In one of my early posts, I committed to reading 20 diverse books this year for the We Need Diverse Books Reading Challenge, and gave some recommendations of those I had already read. Since I wrote that, a lot of internal debate has taken place. (Is a book diverse enough if the character is half-white? Is the challenge the best way to tackle white-washing in literature? To what extent to I have the right to critique diverse reads, or even participate in the challenge? Is the term 'challenge' inherently problematic?).
Originally, I was posting the reviews with the hashtag #WNDB in the title, but I've since decided this is gratuitous. These books have worth on their own merit, outside of the fact that they have diverse characters and authors. So, from now on, I will post my #WNDB reviews with the same format as any other review I post, and instead collect them on here, as well as posting them normally. You can also check out the books I'm considering reading as #WNDB reads here. When choosing books for my WNDB challenge, I'm using the definition of diversity provided on the Mission Statement of the We Need Diverse Books Campaign website:
1. Indigo by Beverly Jenkins - Historical (USA) - 4 stars
A former slave and a free-born Creole man fall in love through their work for the Underground Railroad. Full review here.
2. Opening Act by Suleikha Snyder - Contemporary - 4 stars
An Indian-American journalist has been pining for her cool, white, guitar-playing friend for years, all the while convincing herself she's not good enough for him. Full review here.
3. Bed of Spices by Barbara Samuel - Historical (Continental Europe) - 5 stars
During the Black Death epidemic, the daughter of a local knight falls in love with a man from the local Jewish community, who are being made scapegoats for the plague. Full review here.
4. The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen - New Adult - 5 stars
Dominican-American Rafe was brought up to be abstinent. So he's more than a little weirded out when he gets drunk and loses his virginity to the irrepressible Bella. Full review here.
5. Captive Bride by Bonnie Dee - Historical (USA) - 3 stars
Having been brought from China to be a prostitute in San Francisco, Huiann escapes into the care of a local shopkeeper, who offers her a position as his housekeeper. Full review here.
6. Fighting Silence by Aly Martinez - Contemporary - 3.5 stars
Till Page has loved Eliza Reynolds for most of his life, almost as long as he's been going deaf. Full review here.
7. She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert - Young Adult - 5 stars
Amirah and Ali are two eighteen-year olds trying to navigate their family, Muslim faith and future as they come of age in the gritty suburbs of South London. Full review here.
8. Agnes Moor's Wild Knight by Alyssa Cole - Historical (Scotland) - 3 stars
Agnes in an African woman at the court of James IV of Scotland, and when a tournament is held in her honour, one knight seems to want more from her than a simple kiss. Full review here.
9. Flower in the Desert by Lavender Parker - Contemporary - 4 stars
Jase Rivers is called on to use his Native American tracking skills to find Ruby Lucas, an African-American woman stranded in the Grand Canyon. Full review here.
10. Fierce by Rosalind James - Contemporary/Erotic - 2 stars
Hope starts a new job, and can't seem to stay away from the company's Maori CEO and founder, Hemi Te Mana. Full review here.
11. Mistress Firebrand by Donna Thorland - Historical (USA) - 4.5 stars
In Revolutionary New York, playwright and actress Jenny crosses paths with a spy for the British, whose life has been defined by his Mohawk ancestry. Full review here.
12. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale - YA/Fairy-tale retelling - 4 stars
In a fictionalised pre-modern Mongolia, a young woman must support her mistress through imprisonment in a tower, punishment for turning down the marriage offer from the Khan of a neighbouring kingdom. Full review here.
13. Trancing the Tiger by Rachael Slate - Paranormal/Erotic - 3 stars
Lucy Yeoh arrives in Penang, only to be told by the mysterious Li Sheng that she is the host to one of the mythical animals of the Zodiac and must join an ancient struggle against evil. Full review here.
14. True Pretenses by Rose Lerner - Historical (England) - 4.5 stars
Jewish con-man Ash Cohen tries to push his brother towards a marriage of convenience with Lydia Reeve, but Lydia would much rather marry Ash himself. Full review here.
15. Angelborn by L. Penelope - Paranormal/New Adult - 3.5 stars
At her historic black college, Maia meets half-angel, half-human Caleb. The only problem is that it's her roommate who is his destined soulmate. Full review here.
16. The Sleeping Night by Barbara Samuel - Historical (USA) - 5 stars
In post-World War II segregated Texas, a potentially fatal romance between two childhood friends, one black and one white, develops. Full review here.
17. Him by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen - M/M/New Adult - 3.5 stars
Childhood friends Ryan and Jamie reconnect as players on opposite college hockey teams. Full review here.
18. Sweet Jazz by Ursula Renee - Historical (USA) - 2 stars
When a white saxophonist gets a gig in a 'Coloureds Only' club despite widespread disapproval, he finds an unlikely ally in the club's singer. Full review here.
19. The Rearranged Life by Annika Sharma - New Adult - 3 stars
Indian-American Nithya always imagined she'd have a semi-arranged marriage, like her parents and family friends. But then she meets James at university, and starts imagining a different life for herself. Full review here.
20. In Her Closet by Tasha L. Harrison - Erotic - 3.5 stars
Writer Yves Santiago is head-hunted by editor Elijah Weinstein to write a book based on her saucy sex blog, but she'll have to face the ghosts of her past if she wants to proceed. Full review here.
Originally, I was posting the reviews with the hashtag #WNDB in the title, but I've since decided this is gratuitous. These books have worth on their own merit, outside of the fact that they have diverse characters and authors. So, from now on, I will post my #WNDB reviews with the same format as any other review I post, and instead collect them on here, as well as posting them normally. You can also check out the books I'm considering reading as #WNDB reads here. When choosing books for my WNDB challenge, I'm using the definition of diversity provided on the Mission Statement of the We Need Diverse Books Campaign website:
"We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities."EDIT: You can find my reflections on the conclusion of the challenge here.
#WNDB Reads
A former slave and a free-born Creole man fall in love through their work for the Underground Railroad. Full review here.
2. Opening Act by Suleikha Snyder - Contemporary - 4 stars
An Indian-American journalist has been pining for her cool, white, guitar-playing friend for years, all the while convincing herself she's not good enough for him. Full review here.
3. Bed of Spices by Barbara Samuel - Historical (Continental Europe) - 5 stars
During the Black Death epidemic, the daughter of a local knight falls in love with a man from the local Jewish community, who are being made scapegoats for the plague. Full review here.
4. The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen - New Adult - 5 stars
Dominican-American Rafe was brought up to be abstinent. So he's more than a little weirded out when he gets drunk and loses his virginity to the irrepressible Bella. Full review here.
5. Captive Bride by Bonnie Dee - Historical (USA) - 3 stars
Having been brought from China to be a prostitute in San Francisco, Huiann escapes into the care of a local shopkeeper, who offers her a position as his housekeeper. Full review here.
6. Fighting Silence by Aly Martinez - Contemporary - 3.5 stars
Till Page has loved Eliza Reynolds for most of his life, almost as long as he's been going deaf. Full review here.
7. She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert - Young Adult - 5 stars
Amirah and Ali are two eighteen-year olds trying to navigate their family, Muslim faith and future as they come of age in the gritty suburbs of South London. Full review here.
8. Agnes Moor's Wild Knight by Alyssa Cole - Historical (Scotland) - 3 stars
Agnes in an African woman at the court of James IV of Scotland, and when a tournament is held in her honour, one knight seems to want more from her than a simple kiss. Full review here.
9. Flower in the Desert by Lavender Parker - Contemporary - 4 stars
Jase Rivers is called on to use his Native American tracking skills to find Ruby Lucas, an African-American woman stranded in the Grand Canyon. Full review here.
10. Fierce by Rosalind James - Contemporary/Erotic - 2 stars
Hope starts a new job, and can't seem to stay away from the company's Maori CEO and founder, Hemi Te Mana. Full review here.
11. Mistress Firebrand by Donna Thorland - Historical (USA) - 4.5 stars
In Revolutionary New York, playwright and actress Jenny crosses paths with a spy for the British, whose life has been defined by his Mohawk ancestry. Full review here.
12. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale - YA/Fairy-tale retelling - 4 stars
In a fictionalised pre-modern Mongolia, a young woman must support her mistress through imprisonment in a tower, punishment for turning down the marriage offer from the Khan of a neighbouring kingdom. Full review here.
13. Trancing the Tiger by Rachael Slate - Paranormal/Erotic - 3 stars
Lucy Yeoh arrives in Penang, only to be told by the mysterious Li Sheng that she is the host to one of the mythical animals of the Zodiac and must join an ancient struggle against evil. Full review here.
14. True Pretenses by Rose Lerner - Historical (England) - 4.5 stars
Jewish con-man Ash Cohen tries to push his brother towards a marriage of convenience with Lydia Reeve, but Lydia would much rather marry Ash himself. Full review here.
15. Angelborn by L. Penelope - Paranormal/New Adult - 3.5 stars
At her historic black college, Maia meets half-angel, half-human Caleb. The only problem is that it's her roommate who is his destined soulmate. Full review here.
16. The Sleeping Night by Barbara Samuel - Historical (USA) - 5 stars
In post-World War II segregated Texas, a potentially fatal romance between two childhood friends, one black and one white, develops. Full review here.
17. Him by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen - M/M/New Adult - 3.5 stars
Childhood friends Ryan and Jamie reconnect as players on opposite college hockey teams. Full review here.
18. Sweet Jazz by Ursula Renee - Historical (USA) - 2 stars
When a white saxophonist gets a gig in a 'Coloureds Only' club despite widespread disapproval, he finds an unlikely ally in the club's singer. Full review here.
19. The Rearranged Life by Annika Sharma - New Adult - 3 stars
Indian-American Nithya always imagined she'd have a semi-arranged marriage, like her parents and family friends. But then she meets James at university, and starts imagining a different life for herself. Full review here.
20. In Her Closet by Tasha L. Harrison - Erotic - 3.5 stars
Writer Yves Santiago is head-hunted by editor Elijah Weinstein to write a book based on her saucy sex blog, but she'll have to face the ghosts of her past if she wants to proceed. Full review here.
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