Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

Well, the votes have been counted and our June discussion book is Colored Television by Danzy Senna.

If anyone would like to lead the June discussion for Colored Television, please let me know. You can respond here or dm me directly.

Thanks all!

Note: Colored Television is available on Libby and possibly other library mobile apps if you want to go that route. It’s available as an ebook or audio. And of course don’t forget your local library for a physical copy.

Has anyone started Colored Television?📺 Finished it? Requested from library?

Reading schedule:

The book has 22 chapters.
Chap 1-11 now thru June 9th

Entire book open June 10th

A line from the book: ”Listen, our ancestors didn’t survive the horrors of the Middle Passage so some Caucasoid poet could miscegenate us out of of existence.

Another "Without a race, one could not have a history. without a history one could not have a race

What’s your thoughts on this book cover?

Jane's mixed race is central to her identity. What do you think Senna, who is mixed race herself, is trying to say about mixed identity and about race in America?

The name colored television comes up early in the book. What does the title mean yo you?

ColumbusReads wrote: "What’s your thoughts on this book cover?

After this question was posed, i went back and looked hard at the cover.

Take 1
even though many look through "rose colored glasses", they never not blend the "colored spots" that they see into their non-descriptive rosy world.

Take 2
we never fit into the neat world, and are often reminded by the outside factors that YES we are indeed unacceptable to mix in the larger world, and possibly with our own kind.

Take 3
Colorism display of separatism light-skin, dark-skin etc,

Hello, everyone, I am 50% into the book, and I must say that I can tell that Danzy Senna is married to Percival Everett. Satire is the name of the game. It started off slow, but quickly got up to speed. I am definitely ready for the next chapters as I go along. In the world of race and entertainment, things are not always as they seem. Who is sincere? Who is telling the truth? Who wants the best for you? Who is living a lie? Hard to tell in publishing and entertainment.

I think the characters are well written...not flat on a page, and I am waiting to see how it all ends. There is more to the story than meets the eye. I don't always GET satire, so I hope I am not confused at the end. The story could go anywhere at this point.Colored Television

I finished the book today and ended up giving it 3 stars, because satire is not for me. I have difficulty with that particular fiction genre. If you like satire, then this one is for you. However, there were many great lines and laugh-out-loud moments. The book was not a total loss for me, but you really need to understand publishing and the entertainment industry to get everything out of the book that the author wants you to get. Add those things with the hot topics of race and colorism and you have a pretty wild ride. I probably won't be reading more from Danzy Senna. I was glad to participate with this group for the first time, though.

Patrice wrote: "I finished the book today and ended up giving it 3 stars, because satire is not for me. I have difficulty with that particular fiction genre. If you like satire, then this one is for you. However, ..."

Thank you, Patrice. Satire has to be done really well or it can be quite tricky. Not everyone can do it.

ColumbusReads wrote: "Patrice wrote: "I finished the book today and ended up giving it 3 stars, because satire is not for me. I have difficulty with that particular fiction genre. If you like satire, then this one is fo..."

Isn’t it funny that her husband can be considered a satirical master! Percival Everett’s “Erasure," "I Am Not Sidney Poitier," "The Trees," and "James." are fantastic satirical works.