance) which have women of color for protagonists. The Help had some great black female characters. It is easy for me to just go with the flow...read books that readily appeal to me because I easily identify with white characters. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But this year I want to continue to push beyond my known world with my reading.

One reason for this is that I'm tentatively thinking about Youth Services Librarianship. Of course, I want to be familiar with books that all children/teens might like. But I also want to be familiar with books which might particularly reach out to kids with backgrounds unlike my own. Not to mention I want to know more about my country's heritage concerning race and the array of different cultures that make America what it is. So, here I am consciously reading One Crazy Summer. I'll let you know how it goes when I finish!

15 comments:

  1. I'm putting that book on my to read list. Have you checked out the Persons of Colour Reading Challenge? There are some great books there.

    Here's My Hop

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  2. Chelle, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on ONE CRAZY SUMMER. I think your aims are admirable. :-)

    Hi from the Hop.

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  3. Thanks for the heads up on the POC Reading Challenge!

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  4. Kudos to you for trying to read outside the box a bit! I hope you enjoy your books and have a great weekend!

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  5. Thank you! I have been disappointed with the number of reviewers reading books with diverse characters. I covet that book! Looking forward to yiur review.

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  6. This is a great reading list and what a wonderful way to challenge yourself!

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  7. hello im a new follower. You sound like we read the same types of books im looking forward to more reviews

    Heather http://breathingbooks.blogspot.com/

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  8. Hopping through. I would really like to read Once Crazy Summer.
    My Hop

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  9. Looking forward to your review! I'm not quite as logical as you when deciding what to read next, so am pretty impressed :)

    Here's my Book Blogger Hop: 2/4-2/7 post!

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  10. It's always interesting to go outside your reading "comfort zone" and try new things. Hope you enjoy it!

    Thanks for stopping by mine--I responded to your comment about academic mysteries.

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  11. Love that header...Hopping by from the blog hop....

    Stop by my blog if you like to see my answer and to read my reviews.

    Have a fun hop.

    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

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  12. I hope to read Crazy Summer soon.

    I'm stopping by via the Hop. I'm a new follower!

    Here's my post: www.readerbuzz.blogspot.com

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  13. Hopping by to return the visit and follow! I'm trying to find some more ethnically diverse reads, too. It feels a little stilted when I realize I've read 20 books in a row with white protagonists!

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  14. Just stopping by via the hop. Nice to meet you :)

    Rachel
    And the plot thickens...

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