Christian Fiction Devourers discussion

I have decided to turn this one into a year long challenge as it was a 6 month long challenge last year. I think it's and important one and I appreciate you members who reached out to me to share your appreciation for creating this challenge.
This challenge is designed with the thought for our members to look for books to read that encourage us to learn and love our neighbors. We can all do this by learning a little bit more about our neighbor's stories which might be different than ours. The goal is to make conscious efforts to read diverse books and feature other ethnicities and people of color. People of color encompasses a wide range of color- think about it – Asia, Africa, Latin America, significant numbers of North America and Europe.

Here are some ideas for you to think on, you do not need to choose from this list, it is just a list to get you thinking.

Read a book that is:

- about an indigenous people group
-Written by an author of color
- about the immigrant experience
-about a person with a disability
- about a holiday that you do not celebrate
- about a revolution from a country different than your own
- about refugees
-a memoir by and about a person of color
- one that takes place in a country that is not your own
-bi-lingual
- about Folklore/fairytales from other cultures


-Children's books, as always, count and a good example is -My Breakfast with Jesus: Worshipping God Around the World
This is a book that is about all different things people eat for breakfast around the world! ( and yes, my daughter represented this book, so I'm a little biased.)

I know that you all might have some great recommendations so please chime in!

Here are your levels:

1-10- Getting to know you...

11-20- Won't you be my neighbor?

21-30- Friends are friends forever

31+- Hello Neighbor

Tracker- https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

Who's in?

I think I can do this so I am doing Getting to know you my first time out.

I’m in!

1-10- Getting to know you

Trying for one or two a month: 12-24
Official level: “friends are friends forever”

My list to pick from:

Different types of neighbors in the US:
-average
-disabled
-elderly
-young
-political opponent
-unbeliever
-different race
-new to US
-student
-professional
-difficult
-military or law enforcement
-enjoyable, let-me-live-by-you-forever

Four American perspectives:
1-native
2-born here
3-brought here (child or slave, someone who had no choice)
4-came here (immigrant)

International:
1-Native story in native land
2-Culture clash
3-Missionary story
4-Military assignment

Ethnic: goal one per continent minimum
1-North America
2-South America
3-Australia and Eurasia
4-Asia
5-Africa
6-Europe

Bonus:
In stories I read, to keep a list of different cultures encountered:

Bonus 2:
How many different sorts of authors this year?

Bonus 3:
biographies/autobiographies

Reserved for spill-over and ideas...

(note: no copyright on my ideas...anyone can borrow/use if they want...😋)

Love Your Neighbor

diverse: differing from one another; unlike; composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities*

The books I'll be reading for this challenge will feature people with different qualities or elements than I possess.

1. Yankee

Joshua Ivy
2. Military
(GM)
William Friedman, Army; Elizebeth Smith, Navy
3. Male Author

Daniel James Brown
4. Pet Owner

turtle
5. Non-Christian

Worldly/Hollywood Worldview
6. Professional Sportsperson

Cal Crawford, pro baseball pitcher
7. European

Ingrid, Norwegian
8. African

Wasuze, Ugandan
9. Asian

Thomma, Elisa, Mariam; Syrian
10. South American

11. Special Needs

Isabella, mute
12. Amputee

Riley Callahan
13. Mother

Megan Harrow
14. Married

Merlin & Leah Kraft
15. Short

Clive, Dwarf
16. Non-Texan

Raegan Walker, Iowan
17. Proficient Crafter

Luc, painter/artist
18. Bi-Lingual (or more)

Thomas, English and Shawnee
19. Horsemanship

Millie Reynolds
20. Diver or Swimmer

Haylie

*Definition from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

I so enjoyed being intentional about this challenge so I'm in again. I'm not going to set myself a certain goal. I'll just see how many fit in, as I have an entire stack of books I must get through this year.

I'm in for 1-10- Getting to know you...
about an indigenous people group
-Written by an author of color-A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates Mainstream Marvel Comic Black Panther
- about the immigrant experience
-about a person with a disability
- about a holiday that you do not celebrate
- about a revolution from a country different than your own
- about refugees
-a memoir by and about a person of color
- one that takes place in a country that is not your own
-bi-lingual
- about Folklore/fairytales from other cultures

I'm in for Won't You Be My Neighbor?

I'm in for getting to know you!

Oh, I'm so glad you brought this one back Cheryl and made it year-long. I didn't think I did last year's as much justice as I wanted to, what with life going crazy due to covid.
This gives me more time to focus on it
I'm in for Getting to know you... but would love to get more.

I loved this challenge. It made me realize how many authors I read are from other countries or are people of color and how many books I read have characters who are diverse for reasons of race, culture, disability, etc. I especially appreciate books that point out the difficulties of having mental health issues because I relate so much to such characters.

I'm doing Hello Neighbor and aiming for 50.

Hannah wrote: "Trying for one or two a month: 12-24
Official level: “friends are friends forever”

My list to pick from:

Different types of neighbors in the US:
-average
-disabled
-elderly
-young
-political op..."

Hannah, I love your list!! I'm in for 24 books "Friends Are Friends Forever." So glad we're continuing this challenge!

Finished my first book of the year, by Camy Tang. Camy, I love your writing and want to read all the rest of your books!!
1) Asian Americans -

Bonny wrote: "Finished my first book of the year, by Camy Tang. Camy, I love your writing and want to read all the rest of your books!!
1) Asian Americans - "

Camy is a wonderful writer, and all of her books are super.

I’m in for 1-10- Getting to know you :)

#1
This General Fiction novel brought to light what life was like in 1950s Spain under leader Franco.

In honor of MLK Day, I read the following book about life in the segregated South, homelessness, and God's grace:
2) Memoir by a Person of Color -

#2 The main character is an abused wife. The time period is 1941 and secondary characters are part of the KKK and others victims of racism and hate crimes.

3) Civil Rights -

#3 The family in this novel is divided by the Berlin Wall the evening it's erected. Informative look at what it was like to live in East Berlin in 1961-1965 (time period of novel).

4) Bilingual - (about my Spanish ancestors in New Mexico)

Bonny, it's so neat how you could incorporate your own family line to make this challenge even more personal.

Thanks, Andrea! This has been a very meaningful challenge for me (both last year and this year), and it's so fun to read about history that's so personal! =)

1. When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin the heroine is an American Reporter and three quarter Jewish and it takes place in Germany before WWII and many of her friends her Jewish

#4 Written by author of color; Topic of interracial marriage

5) Immigrant Experience - (confronts Jewish stereotypes in literature and shares the Jewish experience in England in the 19th century)

1. - black author about black characters
2. - white author about Latino characters
3. - Asian author about Asian charactrs

6) Disability - (memoir by a girl with cystic fibrosis)

7) Author of Color - (by African American pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes)

A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates Mainstream Marvel Comic Black Panther

- Takes place in Germany prior to WWII. The main character has Jewish Ancestry.

- Collection of stories for kids by Native and First Nations authors

- Jewish main character and Jewish author

#5 Memoir by Tara Westover that never attended K-12 and lived in a family actively preparing for end times.

#6 Shows racism in the early 1900s

#7 The author is biracial, experienced racism and her mother was murdered when the author was 19 years old.

8) Racial Healing - (shares the experiences of people of color and the ways God can bring healing)

When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin heroine is part Jewish
A Nation Under our Feet by Ta-Nehisi Coates- author is African American Superhero main character is African
Ancestor Approved by Cynthia Leitich Smith both the characters and authors are either Native of First Nations
Ruth and Night of Broken Glass by Emma Carlson Berne heroine and author are Jewish
Unknown Threat by Lynn H Blackburn heroine is part Cherokee

Made it to "Won't You Be My Neighbor" level!
9) Cross-Cultural Ministry - (explains how different cultures perceive the gospel differently, which was extremely helpful for understanding my own perspective of the gospel)
10) Latino Main Character - (hero of the story was Latino)
11) Latina Main Character - (heroine of the story was Latina)
12) Author of Color - (written by an immigrant from India)
13) Immigrant Experience - (about an immigrant from Ukraine)
14) Immigrant Experience - (about a Hindu immigrant from India)
15) Immigrant Experience - (about a Muslim immigrant from Afghanistan)
16) Immigrant Experience - (about an immigrant from South Korea)
17) Illustrators of Color - (celebrates African American heroes of history, each illustrated by a person of color)

#8 This General Market YA novel is written by a 4th generation Chinese American. The main characters in the story are half Chinese and there is quite a bit of cultural details about the people of China.

#9 One of the main characters is adopted by from Vietnam in 1975 at the age of 4-5 by a Michigan family.

#10 The main character grew up not knowing her father's name and lived with friends of the family for ten years. She lived in multiple countries as a child including attending a high school in France that taught school in French exclusively (main character spoke only English at the time).

#11 Main characters live as migrant workers.

#12 main character is prisoner in the Soviet Union

#13 Topics include racism, bullying and homosexuality

I'm calling this one finished as I had a computer blip and lost my list:

1. about an indigenous people group
- Native Americans
- Native Americans
-aboriginies
-Native Americans
- Native Americans
- (Israelite slaves)
- Native Americans

2. Written by an author of color -
by Cecelia Dowdy
by Camy Tang
by Sarah Culberson

3. about the immigrant experience
(emigrated to US from Ireland)
(immigrants from multiple countries in Chicago)

4. about a person with a disability
(a person with a twisted leg and a dwarf)
(a person disfigured from burns

5. about a holiday that you do not celebrate
(passover)
(Yom Kippur)
(Feast of Tabernacles)


6. about a revolution from a country different than your own
(Germany-Nazis)
(France-WW2)
(England- WW1 Conscientious Objectors & Suffragettes)
(Napoleonic War)

7. about refugees
(the exodus of the Israelites)
(British Home Children)

8. a memoir by and about a person of color

9. one that takes place in a country that is not your own
(Scotland)
(Germany)
(Poland)
(Russia)

10.-bi-lingual

11. about Folklore/fairytales from other cultures

#14 Author is a dual Israeli/American citizen. Learned a lot about Middle Eastern leaders.

#15 Subject of book traveled the world advocating for children at risk

Made it to Friends are Friends Forever level:
18) Disability - (one of the main characters is autistic)
19) Author of Color - (written by an African American author)
20) Asian Culture - (set in Pakistan with descriptions of wedding customs)
21) Author of Color - (written by an African American author, caution language)
22) Author of Color - (written by an African American author)
23) Author of Color - (written by an African American author, caution language)
24) Author of Color - written by an African American author, caution language)
25) Disability - (one of the main characters is wheelchair bound, caution language)
26) Latina Main Character (heroine is from Mexico)
27) Asian culture - (set in Japan, with Japanese customs)
28) Translation - (book originally written in Spanish, caution language)
29) Refugee Experience - (main characters were refugees from war in Croatia)
30) Disability - (main character becomes lame and bedridden, and has a friend who is deaf)

Made it to Hello Neighbor level!
31) Disability - (main character was disabled by polio and uses leg braces)
32) Holiday I Don't Celebrate - (Jewish main characters celebrating Hanukkah) (GM: caution, language)
33) Asian-American - (main character is half-Chinese and experiences racism in her prairie town; an excellent companion/alternative to the Little House books)
34) Illustrator of Color - (true story of an enslaved man who creates pottery and poems, illustrated by Bryan Collier)
35) Folklore from Other Cultures - (includes stories from around the world)

Calling this one done. I only missed one of my pre-chosen categories.

Love Your Neighbor

diverse: differing from one another; unlike; composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities*

The books I'll be reading for this challenge will feature people with different qualities or elements than I possess.

1. Yankee

Joshua Ivy

2. Military
(GM)
William Friedman, Army; Elizebeth Smith, Navy

3. Male Author

Daniel James Brown

4. Pet Owner

turtle

5. Non-Christian

Worldly/Hollywood Worldview

6. Professional Sportsperson

Cal Crawford, pro baseball pitcher

7. European

Ingrid, Norwegian

8. African

Wasuze, Ugandan

9. Asian

Thomma, Elisa, Mariam; Syrian

10. South American


11. Special Needs

Isabella, mute

12. Amputee

Riley Callahan

13. Mother

Megan Harrow

14. Married

Merlin & Leah Kraft

15. Short

Clive, Dwarf

16. Non-Texan

Raegan Walker, Iowan

17. Proficient Crafter

Luc, painter/artist

18. Bi-Lingual (or more)

Thomas, English and Shawnee

19. Horsemanship

Millie Reynolds

20. Diver or Swimmer

Haylie

*Definition from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

I forgot to keep track of why I added these books to this challenge. The ones I remember have notes.
The Heart's Charge by Karen Witemeyer – Native Americans
What Makes a Home by Jaycee Weaver
Rethinking Sexuality by Juli Slattery – those who struggle with sexual sins, including homosexuality & transgenderism
An Unlikely Proposal by Toni Shiloh – by a black author about black characters
Sisters, Inc. by Seitz, Rebeca – interracial adoption
Winning the Single Mom's Heart by Patty Scott – single mothers with a past (I have no problem with widows, but I tend to judge those who are divorced or were never married – I'm working on it, so I'm reading books like these)
The Dream of You by Jo Saxton – black author from different cultures in Kenya and Great Britain
The Mutiny on Board the HMS Bounty by Kestel, Deborah – lots about South Pacific culture
Hidden in Her Heart by Milla Holt – black author and interracial romance
God, Do You Hear Me by Derwin Gray – black author
Miss Oriented and the Billionaire by Lorin Grace – Asian culture
Transforming Your Thought Life by Sarah Geringer
12 Gifts of Christmas by Lena Nelson Dooley – Scottish culture & Mexican culture
Star Trek Generations by J.M. Dillard – had some racism in it
Always a Wedding Planner by R.L. Ashley
Here's the link to my shelf for links to all the books: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Ended the year with 40 books:
36) Disability - (main characters befriend the classroom of special needs students)
37) Author of Color - (written by Spike Lee and his wife about their daughter)
38) Asian - (main characters are of Indian and British descent. GM, caution, language)
39) Disability - (main character's brother was autistic, also part Chinese-American)
40) African-American - (true story of a historic Black mathematician and surveyor)

Final count: 341 books. Sorry I can't post what they were due to group guidelines.