52 Diverse Titles Every Book Lover Should Read: A One Year Journal and Recommended Reading List from the American Library Association

by American Library Association

The American Library Association presents 52 books by must-read BIPOC authors for every week of the year in this beautiful reading log. This immersive journal is more than just a reading list; it's your personal guide to a year of handpicked books, exploring a tapestry of diverse voices spanning across race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, and disability. Immerse yourself in the rich narratives of human experiences, as each title opens doors to new worlds, unearths hidden histories, and sparks meaningful conversations. Dive into its pages and Immerse yourself in a diverse range of genres, including contemporary fiction, memoirs, historical accounts, fantasy, and more. Embrace the joy of reading while championing inclusivity, cultural understanding, and empathy. Join countless readers who have trusted the American Library Association's expertise and embark on a literary adventure that will leave an indelible mark on your soul.

Genres: Books About Books, Nonfiction, Professional Development

224 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2021

Reviews

[Shannon Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a good book to reference if you want to read diversely but aren’t sure where to start as they give a little blurb about each book. probably would not use to it’s intended purpose though

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compiling a list of 52 diverse, recently-published authors who are popular enough that their books are available at the library is an excellent concept. Of 52 books, 36 are fiction [34 fiction, 2 short stories] and 16 are non-fiction [all types, including memoir]. This comes out to 70% fiction and 30% non-fiction.

ALA published this journal for $12.99 [late Jan 2023 on sale at Amazon for $8.34], but I didn't see anything on their website about how the proceeds of this journal will be used. Also checked Google and Insta to see if I could view just the list of books, but was unsuccessful.

Recommendations below **are not** a reflection of the authors and their books included in the journal.

1. Availability of the 52-item list: I wasn't able to find the full 52-title list on the ALA website, via google, or on Insta.
2. As a FREELY available product: It would be great if the 52-author/book list was made into a web page and a poster available for free for public libraries, schools, universities, and cultural centers.
3. Organization: It's an entire YEAR of reading organized by author last name and nothing else. No organization by...
3a. Theme.
3b. Varying the length from book to book. or
3c. Varying reading difficulty from book to book.

4. Arrangement of each journal entry/book is confusing. Includes the
4a. author/title,
4b. a 1-2 paragraph description,
4c. a writing prompt that you can complete without reading/understanding the book, and
4d. a tracking box with date started/ended and a 5-star rating system.

Are you supposed to write about the book, or the writing prompt, or both? It's not like there's a group of questions you could use for a book club or classroom discussion--it's just 1 general question.

5. Finally, the online ALA bookstore [visit: https://www.alastore.ala.org/52dt ] states that there are, " Pages for your personal reading log, perfect for sharing on social media."

I can't really tell what those would be. The interior of the journal is in black/white/grey.
there are two lists you can fill in:
5a. A bookshelf with white book spines spans 2 pages, for you to write in your "all-time favorite books."; and
5b. there's a 2-page reading log with 3 columns: date started - title - and date completed. The author's name isn't indicated on this log.

So - There it is. I love the concept of this book - but I'm disappointed in the implementation.

[Booksandcoffeemx · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭!

If you are a book lover you need these books in your life, not only they contain great book recommendations, each tittle comes with room to add notes.
I was glad to know that I had some already on my TBR, some already read and loved and I added a big number of them to my never ending list.

Thank you Sourcebooks and American Library Association for these gifted copies.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcof...

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.
For people who have trouble picking what to read or want suggestions, this is the perfect journal. There is a wide selection of books, and they are interesting. Another plus is that this has prompts about each book mentioned which works for people who like the format of a book club but don't have access to one or don't want to deal with the people.

[Peter Herrmann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seemed to have a very narrow focus-> most/all of the selections were about some injustice or outrage - either suffered or overcome. Am not averse to such material (having read plenty of that, and am mostly sympathetic), but this list seems to be remiss in not comprising other aspects of life or knowledge ... history, art, science, global politics, advanced literature, coming-of-age novels, etc. But, what do I know?

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute idea! I would love to do this for my own reading list :)