We should all be challenging ourselves to read more. More volume. More broadly. More viewpoints. More better.
February – an awesome continuation to 2020’s Reading Challenge (please see 52 books by women of color in 52 weeks).
Here was January’s update.
I figured I would chronicle my progress by month, hoping that perhaps others will (a) benefit from reading the same incredible books that I have, (b) be inspired to participate, or (c) share their own progress reading books by women of color this year.
FEBRUARY
A Black Women’s History of the United States (ReVisioning American History), by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross (released February 4, 2020)
Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross are two preeminent, award-winning historians, and they have created “[a] vibrant and empowering history that emphasizes the perspectives and stories of African American women to show how they are – and have always been – instrumental in shaping our country.” In doing so, the book prioritizes voices of, among others, enslaved women, freedwomen, religious leaders, artists, queer women, activists and criminals. (Eso Won, Indiebound)
My review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this challenging revisioning of American History through the lives of black women that have shaped, prodded and endured America as it is today. The stories related by Professors Berry and Gross provide an overview of incredible paradigms of black women throughout American history, while at the same time providing the depth of narrative to stoke further curiosity and study into the brave, amazing women depicted and others within their orbit. The context, details and layers of community throughout the book lay plain the incredible contributions and sacrifices black women have made to and for this country. I was left inspired and disturbed, and of the resolute view that this book should be required reading for all of us.
Black Sunday: A Novel, by Tola Rotimi Abraham (released February 4, 2020)
Black Sunday, Tola Rotimi Abraham’s debut novel, follows one family’s fate over two decades in Nigeria. In particular, it tracks twin sisters’“search for agency, love, and meaning in a society rife with hypocrisy but also endless life.” Abraham’s fiction and nonfiction have appeared in, among other places, Catapult, The Des Moines Register, and The Nigerian Literary Magazine. (Eso Won, Indiebound)
My review:
Tola Rotimi Abraham’s debut deftly alternates between each of four siblings as they endure a chaotic family life that ranges from steadfast kinship to devastating estrangement. I particularly enjoyed the older twin sisters’ differing paths and lives, juxtaposed against life in modern day Nigeria. The themes of family, love, redemption and survival are compelling, and the writing is strong. The book is a quick read, in part because the characters’ progressions through life are relatable. realistic and worth the attention. Finally, as an aside, I think my favorite character was the siblings’ grandmother. She is definitely a badass.
b, Book, and Me, by Kim Sagwa, translated by Sunhee Jeong (released February 11, 2020)
Award-winning South Korean author Kim Sagwa published her captivating English debut, Mina, in 2018. Her newest novel tracks the relationship between best friends b and Rang as they navigate the boundary between youth and adulthood in South Korea. (Eso Won, Indiebound)
My review:
While reading this book, several times I had a faint recollection of Franz Kafka’s The Trial, in that the narration required me to stop and think about “what is actually happening and why?” The relationship between b and Rang was intriguing. And when Book is introduced, it added to the intrigue. All in all, I think this book is well worth the read, as it tracks b and Rang’s inexorable, varied march towards adulthood.
A Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home, edited by Nicole Chung and Mensah Demary (released February 11, 2020)
This collection features essays selected from the Catapult magazine archives, highlighting “the human side of immigration policies and polarized rhetoric.” The book features writings by: Lauren Alwan, Cinelle Barnes, Victoria Blanco, Jennifer S. Cheng, Nina Li Coomes, Bix Gabriel, Nur Nasreen Ibrahim, Deepti Kapoor, Porochista Khakpour, Soraya Membreno, Kamna Muddagouni, Jamila Osman, Nadia Owusu, Niina Pollari, Krystal A. Sital, Natalia Sylvester, Sharine Taylor, Kenechi Uzor, Steph Wong Ken, and Shing Yin Khor. (Eso Won, Indiebound)
My review:
An anthology almost necessarily has its strong and weak components, but the stories contained in A Map Is Only One Story consistently set the bar high. I had read the great work of many of these writers in other contexts, so their strength and vision were expected, but story after story I found myself transported to different families, different homes and different maps, culminating in a “better understanding of [myself], our communities and the world we live in.” Many thanks to Nicole Chung and Mensa Demary for assembling such an evocative collection. Personal favorites in the anthology are the stories from Lauren Alwan, Cinelle Barnes, Victoria Blanco, Krystal Sital and Natalia Sylvester.
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, by Cathy Park Hong (released February 25, 2020)
Award-winning poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong (Translating Mo’Um (2002), Dance Dance Revolution: Poems (2008), and Engine Empire: Poems (2013)) confronts how to explore the psychological condition of being Asian American and, more broadly, racial consciousness in today’s America. (Eso Won, Indiebound)
My review:
Minor Feelings is among my favorite reads this year. Cathy Park Hong’s incredible poetry (if you haven’t read any of her three collections, you should) were just a precursor to her sharp insights, raw humanity and forceful wisdom displayed in her essays. Her book is one of those rare reads that, immediately upon finishing it, you want to read again; further, the works she references, whether Richard Pryor’s comedy, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s writing and films, or Myung Mi Kim’s poetry, provoked me to search out those gems and add them to my TBR/TBW list. Cathy writes with such grace and expression that it made me proud that she grew up in Los Angeles. In short, Minor Feelings challenges its readers in all the right ways.
Other notable February publications (not yet read): The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (Eso Won, Indiebound); Malice by Pintip Dunn (Eso Won, Indiebound); The Resisters: A Novel by Gish Jen (Eso Won, Indiebound); A Nail the Evening Hangs On by Monica Sok (Eso Won, Indiebound).
Other February reads for me (and which I recommend): Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell; Second Sister by Chan Ho-Kei (translated by Jeremy Tiang); The Girl at the Baggage Claim: Explaining the East-West Culture Gap by Gish Jen; Human Acts by Han Kang (translated by Deborah Smith); Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee; Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi; Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu.