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Quirky Brown Reading Challenge 2011

11/8/2010

5 Comments

 
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uncharacteristic, atypical, offbeat, quirky...
This challenge was inspired by a blog post on New Model Minority. The post talked about the hyper-marginalization of Black fiction and included a short but intriguing list of books. That list, or at least the authors on it, were begging to be part of a reading challenge. So, I bring you the Quirky Brown Reading Challenge. This challenge is more than about finishing a certain number of books, but about challenging the overly subscribed to depictions of the so-called “Black experience”. I hope participants also discover some of our lesser known contributions to American literature. 

Details:
This will not be a numbers heavy challenge as there will be a book selected to be read by challenge participants for a discussion around the halfway point (i.e. summer). Those who join the challenge before January 1, 2011 will be able to vote. The poll is in the sidebar. This challenge will run from January 1, 2011 until December 31, 2011. I'm supplying a list of authors and titles here but, these are merely suggestions. The only requirement is that they are Black authors depicting an offbeat Black experience. Feel free to leave recs in the comments of this post and I'll add them to the list.

Levels
I: 2 books
II: 3 books
III: 4 books
IV: 5+ books


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5 Comments
BrownGirl
12/19/2010 06:12:15 am


Carleen
Mon, 22 Nov 2010 1:12:50 pm
I'd add Orange Mint and Honey, 32 Candles, Substitute Me, A Taste of Honey, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Soul City, The Broke Diaries and Bitch is the New Black. :)


Evelyn N. Alfred
Tue, 23 Nov 2010 5:30:00 pm
I'd add Kindred, Fledgling, and Bloodchild. All of them are written by Octavia Butler.


Dusky Literati
Tue, 30 Nov 2010 8:04:03 am
Great challenge for the new year. Thanks for hosting.


Vasilly
Sun, 05 Dec 2010 11:58:23 am
What about Victor LaSalle's Big Machine?


Yasmin
Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:10:39 pm
I'd add the following books:
Mama Day by Gloria Naylor

Perfect Peace by Daniel Black (actually ANY of his books)

All books by Tananarive Due--The Living Blood, My Soul to Keep et al

Secret Lives of Babi Segi's Wives

Also like Substitute Me, 32 Candles, and a Taste of Honey.

Reply
Continual Knowledge
12/29/2010 01:33:37 am

Looking forward to this challenge. Going to make sure it's all new books that I read since some of the ones posted, I've already read.

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greytone link
1/15/2011 07:53:55 am

In order to put my personal reading list together I initially went looking for new works by some of my favorite authors. What a splendid surprise it was to find a new book I would definitely add to my list, and would wholeheartedly recommend to my book challenge compatriots. I find it interesting that this book was self-published by an on-demand publishing company named iUniverse. Their website and services (iUniverse.com) are available to any fledgling author, but I find it unsettling that some of our most talented and experienced authors must resort to these internet service companies in order to get their work published.

Mary Burnett Smith has previously published two other works, and the newest, The Grass Widow: A Novel, was released in October 2010. It is currently available simultaneously in electronically as an ebook, hardcover or paperback forms. Sight unseen, I plan to include this and highly recommend you consider adding it (or her other two novels) to your list.

I also plan to re-read one of my favorite novels by Toni Morrison. I know, most readers scream in terror and run for the hills whenever her name is mentioned, but I am certain some of this challenge group is willing to go there with me. I don't know why The Song of Solomon is seldom the book chosen when readers decide to read their first Morrison work, but it is my favorite because of its compelling storyline (the search for family) and I am convinced its non-complex narrative would make the transition to movie screen effortlessly.

I confess to being a little prejudiced about Song of Solomon because my love of this book afforded me the opportunity to be a participant in Oprah's second book club meeting with Toni as the guest author. Yes, I was one of four viewers selected when Oprah started the book club gatherings, and that dinner in Chicago is one of my favorite life memories. I haven't read the book since we had dinner (10+ years ago), but now I think its time. I hope to remember all the profound things Ms Morrison told us during that four-hour dinner, and am sure this reading experience will be colored with what I now know of her intention. If you choose to add Song of Solomon to your list for this Quirky Brown Challenge, our discussion couldn't help but be just as memorable.

Thanks to browngirl for hosting this challenge!

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Tichaona Chinyelu link
2/6/2011 09:28:29 am

I'd add The Gilda Stories/Bones and Ash by Jewelle Gomez.

Reply
Book Snob Wannabe link
8/7/2011 06:02:50 am

I chose level two at the beginning of the year and finally getting around to choosing the first book. I just finish Wild Seed by Octavia Butler.

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