Broaden your bookshelf
Not surprisingly, I've been thinking a lot about the power of stories lately.
Stories can be used to either uphold systemic racism, racial violence, and white supremacy — or they can be used to dismantle them. We need to choose the latter.
As DeRay Mckesson wrote in his book On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope, “When falsehoods become accepted thought, there are real consequences for how we understand the world. We have a responsibility, and daily make a choice, to unpack and challenge the ideas that are carried in stories, to refine and inspect our language, and to correct false narratives despite the cost or discomfort.”
With this in mind, we need to think critically about our stories. The stories we've come to know and believe, but also, the stories we choose to consume. What stories make up our bookshelves, media, and conversations? And what stories are absent from those spaces?
Diversity of stories is important for us as humans, and as storytellers. We need diversity of stories to fight oppression, do better work, connect more effectively with each other, and ultimately to improve our world.
Readers of this blog come from all over the globe, so I won't presume to know your personal experience. But for some readers this is especially important. For example, if you're a non-Black reader, this means reading Black voices. If you're a cisgender person, this means reading trans and non-binary voices. And, because identities intersect, it means reading Black trans voices! You get the idea.
(And don't get me wrong: the work doesn't ending with reading stuff. Books are one tool in the toolbox.)
With that said, I’ve pulled together some reading sources. I’ve included both fiction and non-fiction on this list, as I believe both are valuable.
Final suggestion: Please purchase books from a local bookstore, or use your local library, if at all possible. Where you get your books from matters too.
Reading lists worth checking out:
The 2020 Lamda Literary finalists:
www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/current-finalists
Amnesty International Book Club bookshelf: www.amnestybookclub.ca/?post_type=book
The Strand bookstore Pride reading list: www.strandbooks.com/metaList/pride
25 Books by Contemporary Black Authors (Penguin Random House): www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/books-by-contemporary-black-authors
Goodreads ‘Decolonize Your Bookshelf’ shelf: www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/decolonize-your-bookshelf
31 Queer books with happy endings (largely YA): bookriot.com/2020/06/01/31-queer-books-with-happy-endings
The CBC Books spring reading list: www.cbc.ca/books/the-cbc-books-spring-reading-list-40-great-books-to-read-this-season-1.5526744
2020 New Releases by Indigenous authors: https://ravenreads.org/blogs/news/2020-new-releases-by-indigenous-authors
An Antiracist reading list: www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/books/review/antiracist-reading-list-ibram-x-kendi.html
Antiracism resources (A document compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker & Alyssa Klein): bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES
Reading challenges (to help you expand beyond your usual go-to authors and styles):
The Fold (Festival of Literary Diversity) reading challenge: thefoldcanada.org/webinars-activities/the-reading-challenge
Toronto public library “read widely” challenge: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/content/reading-challenge/pdfs/reading-challenge-2020.pdf
Book recommendations for kids:
Here Wee Read: hereweeread.com
The Conscious Kid: www.theconsciouskid.org
A Mighty Girl: www.amightygirl.com/book-club-reading-list
Literary subscription boxes:
Raven Reads (Indigenous reads and items; Canada only; options for kids and adults): ravenreads.org
Our Shelves (Diverse book boxes for kids; US only): www.ourshelves.com
Never forget your story matters. Let’s use our stories for good.