Foxy: My Life in Three Acts by Pam Grier
Some may know her as hot, gutsy, gun-totin' Foxy Brown, Friday Foster, Coffy, and Jackie Brown. Others may know her from her role as Kit Porter on The L Word. But that only defines one part of the legend that is Pam Grier.
Foxy is Pam's testimony of her life, past and present. In it, she reveals her relationships with Richard Pryor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Freddie Prinze Sr., among others. She unveils her experiences as a backup singer and a blaxploitation star. In particularly candid and shocking chapters, she shares-for the first time-her view of those films and the persecution that blacks, especially women, needed to endure to make a name for themselves . . . including how it felt to be labeled one of the most beautiful women alive, yet not be permitted to try on clothes in a department store because of the color of her skin. And in words sure to inspire many, she tells the story of her ongoing battle with cancer.
From her disappointments to her triumphs, nothing is held back. With FOXY, Pam wishes to impart life lessons to her readers-and hopes to touch their heartsSome may know her as hot, gutsy, gun-totin' Foxy Brown, Friday Foster, Coffy, and Jackie Brown. Others may know her from her role as Kit Porter on The L Word. But that only defines one part of the legend that is Pam Grier.
Foxy is Pam's testimony of her life, past and present. In it, she reveals her relationships with Richard Pryor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Freddie Prinze Sr., a
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book at Color Online is a good week.
We had another great week of donations. Check these out:
6 pack from Lee & Low:
The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby by Crystal Hubbard,Illustrated by Robert McGuire
Born into an African American sharecropping family in 1880s Kentucky, Jimmy Winkfield grew up loving horses. The large, powerful animals inspired little Jimmy to think big. Looking beyond his family’s farm, he longed for a life riding on action-packed racetracks around the world.
Night Golf by William Miller, Illustrated by Cedric Lucas
James loves sports, but he's too short for basketball and too small for football. However, he finds an old golf club one day, and quickly realizes that golf comes naturally to him.
Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis,Illustrated by George Ford
As a young boy he fell in love with music, and as a man, the world fell in love with his music. Ray Charles and his soulful, passionate rhythm and melodies have been embraced around the globe for decades.
Love to Langston by Tony Medina, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Fourteen original poems offer young readers an exciting glimpse into the life of Langston Hughes, one of America's most be
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.
This week, I wasn't able to go to the post office and I have a stack out already from the library so I have don't have any new books to share. Today, I'm asking you to share books in a couple of ways. Respond to our CORA Diversity Roll Call: Paradigm shifts. Write a post a drop a link about books that changed your perspective. Check out Ari's Color Me Brown Links.
Tell us what you got in the mail, at the book store or the library.
Happy Reading.
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.
Thanks to Carol Rasco, I'll be doing some book shopping for our library and the Prize Bucket. And thanks to Jodie, we have some great titles to shelve now. Won't list everything just a few highlights:
Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim. I really enjoyed this. Doret reviewed it and you can find a cool review at Muslimah Media Watch. In a fast-paced, entertaining read, Nina narrates her life and drama as the only Pakistani and Muslim girl in her high school. She deals with worries about school and boys, as well body hair and strict parents.
The Color Of Heaven by Kim Dong Hwa. I read the first volume, The Color Of Earth and loved it. I also shared this with a friend's daughter who read it in a matter of a couple of hours. This is the final volume in the series. I'm pretty sure we have volume two.One of the keenest pleasures of this book, as with the previous two volumes, is its exquisitely beautiful artwork. Pitch-perfect traditional style and content merge seamlessly with the modern conventions of sequential art storytelling. It’s like a Korean costume drama in two-dimensions…save that costume dramas on television typically depict the lives of the privileged, while the protagonist of the Colors Trilogy is a girl of very modest means and ambitions. See full review at Graphic Novel Reporter.
Come With Me by Naomi Shihab Nye. I'm a huge Nye fan. We have a few collections by her in the library. Very much looking forward to reading this. The 16 free-verse, lyric poems here
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.
Sad news, Lerner Publications sent us something, but because we have a PO box, UPS wouldn't deliver it and since my work days are long, I didn't get to the post office until Saturday to find a note saying I needed to pick up the package in person by Saturday. If anyone from Lerner's or the author knows about the package, please contact me so I can provide my personal address.
Despite the missed package, I do have items to share. This week's goodies:
The Bum Magnet by K.L. Brady. The author sent two copies and you know how we do here. We share. Leave a comment here if you'd like to win a copy. Extra 2+ entries if you indicate you're willing to review the title. I'll post a giveaway post later but for your convenience, you may enter here. The other copy will be shelved at our library.
...is a woefully delicious tale of the worst and best, but mostly worst kind of men any single woman could come across. And darn it if the author doesn’t try her utmost to warn the female population – her intended audience – against these deviants, highlighting ways to recognize these charlattans. Once we do recognize them, run straight for them hills. Read full review at Long Live Chick-Lit.
Miracle Boys by Jacqueline Woodson. Got this gem on trade at Paperback Swap. You all know by now that I'm Woodson's number #1 fan. Looking forward to reading this. When I'm done, it'll go on our shelf at the library. Any active member here may borrow the book. See our book loan program for details. Check out Ana's review at things mean a lot.
What I liked the most about Miracle’s Boys was the depth of the characterization. The characters are all so human – they're not perfect, but they're never vilified either, despite the mistakes they make.
The Kayla Chronicles by Sherri Winston. Got this on trade as well. This is our second copy so I'm going to add it to our Prize Bucket. It is gently used so if you don't mind that you might want to select this goodie when you win a prize. You can read my reaction at Black-Eyed Susan's and Doret's review at HappyNappy Bookseller and Ari's review at Reading In Color.
What did you get in the mailbox, at the bookstore or the library?
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.
This week was exceptionally bountiful. Thanks to Ari, Justine and Bloomsbury Publishing, our friends at Lee & Low and author Breena Clark. Here's a short list of what's new on our shelves:
Stand The Storm by Breena Clark. Ms. Clark sent us two of her titles. If you're willing to review this title for us, write me and you may keep the copy. How cool is that?
Breena Clarke's Stand the Storm centers on the story of "Sewing Annie" Coats and her son, Gabriel, expert tailors who manage to purchase their freedom at the cost of entering a less than lucrative business arrangement with their former owner. Nonetheless, hard work and thriftiness allow them to purchase Ellen (Annie's equally talented daughter) and her daughter, Delia. Prosperity reigns but the clan is happy for only a short while.
When I was a Soldier by Valerie Zenatti. Thanks to the folks at Bloomsbury we have this memoir. Participate in our quizzes or Diversity Roll Call and this could be yours.
When we first meet Valerie she is preoccupied with the final preparations for her bac exams, working after school at Extrapharm, wrapping perfumes and stacking shelves, hanging out with her close girlfriends, Russian immigrants Yulia and Rahel, and nursing a broken heart after being phased out by her boyfriend Jean-David. She is in many ways an ordinary girl with recognisable concerns and a modern, western lifestyle."Here," she writes, "the army is part of lives. Soldiers — boys and girls — are the heroes of the past."
Liar by Justine Larbalestier. Oh, imagine me doing the happy dance. My daughter and I will be reading this together. May be too much mother-daughter time for her but I'm sure the story will hook her. When we're done, one copy goes on the shelf and one goes in the Prize Bucket. I'm hoping the kidlet will review this. This doesn't need an synopsis but do check out Justine's blog. And for those who don't know, check out Zetta's review:
There are definite traces of Octavia Butler in this book, which is one of the highest compliments I can bestow; Larbalestier handles race, sex, and *community* in a very similar, direct way. 
Tofu Quilt by Ching Yeung Russell
In her first collection of poems, Ching Yeung Russell captures elements of her youth in rich, vivid snapshots and authentic detail. Readers of all backgrounds will relate to spirited Yeung Ying, her dynamic family, and her courage in the face of life’s obstacles.
I and I by Tony Medina. Thanks to Hannah at Lee & Low we have this lovely title. I'm pretty sure it's going in the Prize Bucket. If you're willing to review it, it's yours.
Brimming with imagination and insight, I and I Bob Marley, is a multifaceted tribute befitting this international musical legend. Soulful, sun-drenched paintings transport readers to Bob Marley’s Jamaica, while uniquely perceptive poems bring to life his fascinating journey from boy to icon.
What did you get in the mail this week, at the library or the bookstore? What's better than another book to read? Until next week, happy reading.
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.
Here's what's new on our shelves:
Thanks to Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich for sending us a copy of her new middle grade novel, 8th Grade Super Zero. If you don't Gbemi, check her out on Twitter and AuthorsNow!
Reginald Garvey McKnight created a superhero character in kindergarten; now he dreams of being a real-life leading man: The Guy who's got game and gets The Girl. Instead, he threw up on the first day of school. In front of everyone. Seventh grade has gone downhill ever since. Now Reggie can't even look The Girl in the eye, and his former best friend is bent on shredding his already tattered reputation. Read Gbemi's interview at Miss Snark's First Victim.
Author Angelia Vernon Menchan was very generous and sent us mulitple books. The writer seems to be quite prolific. Watch our Prize Bucket to see all of her titles. 
For here, I'll mention her novel, Mrs. Black and her inspiration poetry, Ramblings. I met Angelia through RAWSISTAZ, an online book club founded by Tee C. Royal ten years ago. Because of Tee's commitment to promoting African American authors, we have another wwoc among us. Check out Ms. Vernon Menchan.
Will Malcolm Black finally get the woman of his dreams or will he tire of waiting and find someone else to be Mrs. Black. Will William Brown finally get his comeuppance and have to pay the piper or will Cinnamon Brown find it in her heart to forgive and look the other way one more time? Will Cinnamon finally choose Malcolm Black, or will she stay with William Brown no matter what....or will she relax and let them both go. Mrs. Black answers these questions and more. Center City's major players are about to shake things up and get shook!
If you read our Sunday Salon, you know I received Paula Chase's entire Del Rio Bay series. One lucky winner will win the entire collection. Comment to this thread or any post published this week and you'll earn 5 extra entries now. Leave link to bonus points entry here. Bonus points only offered until 11pm tonight. Stay tune for more details.
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.
Here's what's new on our shelves:
Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair. Doret introduced me to the author. I'm looking forward to getting to know the writer and reading her work. Wendy writes,"The popularity of fantasy stories led me to the realization of the scarcity of African American lead characters in these stories. Fantasy stories like Harry Potter and Twilight are read by a diverse audience however I didn’t see this diversity reflected in the stories. "
Synopsis
Adisa Summers does not know her boyfriend, Micah Alexander, can fly. This teen African American couple share a love that defies the odds like Micah defies gravity.
Kickboxing Gieshas: How Modern Japanese Women Are Changing Their Nation by Veronica Chambers. From Publishers Weekly:
In her fifth book, Chambers (Mama's Girl) reports on dramatic changes in women's lives in postbust Japan, where, she notes, men are no longer the "financial titans" and where women—international travelers and avid consumers—are now driving the economy. Yet, Chambers says, rampant consumerism masks the true complexity of these women's lives as they negotiate the divide between Japan's traditions and their own more career-centered outlook.
Can't remember where I saw this, but I like Ms. Chambers' work. Can we have too many books about the empowerment of women? It's been too long since I've read non-fiction particularly women studies (Yes, I just admitted that publicly.) Looking forward to reading this.
The author of a new book about gender in Japan sets aside Western stereotypes and talks about how ordinary women are fueling a feminist revolution that's transforming the country. Read an interview with the author at Geisha Grrls.
February Flowers by Fan Wu. Discovered this during or Color Me Brown Challenge. Got this from Paperback Swap. Love that site. Looking forward to reading this.
Chen Ming is a studious, violin-playing first-year student at a university in Guangzhou, fresh off a farm into the big city. Miao Yan is worldly and cynical, an at-ease flaunter of boyfriends, and the oldest undergraduate at the university at twenty-four. An unlikely friendship is struck when the two cross.
Read Niranjana's full review at Brown Paper.
So what did you get this week in the mail, from the library or at the bookstore? Drop a link in the comments. Looking for ways to increase participation in NC. When we have regular contributors, I'll add Mr. Linky back. Happy reading.
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.
Here's what's new on our shelves:
The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland. My daughter starts high school this year. This was on freshman's summer reading list. Looking forward to it. My daughter shrugged and was already talking about homecoming. But when 12-year-old Mariatu set out for a neighboring village, she never arrived. Heavily armed rebel soldiers, many no older than children themselves, attacked and tortured Mariatu. During this brutal act of senseless violence they cut off both her hands. Read full synopsis at Annick.
Ash by Malinda Lo. Thanks to Steph from Steph Su Reads. I could not get my hands on a copy. The unemployed cannot buy a book simply because she wants it. The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love. Read a full review at Frentic Reader.
Paula by Isabel Allende. Doing some shifting in our library. Pulled this from the shelf and brought it home. We have a few Allende titles. Let me know if you'd like to borrow this. In December 1991, Isabel Allende's daughter Paula, aged 26 fell gravely ill and sank into a coma. This book was written during the interminable hours the novelist spent in the corridors of the Madrid hospital, in her hotel room and beside Paula's bed during the summer and autumn of 1992. Fantastic Fiction.
Broken China by Lori Aurelia Williams. The writing is poetic and poignant in When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune by this author. I am so impressed with her work, I got this based on my first book by her. It's available for loan as well. Her story centers on 14-year-old China Cup Cameron (named by a physician's assistant since, at the time, her teen mother 'could care less'), who herself became a mother at 12. But in the first chapter, China's two-year-old daughter dies, and she takes on an enormous debt to pay for an elaborate funeral service. See review at Powell's.
My Two Grannies byFloella Benjamin . This is on our wish list. Very happy to a new book about mixed-race familes. [A]ppealing story about a mixed-race family learning to accept different traditions and customs. Alvina has two grannies: Grannie Vero from Trinidad and Grannie Rose from England. When Alvina’s parents go on vacation, both grannies arrive to look after Alvina. But the two grannies have two very different ideas about what to eat, what to play, even what stories to tell. Rainbow Book Cooperative.
What did you get this week from the library, the bookstore or in the mail? Drop us a link. Happy reading.
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week.
Special thanks to Colleen from Chasing Ray and Shalonda for sending us some fantastic new editions for our library. Here's what's new on our shelves:
Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki. Saw this at Happy Nappy Bookseller. We featured it for our quiz. Got a great copy from Paperbackswap. Looking forward to reading this.
Rashid Karim and his parents think they found the perfect bride in Henna. On their wedding night Rashid who goes Ricky when at the University, discovers that his new wife is not 17 and well educated but 13 and illiterate. Henna agreed to help her baba deceive the Karim's in hopes of avoiding school and moving to Calcutta to become a movie star. This is a family saga that begins with a lie. Read Doret's review.
Breathing Room by Patricia Elam. Honestly can't remember how I got this but Publisher's review has me interested.
The evolving relationship between two African-American women forms the centerpiece of this spirited,
fluidly written debut novel set in contemporary Washington, D.C. Norma Simmons-Greer and Moxie Dillard have been friends since student days at Howard University. When the stress of being a good mother is exacerbated by the emotional withdrawal of her husband, Lawrence, Norma seeks comfort in her photography studio, where she meets and begins an affair with a white professor. Divorced Moxie, meanwhile, is raising her teenage daughter, Zadi, with the same zeal she puts into her work as a probation officer for adolescents. She is firm on discipline, and vocally supports black issues at the predominantly white private school where Zadi's father sends the girl. When Moxie learns of Norma's interracial affair, she is deeply offended and the women become estranged.
Girl In The Arena by Lise Haines. Way out my normal reading. Interested to see if our girls will check this out.
Sypnopsis
Lyn is a modern gladiator's daughter, and the rules of the sport are second nature to her family. However, the rules turn against the family after a gifted young fighter kills Lyn's father and captures Lyn's dowry bracelet--which means Lyn must marry him. To win her freedom, she must face her father's killer in mortal combat.
How To Salsa In A Sari by Dona Sarkar
Sarkar breathes a new and vivacious life into this classic plot. Issa is a smart and dynamite character, and the diverse cast will appeal greatly to what is becoming an equally diverse teenage audience. It is their intense humanity and their conflicts that stand out in this novel. Throw in a carefully measured dose of materialism and those miserable, honest mess-ups that are part of the package of growing up, all wrapped up with the perfect imperfect ending, and you’ll find that How to Salsa in a Sari is a stellar, vibrant, and beguiling read that you won’t want to let go of. Read the Compulsive Reader's review.
Taneesha: Never Disparaging by LaVora Perry. Received this for review. Ms. Perry is a new writer.
M. Lavora Perry's newest has much to recommend it for elementary library collections. Taneesha, whose family is Buddhist, is a 5th grader who is conflicted about her friends, her faith, and her role in her society. Her best friend nominates her for class president, and she is not sure that she wants to run. At the same time, a girl starts bullying the two friends after school. Read Ms. Yingling's review.
What did you get in the mail, at the bookstore or from your library? Drop us a link.
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week. New on our shelves:
The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin. Really stoked to get this. I follow this poet/feminist on Twitter. She's an activist and like all activists, she has plenty to say. The downside is I can't afford to buy every book I want so I requested my library did and I got a call yesterday. Before getting the book, I was impressed but when I read Dorothy Allison and Walter Mosely both endorsed the memoir, I was, "Hot damn!" If you don't know who Allison and Mosely are let it suffice to say they are highly respected writers.
Staceyann Chin, acclaimed and iconic performance artist, now brings her extraordinary talents to the page in a brave, lyrical, and fiercely candid memoir about growing up in Jamaica. She plumbs tender and unsettling memories as she writes about drifting from one home to the next, coming out as a lesbian, and finding the man she believes to be her father and ultimately her voice. Hers is an unforgettable story told with grace, humor, and courage.
My Life As A Rhombus by Variance Johnson. Happy to have this donation. For reviews, read Tashi's at Taste Life Twice and Ari's at Reading in Color.
This novel contains lessons about love, loss, friendship, and teen pregnancy, without feeling forced. Reading this, I felt that I was getting a peek inside the mind of an ordinary teenage girl, rather than an adult male author, writing what he thinks teenage girls are like. This is often the painful case when males try to write from the female perspective, especially the teenage female perspective. Varian Johnson doesn't give an inkling of his own gender when writing from the perspective of Rhonda. In fact, I was quite surprised to realize, halfway through the novel, that the author was male. Read Tashi's full review here.
Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann. Another donation. I'm ashamed to say I haven't read this yet. I am interested. Recently read a great interview with the author at Cynsations.
more impressed with Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s Gringolandia; her writing is wonderful, and this story is sophisticated, nuanced, and compelling. At times, I even forgot that I was reading a young adult novel, which might be the ultimate compliment (in my opinion, at least, because that means the writing doesn’t pander to a teen audience and so has wider, universal appeal). My research focuses on racial violence and representations of trauma, so I was particularly interested in the ways Miller-Lachmann presented Nino’s torture at the hands of Chile’s military dictatorship; she doesn’t shy away from the violence, yet still manages not to turn the reader into a voyeur. You can read Zetta's post in its entirety here.
The Untelling by Tayari Jones. I enjoy reading Ms. Jones' blog. Haven't read her book (I hate admitting not reading books). This week I received a second copy so we have one for our Prize Bucket and one is on our shelves. Must push this up the pile.
Teens will appreciate Ariadne's dilemma as she wrestles first with the implications of a child out-of-wedlock and then the more difficult truth that she will never bear her own children. School Library Journal
When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Mardsen. As I've mentioned elsewhere, Colleen is hosting One Shot SE Asia Round-up. Saw this title recommended so I picked it up from my library.
Looking over this region would be woefully incomplete without including books by Carolyn Marsden. She’s written about girls from and in Thailand, China, and Vietnam. When Heaven Fell is set in present-day Vietnam with a girl, Binh, who sells fruit and sodas from a cart instead of going to school. See Pam's full review at Mother Reader.
What did you get this week in your mailbox, at the bookstore or from your library? Drop us a link.
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book is a good week. New on our shelves:
An Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah. Saw this at Lotus reads. Requested it from my library and then missed picking it up. Requested it again. Was excited when I got a notice yesterday that it was in.
Petina Gappah was born in Zimbabwe and currently works as a lawyer in Geneva. This, her first published work of fiction, is a collection of 13 stories, all but one of which are set in her homeland and feature characters struggling with the hyperinflation, bureaucracy and misogyny that beset life in Mugabe's Zimbabwe. See full review at guardian.co.uk.
Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse. Saw this on Paperback Swap. This is our second copy so this gem could be yours. Adding it to our Prize Bucket.
Karen Hesse is the queen of the free verse novel. When interviewed after the publication of the Newbery Award Winning Out of the Dust, Hesse said she wrote in free verse because the writing style best matched the sparseness of her characters’ lives. The same seems to hold true for the tales she also tells of girls’ lives in Witness and now in Aleutian Sparrow. While there are fewer words, they are rich, well intentioned words that affect us as they describe the setting, bring life to characters and tell the story. See full review at Crazy Quilts.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I read mostly women. I don't read much fantasy and I'm not a big audio fan. Well this easy-on-the-eyes Brit is all the reason I need to ignore my biases. I love Gaiman's voice. He's a master storyteller. A donor sent us a hardcover copy. Thank you, anonymous.
Over eight chapters, or stories, we watch Bod grow from a toddler into a young man. We watch him walk the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead, and gather knowledge about both. And in the end, we watch him learn the meaning of being alive. See full review at things mean a lot.
Refugees by Christine Stine. Saw this at Marjolein's. Premise sounds interesting. Requested it from PaperBack Swap.
Two teenagers on opposite sides of the globe flee everything they know. In a world turned upside down by tragedy, they are refugees. 16 year-old Dawn runs away from her unhappy foster home in California and travels to New York City. Johar, an Afghani teenager, sees his world crumble before him. He flees his war-ravaged village and the Taliban, and makes a dangerous trek to a refugee camp in Pakistan. Thanks to his knowledge of English, Johar finds a job at the camp assisting Louise, the Red Cross doctor--and Dawn's foster mother. Through e-mails and phone calls, Dawn and Johar begin to share and protect each other's secrets, fears, and dreams.
What did you get this week in the mail, bookstore or from your library? Drop us a link with Mr. Linky.
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. Hope you'll share what you picked up from the library, store or in the mail, too.
Another fantastic week. Thanks to all our donors. We are struggling to keep up with cataloging and shelving. The labor is a joy. Keep it coming. Here's to a strong book drive finish. We're gearing up for our Summer Reading Challenge. How does "Reading Rocks!", grab you? Can't list all donations at once. Instead I'll spread them out so you can take a good look and find new reads. What did you get this week? Drop a link with Mr. Linky anytime between now and next Sunday. Now on to the books:
Our Children Can Soar by Michelle Cook. We have award winning illustrator, Shadra Strickland to thank for this. It was prouldy on display till I brought it home. Find a review of this beautiful children's collection at The Happy Nappy Bookseller.
Sypnosis
This is the seed of a unique picture book that is part historical, part poetry, and entirely inspirational. It takes the reader through the cumulative story of the US Civil Rights Movement, expanding the popular slogan beyond these three heroes to include more key players in the struggle for equality. Spare prose and vivid imagery make this a truly moving and accessible picture book to be savored by readers of all ages.
Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis. Oh, happy day! Have wanted this. Everyone is talking about Tanita's book.Check out her interview at The Brown Bookshelf where she talks about Mare's War and more.You can also read her at her blog.
Synposis
Octavia and Tali are dreading the road trip their parents are forcing them to take with their grandmother over the summer. After all, Mare isn’t your typical grandmother. She drives a red sports car, wears stiletto shoes, flippy wigs, and push-up bras, and insists that she’s too young to be called Grandma. But somewhere on the road, Octavia and Tali discover there’s more to Mare than what you see.
Can't Stop Won't Stop:A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Chang. We don't get enough nonfiction in. It's expensive. And when it's lost or stolen, it's impossible to replace. Very grateful to get this. It's a genre and topic that many of our non-readers care about. Don't expect them to read it through, but this is something that might give them the motivation to crack a book.
Sypnosis
Based on original interviews with DJs, b-boys, rappers, graffiti writers, activists, and gang members, with unforgettable portraits of many of hip-hop's forebears, founders, and mavericks, including DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D, and Ice Cube, Can't Stop Won't Stop chronicles the events, the ideas, the music, and the art that marked the hip-hop generation's rise from the ashes of the 60's into the new millennium. Here is a powerful cultural and social history of the end of the American century....
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. My introduction to the writer's work was Purple Hibiscus. Ms. Adichie is a brilliant writer. If you haven't read her, you should.
Synopsis
With the effortless grace of a natural storyteller, Adichie weaves together the lives of five characters caught up in the extraordinary tumult of the decade. Fifteen-year-old Ugwu is houseboy to Odenigbo, a university professor who sends him to school, and in whose living room Ugwu hears voices full of revolutionary zeal. Odenigbo's beautiful mistress, Olanna, a sociology teacher, is running away from her parents' world of wealth and excess; Kainene, her urbane twin, is taking over their father's business; and Kainene's English lover,
Richard, forms a bridge between their two worlds. As we follow these intertwined lives through a military coup, the Biafran secession and the subsequent war, Adichie brilliantly evokes the promise, and intimately, the devastating disapointments that marked this time and place.
Grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters. I am a fan of Ms. Peters. June is Gay Pride Month. For CORA Diversity Roll Call, Ali is asking us to highlight LGBTQ literature. If you're looking for a recommendation, I recommend this author. I'm looking forward to reading this collection.
Synposis
In this honest, emotionally captivating short story collection, renowned author and National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters offers a stunning portrayal of young women as they navigate the hurdles of relationships and sexual identity. From the young lesbian taking her first steps toward coming out to the two strangers who lock eyes across a crowded train, from the transgender teen longing for a sense of self to the girl whose abusive father has turned her to stone, Peters is the master of creating characters whose own vulnerability resonates with readers and stays with them long after the last page is turned.
Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. Hope you'll share what you picked up from the library, store or in the mail, too.
Another great week for our book drive. We received eight parcels this week! Very excited to share with you some of the books we put on our shelves yesterday. We're at the midway mark. There are a lot of unmarked titles on our wish list so if you have been thinking about donating, please check our wish list at Powell's. We warmly welcome your gently used books, too.
The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle
Publisher's comments:
It is 1896. Cuba has fought three wars for independence and still is not tree. People have been rounded up in reconcentration camps with too little food and too much illness. Rosa is a nurse, but she dares not go to the camps. So she turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her.
I've seen this on several blogs and knew I wanted it for our library. We want and need more poetry. It's multicultural. It addresses the personal and political. Can you imagine me doing my happy, loc swingin' happy dance when I saw this?
Amy Hodgdepodge: All Mixed Up by Kim Wayans.
Synopsis:
After years of being home schooled, Amy Hodges is excited to start fourth grade at a "real" school. On Amy's first day, she gets teased not only because she is new, but also because she looks different. Amy is part Asian, Caucasian, and African American. Eventually, Amy meets a group of nice kids and one of them even affectionately gives her the nickname "Amy Hodgepodge..."
I've been following Ms. Wayans on Twitter. She's not a celebrity writing books. She's a real diversity advocate and activist. She's personable and her series reflect her extended family. Really excited about putting this on our shelves. A generous donor sent us a copy of each of the first three books.
Words Don't Fit In My Mouth by Jessica Care Moore
Okay, this is native Detroiter. True, blue activist, artist. Her first published work has been our wish list for awhile. And I did say how much we love and want more poetry? Ms. Moore is a mom loving her babies, freelance writer, poet and publisher. Major houses not supporting emerging writers of color didn't stop Ms. Moore. She founded her own company. She walks the walk and she's not walking alone. Moore Black Publishing has published such notables as Saul Williams and Asha Bandele as well as two of her own books, The Words Don't Fit My Mouth (1997) and The Alphabet Verses: The Ghetto (2003).
Color of Heaven by Dong Kim Hwa
Synposis:
In the tradition of My Antonia and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, from the pen of the renowned Korean manwha creator Kim Dong Hwa, comes a trilogy about a girl coming of age, set in the vibrant, beautiful landscape of pastoral Korea.
Review:
This manhwa — first in a trilogy — chronicling the lives of a single mother and her daughter in rural Korea is a moving and evocative look at love as seen through the eyes of one feeling it for the first time and another who longs to savor it once more. The story follows daughter Ehwa from age seven up as she discovers the physical differences between boys and girls, grows into young womanhood and undergoes her initial confusing experiences with attraction and romance...
A very kind donor sent us the first three volumes of this graphic novel series. The cover art and the pages are beautiful. I'm looking forward to reading this and encouraging our girls to check it out.
Another week to share what new crayons you added to your collection. I'm focused on promoting our Summer Book Drive but that didn't keep me from taking a moment to do a happy dance over this week's goodies:
From the library, I picked up Aya byMarguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie. I've only been reading graphic novels about a year and I really enjoy this genre. Each writer I've read has a distinct style, the graphics have been amazing and the topics covered are diverse and engaging. Saw this at Eva's loot and knowing Eva, I had to pick it up. Set in 1970, Aya follows the travails of some teenage girls in the peaceful Abidjan working-class neighborhood of Yopougon (which they call "Yop City, like something out of an American movie"), as they strive for love and the right boyfriend.
Requested Lucy The Giant by Sherri L. Smith from Paperback Swap because of Doret's review at The HappyNappy Bookseller.For one our assignments for C.O.R.A. Diversity Roll Call assignments we posted about book covers and how readers react to black characters on the cover. This title is about a girl name Lucy who happens to be black, but the story isn't about race but her size and her decision to do a job most girls don't. Looking forward to this.
I learned about Across A Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande by reading an
interview with the author at Latino Books Examiner. The story is about a young girl who leaves Mexico
to find her father who left two years earlier to find work in America. Looking forward to reading this.
I won Jantsen's Gift by Pam Cope at Bella Is Reading. It's nonfiction and I don't read as much nonfiction as I intend to. Reviews have been mixed so we'll see. For a long time, I even had myself convinced of how good and right everything was in my life. Her ideal was shattered in 1999 when Jantsen, her 15-year-old son, died suddenly from a heart ailment; this moving memoir recounts Cope's transformation and growth after her world collapsed.
I won Paul Robeson, an award winner by Eloise Greenfield at Diversity Rocks! To win at DR, all you have to do is post a link to a review you've written for your blog. How easy is that? I'm a huge Eloise Greenfield. You can read a review at The HappyNappy Bookseller. This a Lee & Low publication. A publisher committed to publishing multicultural literature. Check them out. I received a second bonus title from the publisher, Sacred Mountain Everest by Christine Taylor Butler.
What did you get?
This week was another very good week for new reads. More crayons for my box. I picked up one book on hold at the library and a few others because I saw them at Eva's, A Striped Armchair. I got two books from Paperback Swap and a gift for Edi at Crazy Quilts. Now to the goodies.
From the library:
Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins. The trick with historical or cultural fiction (and Secret Keeper is both) is to create a story where the reader forgets that they are in another time or place. Though Secret Keeper takes place in 1970’s India, the themes are universal. Especially engaging is protagonist Asha, a strong and selfless young woman in a culture and time when such traits are more burden than complement. 
Not only does Secret Keeper have a great story to tell, it also offers even-handed insight into Indian culture and leaves the reader both heartbroken and uplifted. From Reading Rumpus.
Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers. I'm a huge Myers fan. I've seen some buzz about this but not enough. The author is prolific and has a long successful career. I'm looking forward to reading this. Walter Dean Myers weaves elements of magical realism into a harrowing story about drug use,violence, alternate perceptions of reality, and second chances.
The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson. I picked this up because Eva's LL post reminded me and Nymeth's review. She writes: The Fox Woman deals with what it means to be a woman and to be restrained by convention, what it means to be a person and be burdened by expectations – other people’s as well as our own. In addition to gender and identity, it deals with longing and disappointment and communication and the boundary between animal and human. All in a beautifully told story infused with Japanese myth.
The Gifted by Nikita Lalwani. Thanks to Eva, another book. Found this review at I read: Nikita has captured the Indian family of the 80's very well. A strict disciplinarian father who sees excellence in education as the only way out. An emotionally tuned in but 
clueless mother, Shreene, who can see her child's changing personality but is incapable of understanding why. An impressionable child, who is living in two cultures, yet is complete withdrawn from both. Her only release from her anguish being an entirely odd addiction.
In my mailbox: 
The No.1 Ladies' Dectective Agency by Alexander McCall. I'm not going to admit how long I've known about this one. It's now a hit HBO
series that I haven't watched but when I saw it available at Paperback, I requested it. Fans of the book seem to love the series so hopefully I'll get to it before the season is over.
So Not The Drama by Paula Chase. This is one of those titles I have been patiently waiting for. This will definitely be passed on to the kidlet. She's my unofficial reviewer. We have Paula's Don't Get It Twisted and it was a hit. No doubts about this series.
Aluetian Sparrows by Karen Hesse. This was a gift from Edi. Found this review at Paper Tigers, a cool site by the way if you don't know about it: This haungtingly beautiful verse novel describes the experiences of the Aleutian people who were evacuated from their island during the Second World War and made to live in camps on the mainland. The teenage narrator describes the difficulties of being in a totally alien environment far removed from her way of life: 'abandoned in the dark suffocation of the forest ... we cannot, from any corner of the camp, catch a glimpse of open water.' Many Aleutians fell sick or died, and almost all were unhappy, unable to earn their livelihood, deprived of their culture, and unpopular with the 'white' people. ~Audrey Baker
What did you get? Leave us a link with Mr. Linky
Thanks to Tanita, we have a New Crayons button! Every Sunday, I will share what books I got in the mail or at the library that celebrates diversity and multiculturalism. I invite you to join us. Let's share what we're reading with one another so we can not only enrich our own reading experiences but inform other readers so they can expand their reading habits, too. Create a post on your blog. Use our button and leave a link here with Mr. Linky. If you have any additional suggestions or questions, let me know. This week I picked up the following:
Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa. May is Latin Book Month. I have picked this book a couple of times and have failed to get to it. 
That's the problem with having too many good reads at one time. Violet Paz has just turned 15, a pivotal birthday in the eyes of her Cuban grandmother. Fifteen is the age when a girl enters womanhood, traditionally celebrating the occasion with a quinceañero. But while Violet is half Cuban, she’s also half Polish, and more importantly, she feels 100% American.
What did you get?
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It sounds exciting! Not sure when I'll get to them but I'm looking forward to the reviews.