Diverse Books Tag

This tag was started by Naz at ReadDiverseBooks.com.  If you haven’t been following along on Twitter with the #diversebookbloggers discussion, you should.

Find a book starring a lesbian character.

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

“Alana Quick is the best damned sky surgeon in Heliodor City, but repairing starship engines barely pays the bills. When the desperate crew of a cargo vessel stops by her shipyard looking for her spiritually advanced sister Nova, Alana stows away. Maybe her boldness will land her a long-term gig on the crew. But the Tangled Axon proves to be more than star-watching and plasma coils. The chief engineer thinks he’s a wolf. The pilot fades in and out of existence. The captain is all blond hair, boots, and ego . . . and Alana can’t keep her eyes off her. But there’s little time for romance: Nova’s in danger and someone will do anything–even destroying planets–to get their hands on her.”

See Also Midnight Taxi Tango

Find a book with a Muslim protagonist.

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

“Unlucky in love once again after her possible-marriage-partner-to-be proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all expose about the Muslim dating scene.”

See Also The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and the writings of G. Willow Wilson

Find a book set in Latin America.

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

“A heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil.

The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Tres will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.”

I never seem to read enough in Latin America. The Summer Prince is my go-to recommendation for South America but for something a little more realistic I have this on my iPad.

The cost of sugar by Cynthia Mc Leod

“A history of 18th Century slavery in Suriname (1765-1779) … “a frank expose of life in the Dutch slave colony when sugar ruled as king – and the tragic toll it took on the lives of colonists and slaves alike.” “

See Also Ines of My Soul and The Free Negress Elisabeth

Find a book about a person with a disability

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

“The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig.

The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band’s manager and get her share of the profits.

The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she’s deaf?”

See Also Sideshow – fantasy featuring conjointed twins

Find a Science-Fiction or Fantasy book with a POC protagonist.

The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor

“In West Africa in 2070, after fifteen-year-old “shadow speaker” Ejii witnesses her father’s beheading, she embarks on a dangerous journey across the Sahara to find Jaa, her father’s killer, and upon finding her, she also discovers a greater purpose to her life and to the mystical powers she possesses.”

I mean, obviously, I believe in All Nnedi All The Time, but this is the book of hers that I read most recently.

See also Octavia Butler, N.K, Jemisin, Alaya Dawn Johnson, etc, etc, etc.

Find a book set in (or about) any country in Africa.

African Monsters by Margrét Helgadóttir

“Speculative fiction, art and graphic stories from African authors, based on African folklore, myths and legends about monsters. African Monsters is the second in a coffee table book series with dark fiction and art about monsters from around the world.”

There are so many – Where I’m reading in Africa, Authors who love Africa

Find a book written by an Aboriginal or American Indian author.

The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

“The Inconvenient Indian is at once a “history” and the complete subversion of a history—in short, a critical and personal meditation that the remarkable Thomas King has conducted over the past 50 years about what it means to be “Indian” in North America.”

See also Sherman Alexie

Find a book set in South Asia (Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc.).

Smile As They Bow by Nu Nu Yi

“As the weeklong Taungbyon Festival draws near, thousands of villagers from all regions of Burma descend upon a tiny hamlet near Mandalay to pay respect to the spirits, known as nats, which are central to Burmese tradition. At the heart of these festivities is Daisy Bond, a gay, transvestite spiritual medium in his fifties. With his sharp tongue and vivid performances, he has long been revered as one of the festival’s most illustrious natkadaws. At his side is Min Min, his young assistant and lover, who endures unyielding taunts and abuse from his fiery boss. But when a young beggar girl named Pan Nyo threatens to steal Min Min’s heart, the outrageous Daisy finds himself face-to-face with his worst fears.”

I’ve had this one on the shelf for a while. I really need to get to it.

Again, there are thousands more – South Asia

Find a book with a biracial protagonist.

The Lonely War by Alan Chin

“Andrew Waters, son of an American diplomat and a Chinese mother, already has two strikes against him when he joins the crew of the USS Pilgrim not long after Pearl Harbor–his mixed heritage and his pacifism.

He never expects he will fall in love with his handsome commanding officer.”

This one was harder for me to think of.  There is Simone from White Tiger.

Find a book starring a transgender character or about transgender issues.

In the Darkroom by Susan Faludi

““In the summer of 2004 I set out to investigate someone I scarcely knew, my father. The project began with a grievance, the grievance of a daughter whose parent had absconded from her life. I was in pursuit of a scofflaw, an artful dodger who had skipped out on so many things—obligation, affection, culpability, contrition. I was preparing an indictment, amassing discovery for a trial. But somewhere along the line, the prosecutor became a witness.”

So begins Susan Faludi’s extraordinary inquiry into the meaning of identity in the modern world and in her own haunted family saga. When the feminist writer learned that her 76-year-old father—long estranged and living in Hungary—had undergone sex reassignment surgery, that investigation would turn personal and urgent. How was this new parent who claimed to be “a complete woman now” connected to the silent, explosive, and ultimately violent father she had known, the photographer who’d built his career on the alteration of images?”

The trans issue books I’ve read have been mostly memoir like Janet Mock’s.  I picked up Faludi’s at BEA this year but haven’t read it yet.

The possibilities are unlimited.  Obviously I couldn’t limit myself to one book of each.

What are your favorites?  Consider yourself tagged.