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POC Reading Challenge—June update

Leonicka Valcius: POC Reading Challenge—June update

Friday, June 1, 2012

POC Reading Challenge—June update

I have many reasons for wanting to diversify the book industry but first I have to diversify my own reading. I was not conscious of how few of the books I read include people of color until I decided to participate in the POC Reading Challenge.




Inspired by this blog, I committed to go above and beyond the Level 5 challenge. Instead of reading 16 – 25 POC books for the year, I wanted to read only POC books. For my purposes, a POC book is a book in which at least two main characters are people of color.

That didn’t work out so well. There are many good books out there that don’t include people of color, and restricting myself was draining. But, by making the extra effort to seek them out, I have read 20 POC books in the last five months!

Here is my list (not including unpublished manuscripts) : 

The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Obamas by Jodi Kantor
Half-BloodBlues by Esi Edugyan
Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi
Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Ru by Kim Thuy
WicketSeason by Gabrielle Prendergast
The Headmaster’sWager by Vincent Lam
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Salsa Nocturna by Daniel José Older

I would love to more read books with Native characters. Any suggestions? I want to hit 40 POC books by the end of the year!

Want me to review a book on the list? Just ask. I’ll be happy to whip one up :)

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