Saturday, February 24, 2018

The “I Need Diverse Books” Book Haul


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. I get to show off all the books I’ve gotten recently.

Here are some “diverse” books I’ve gotten in the past few weeks.




The “I Need Diverse Books” Book Haul










How It Went Down – Kekla Magoon

When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white. 
In the aftermath of Tariq's death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth. 
Tariq's friends, family, and community struggle to make sense of the tragedy, and to cope with the hole left behind when a life is cut short. In their own words, they grapple for a way to say with certainty: This is how it went down.









As Brave As You – Jason Reynolds

When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires—literally. 
Genie’s summer is full of surprises. The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia—in the COUNTRY! The second surprise comes when Genie figures out that their grandfather is blind. Thunderstruck and—being a curious kid—Genie peppers Grandpop with questions about how he covers it so well (besides wearing way cool Ray-Bans). 
How does he match his clothes? Know where to walk? Cook with a gas stove? Pour a glass of sweet tea without spilling it? Genie thinks Grandpop must be the bravest guy he’s ever known, but he starts to notice that his grandfather never leaves the house—as in NEVER. And when he finds the secret room that Grandpop is always disappearing into—a room so full of songbirds and plants that it’s almost as if it’s been pulled inside-out—he begins to wonder if his grandfather is really so brave after all. 
Then Ernie lets him down in the bravery department. It’s his fourteenth birthday, and, Grandpop says to become a man, you have to learn how to shoot a gun. Genie thinks that is AWESOME until he realizes Ernie has no interest in learning how to shoot. None. Nada. Dumbfounded by Ernie’s reluctance, Genie is left to wonder—is bravery and becoming a man only about proving something, or is it just as important to own up to what you won’t do?









Mongrels – Stephen Graham Jones

He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his Aunt Libby and Uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixedblood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks. 
For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and close calls—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast, now. Everything is about to change.









The Mothers – Brit Bennett

It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.










Pull Me Under – Kelly Luce

Kelly Luce's Pull Me Under tells the story of Rio Silvestri, who, when she was twelve years old, fatally stabbed a school bully. Rio, born Chizuru Akitani, is the Japanese American daughter of the revered violinist Hiro Akitani—a Living National Treasure in Japan and a man Rio hasn't spoken to since she left her home country for the United States (and a new identity) after her violent crime. Her father's death, along with a mysterious package that arrives on her doorstep in Boulder, Colorado, spurs her to return to Japan for the first time in twenty years. There she is forced to confront her past in ways she never imagined, pushing herself, her relationships with her husband and daughter, and her own sense of who she is to the brink.







Have you read any of these? What did you think?









26 comments:

  1. Not surprisingly, I haven't read any of these. :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. I met the author of How Things Went Down. She was a lovely person and signed my book. However, I tried to read it and couldn't get into it. I have never read a Jason Reynolds book but it seems like he is getting awards and acclimations for many of his books so I need to pick one up soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Mothers is in my tbr pile. Good reviews for that one. Happy reading.

    ReplyDelete
  4. As Brave As You sounds like a really good read.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I haven't read any of these, but they do look great!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, nice haul! Getting all the diverse books really sounds good and these titles look interesting. I hope you enjoy all of your new books :) Have a lovely weekend!

    My STS: http://flippingthruthepages.com/2018/02/stacking-shelves-18-time-big-haul/

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ooh I'm really curious about How it Went Down. I hadn't heard of that one, but it sounds timely and really intriguing! Thanks for sharing.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
  8. I haven't heard of any of these books, but they sound interesting! I hope you enjoy them all!

    Here’s my Stacking the Shelves!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

    ReplyDelete
  9. I own Mongrels but haven't heard of How It Went Down. I simply need to check that one out. Hope you love them!

    ReplyDelete
  10. As I haven't read any of these, I believe they are pretty diverse and I hope you enjoy each one!!
    http://justmeandmyblogreviews.blogspot.com/2018/02/stacking-shelves.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have not read any of these, but have heard of 'How It Went Down' and will probably get it at some point. I find myself drawn to those stories and am not sure why. I think the biggest reasons is that the majority of my students are African-American males in 3rd-5th grade and diagnosed with emotional disturbances; my biggest wish is to learn from all the fiction and non-fiction titles in how to save them from becoming a headline. My biggest fear, then, is not being able to do so.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I haven't read these (shame on me!) but I do love Jason Reynolds books and I've read 3 of his recently and they're so different and so good and I just?!? I want to read them all!! Long Way Down was particularly heartbreaking.😭😭

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've seen The Mothers' cover, but the rest are new to me. I hope you love all your new reads!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I haven't read any of these, I think I would enjoy the Mothers. Enjoy all your new reads!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have not read any of these. Do sound interersting.

    Happy Reading
    JoLee
    Mine

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sorry, none of them are my kind of thing! Hope you enjoy them though!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love that you are so mindful of your reading choices. Most are new to me but How It Went Down was riveting and As Brave As You was quite lovely. Thanks for stopping by my stack.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  18. I like the cover of "As brave as you" though I never heard of the author or the book itself. Happy reading and thanks for visiting my blog.

    Best wishes
    Vi @Inkvotary

    ReplyDelete
  19. These books look awesome, although I haven't seen them before. The last one about the bully sounds like something I'd like to read.

    ReplyDelete
  20. It seem like a great haul, and the cover of Pull Me Under is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I haven't read any of these books, but I plan on reading everything Jason Reynolds publishes. I've read Long Way Down, Patina, and Ghost so far.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great haul! I really want to read How It Went Down! I hope you'll enjoy it! Looking forward to hearing what you thought about it! Have a wonderful week!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I need to diversify my shelves too. My last haul helped, but I own a lot of books with straight white characters. Hope you enjoy your new reads.

    Thanks for visiting Shell's Stories!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I read (and loved) The Mothers. Thanks for sharing some great titles that I will explore.

    Enjoy your week, and thanks for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Good haul! I like the premise of How It Went Down. It sounds like ripped from the headlines about Trayvon Martin, who wore a hoodie in a FL neighborhood and was shot and killed by a white man. I'm interested in a Jason Reynolds book sometime soon. I hear his stories are relevant and well-written. thanks for sharing these

    ReplyDelete
  26. I've got Mongrels on my TBR. It looks fantastic.

    ReplyDelete