EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

Every year, I have a theme for my personal reading goal. Next year, my theme/goal is to read more books by non-white authors. I'm leaning toward non-fiction books, but will likely read a bit of fiction as well. I'm looking less for a critique of race issues in America or elsewhere and more for stories of or by people whose experiences, especially in the US, have been different from mine. (I was born, raised, and currently live in an area that is at least 95% white.)

Books already on my list for next year are (in no particular order):
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Wow, No Thank You. by Samantha Irby
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
The Universal Tone: My Life by Carlos Santana
Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family by Condoleezza Rice
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

I'm still looking for 4-8 more books to add to this list and am open to recommendations. I would like a more diverse list of authors, for example authors of a Native American, Latinx, Asian, Jewish, or Muslim heritage. While my original criteria was different races, I am interested in the perspectives of people from other religions, sexual orientation, etc. Basically, authors who do not fall into the "WASP" (white anglo-saxon protestant) categorization.

The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea
The Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
The Taste of Sugar by Marisel Vera
The Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Kamatchi wrote: "The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea
The Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
The Taste of Sugar by Marisel Vera
The Miracle Creek by Angie Kim"

Thank you! I had not heard of any of these, but they all sound good. AND, three of them are available on Overdrive through my library, which is my go-to reading resource.

There are many more..

Also- House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

If you are looking on overdrive you will also find

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Night tiger by Yangtze Choo

Kamatchi wrote: "There are many more..

Also- House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

If you are looking on overdrive you will also find

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh ..."

I will have to look into these. I have heard of Americanah and The Nickel Boys and will have to reread their summaries. I often avoid popular titles out of fear that I will not like them as much as everyone else. Also, it's a bit of a thrill to find a great book that nobody else seems to know about.

Thanks again.

Some suggestions :
Mohsin Hamid (Pakistani) Moth Smoke,The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Kamila Shamsie (originally Pakistani,now British),Home Fire.
Khalid Hosseini (Afghan American),A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Nadia Hashimi (Afghan American),The Pearl that Broke its Shell.

Chinua Achebe's Africa trilogy :
Things Fall Apart
No Longer at Ease
Arrow of God

W wrote: "Some suggestions :
Mohsin Hamid (Pakistani) Moth Smoke,The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Kamila Shamsie (originally Pakistani,now British),Home Fire.
Khalid Hosseini (Afghan American),A Thousand Splend..."

Thank you! I have read A Thousand Splendid Suns. I did not love it, in part because it is hard to imagine experiences so different from my own. That, of course, is the point of my goal for next year. I did add The Kite Runner to my list, as I have wanted to read it for quite a while, but have not made it a priority.

My library does not have the Mohsin Hamid titles, but maybe I can request them. The other recommendations I was able to find.

I read “Their Eyes Were Watching God” for my English 2 class and it’s really good, especially reading along with the audiobook!

I like Ibram Kendi

Kamatchi wrote: "There are many more..

Also- House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

If you are looking on overdrive you will also find

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh ..."


I can vouch for The Sympathizer: an excellent read!

Melanie :) wrote: "I read “Their Eyes Were Watching God” for my English 2 class and it’s really good, especially reading along with the audiobook!"

Good to hear that readers still enjoy this book.

Lauren wrote: "I like Ibram Kendi"

I plan to start with How to Be an Antiracist. Hopefully, it will give me some good insight into how to approach this goal.

Richa wrote: "Kamatchi wrote: "There are many more..

Also- House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

If you are looking on overdrive you will also find

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Sympathiz..."

This does sound good. A bit intense maybe, but it sounds like a book that will really make me think.

The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Paulina Chiziane. She is the first published female author from Mozambique. It will definitely take you outside of your norm and is full of beautiful, lyrical prose. Also, basically nobody has read this book. I wouldn't have if there had been any other book by an author from Mozambique at the library, but I'm really glad I went for it anyway. Now I recommend it to basically everybody.

I just read a review by a Mexican-American man who gave a bunch of recommendations for Latinx writers to read. So if you're interested:
-Reyna Grande: Dream Called Home & Distance Between Us
-Luis Urrea: Devil's Highway, Into the Beautiful North
-Cristina Henríquez: Book of Unknown Americans
-Ana Raquel Minian: Undocumented Lives
-Anabel Hernández: Massacre in Mexico
-Guadalupe García McCall: All the Stars Denied
-Yuri Herrera: Signs Preceding the End of the World
-Valeria Luiselli: Tell Me How It Ends
-Oscar Cásares: Where We Come From
-Alfredo Corchado: Homelands
-Javier Zamora: Unaccompanied
-Daniel Peña: Bang
-Sylvia Zéleny: The Everything I Have Lost
-Sara Uribe: Antígona González
-Silvia Moreno García: Untamed Shore

Kerri wrote: "The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Paulina Chiziane. She is the first published female author from Mozambique. It will definitely take you outside of your norm and is full of bea..."

Thank you! This sounds very interesting. Not surprising, my library does not have it, but I can always submit a purchase suggestion.

Kerri wrote: "I just read a review by a Mexican-American man who gave a bunch of recommendations for Latinx writers to read. So if you're interested:
-Reyna Grande: Dream Called Home & Distance Between Us
-Luis ..."

Thank you for sharing this list. I am definitely interested in reading Latinex authors. There is probably a larger number of Latinex people in my area of the country than any other non-white group.

This was an amazing book to read for me because this woman's life experience was NOTHING like what I have lived. Very eye opening and educational. It fits your reading goal perfectly.

These two books are fiction, but they present very detailed cultural narratives.
by Tommy Orange
by Lisa See

For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the US, I read two memoirs by Korean Americans.

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

Eat a Peach by David Chang

A few of my favourite First Nations
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Richard Wagamese Keeper and Me

In Search of April Raintree - Critical Edition

Adrienne wrote: "
This was an amazing book to read for me because this woman's life experience was NOTHING like what I have lived. Very eye opening and..."

This sounds like a great fit for my goal. I plan to focus on authors of different religious beliefs this fall. Thank you!

KelB wrote: "These two books are fiction, but they present very detailed cultural narratives.
by Tommy Orange
by [..."

I am trying to read both fiction and nonfiction. Fiction books that appeal to me seem harder to find some days. I read [book:There There|36692478] earlier this year. It was very interesting and heartbreaking. The Island of Sea Women sounds good. Thanks!

Woman Reading wrote: "For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the US, I read two memoirs by Korean Americans ..."

These both sound great! I was a bit behind, but read books by Asian/Pacific Islander authors in June. Specifically, Every Day Is a Gift: A Memoir for non-fiction, Arsenic and Adobo for fiction, and The Bridge Home for young adult. All were great reads and made me want to read more books by people of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. Thank you for the suggestions.

Jennifer wrote: "A few of my favourite First Nations
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Richard Wagamese Keeper and Me

[book:In Search of April Raintree - Critical Edit..."

Thank you! I have struggled to find books by Native American authors (anyone from Canada to Chili would be good). I have come across more First Nations authors from Canada than expected, though. Many of the books I have found are poetry, which is a challenge for me to understand. However, poetry seems to be a cultural form of expression and something I should consider reading for that reason alone.

Shelley wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "A few of my favourite First Nations
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Richard Wagamese Keeper and Me

In Search of April Raintre..."</i>

Just finished [book:There There

And check out Smoke Signals if you’re looking for a movie

Jennifer wrote: "Shelley wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "A few of my favourite First Nations
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Richard Wagamese Keeper and Me

[book:In Search ..."

I loved Smoke Signals.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is an amazing book & I want to read it again some time.

Trisha wrote: "The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is an amazing book & I want to read it again some time."

I have read this one. I didn't love it, but that is likely because I did not understand what it was until near the end. I had never heard of alternate fiction and expected it to be normal historical fiction.

His book The Nickel Boys definitely appeals to me. Hopefully that one will make it onto my reading list this year.