I read only non-white authors for 12 months. What I learned surprised me | Sunili Govinnage

Reading science fiction, chick lit and fantasy novels by people of colour for a year brought home to me just how white my reading world wasIn 2014, I managed to read 25 novels. All of them were written by people of colour. That was the result of a small challenge I set myself: not to read books by white authors for a year. The things I learned in my year of selective reading made me pretty glad to have persevered. Rather than restricting myself, my decision to be conscious about what I read introduced me to books I ordinarily would not have bothered with. Instead of my usual crime/procedural/legal thrillers, I actually read some science fiction. And some fantasy. And I loved it. Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of the Crescent Moon and Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death are now two of my favourite books. I would never have heard of them had I not deliberately sought them out.One difference that my book list made is that it ever-so-delicately altered the way I looked at the world. It was slow at first, but opening myself up to a variety of female perspectives made me more aware of the female lives around me … Feminism, as bell hooks pointed out, is for everyone. And when we become more aware of the small injustices and tiny everyday tragedies around us, we become better people. Reading women’s voices helped me to hear them more loudly in my daily life. Our culture is getting better and better at encouraging women to speak, but it’s not doing enough to listen to what they say when they... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadians aren't big on talking openly about class. This author says that needs to change

Toronto Star books editor Deborah Dundas says that even though class divisions exist in Canada, we don't talk about them openly. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-05-27 08:00:00 UTC ]
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New Historical Fiction to Read This Summer

These books rewind time, depositing readers in the Cumbrian countryside, coastal Maine, rural Wyoming and beyond. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-26 15:30:50 UTC ]
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Publishing On and Off the Page: A Reading List of Books About Book People

Readers love to read about book people almost as much as writers love to write about them (I love to do both). My latest novel, On Fire Island, follows uber-talented young book editor, Julia Gold and literary wunderkind, Benjamin Morse, through their journeys on and off the page. Threaded in... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-26 08:52:35 UTC ]
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Read Marilynne Robinson’s 1988 review of Raymond Carver’s final collection.

Raymond Carver, one of the most beloved and influential short story writers in the history of American fiction, was born eighty-five years ago today. Below is a New York Times review of Carver’s final story collection, Where I’m Calling From, written by future Pulitzer Prize (and Orange Prize,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-25 17:31:12 UTC ]
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What We're Reading: Hay Festival special

Take a look at previous What We’re Reading blogs for more reading inspiration. Hungry Ghosts, by Kevin Jared HoseinI'm thoroughly enjoying Hungry Ghosts, the debut novel by Kevin Jared Hosein, who won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2018, and whom I had the pleasure of hearing read at the... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2023-05-25 16:57:18 UTC ]
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A More Introspective End of the World: A Reading List of Quiet Apocalypse Books

Apocalypse brings to mind cataclysmic events, often involving Mad Max-esq fighting, cannibalism, and what horrors one must endure, or commit, to survive. I love such stories. I like to imagine that I would survive, thrive even, conveniently forgetting that my life of indoor pursuits, reading,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-25 12:26:54 UTC ]
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PJ Library Expands Outreach to Authors

The non-profit organization that mails millions of books a year to families with connections to Judaism, has relaunched and added online seminars to a program that takes 20 authors and illustrators for eight days in Israel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Morning After: Meta could launch a Twitter competitor next month

Meta has long been rumored to be building a platform to rival Twitter. After months of speculation, there are finally some details on how it might turn out, according to digital media marketing expert Lia Haberman, who has heard about the app through content creators approached by Meta.Haberman... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-22 11:15:43 UTC ]
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Pastor and Bestselling Author Tim Keller Dies at 72

Rev. Tim Keller, a pioneering pastor of the multi-site megachurch phenomenon and who wrote 28 books on every aspect of Christian life and theology, died on May 19. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Meta’s rumored Twitter competitor could launch as early as next month

Folks are spending less time on Twitter since Elon Musk bought the social media site last year, but there’s still plenty of demand for similar platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky. To that point, Meta has long been rumored to be building its own platform to rival Twitter. After months of... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-19 18:16:25 UTC ]
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A Nobel Prize-winning French author looks at a shopping mall. Magic ensues

In 'Look at the Lights, My Love,' an extended essay about a Parisian superstore, Annie Ernaux proves she can master any subject by melding experience and recollection. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-19 13:00:25 UTC ]
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It’s Very, Very Complicated: A Reading List of Friendships That Are All Over the Place

All my reading and life experience has guided me towards a very basic truth: friendships are like hairbands. Some feel like they stretch endlessly; some snap with the slightest amount of pull on them. Some lose their elasticity after a while but still prove to work in a pinch; others never had... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-19 08:52:32 UTC ]
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6 new books to check out during AAPI month

From family sagas that span decades to memoirs about chasing the American dream, these 6 AAPI must-reads hit bookshop shelves this May. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-18 13:00:16 UTC ]
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Even Hernan Diaz Is Surprised by the Books He Owns

“The other day I was shocked to discover that somehow I have amassed a rather robust collection of books about punk rock,” says the writer, whose novel “Trust,” now in paperback, won a 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-18 09:00:19 UTC ]
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London Public Library refuses to rent space to event featuring author of How Woke Won

The London Public Library in southwestern Ontario is standing by its decision to block The Society for Academic Freedom from holding an event featuring controversial British author Joanna Williams. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-05-18 08:00:00 UTC ]
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Kirk Cameron, aka right-wing Raffi, has a new kids’ book for Pride Month.

Kirk Cameron has had a tough year, not unlike poor, pregnant Mary. “We tried to go to libraries across the country and we’ve been turned away,” he told a church gathering this week in Charlotte, N.C., of touring his conservative children’s book As You Grow, about a tree SYMBOLIZING FAITH getting... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-17 13:22:18 UTC ]
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20 Must-Read Short Stories on Audio

These must-read short stories on audio will help you break out of reading slumps and give you a taste of an author's style, like Some People Have Real Problems by Brit Bennett. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-05-17 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Screenwriter and Author Ahmed Mourad: Abu Dhabi Congress Interview

The Egyptian screenwriter Ahmed Mourad will speak in an Abu Dhabi International Book Fair Congress session on Arabian fantasy. The post Screenwriter and Author Ahmed Mourad: Abu Dhabi Congress Interview appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-05-15 18:09:37 UTC ]
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New Leaf Literary & Media Faces Backlash After Dropping Authors

After New Leaf "amicably" parting ways with literary agent Jordan Hamessley on May 12, authors affected by the agent's departure took to Twitter to express concern over how the transition was handled as the agency defends their actions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show 2023: Authors in Conversation

In a series of intimate discussions, authors, comics creators, and artists will give readers an inside look at their latest titles and forthcoming books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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