Women of color have created so many great things, yet get such little attention. Let’s change that. I’ll review anything, as long as it is by a woman of color!
By Women of Color – Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
My sister once asked me “How come there are no fantasy novels written by black people?” Of course, I’m sure there are plenty of fantasies written by black people, but we never actually heard about them. That is, until Children of Blood and Bone by Nigerian-American Tomi Adeyemi came along.
I had to read this book for school, but I finished it waaaaaaay before the semester even started. It’s magical and intense and I was always anticipating what was going to happen next. Needless to say, I loved it.
By Women of Color – Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
I started reading Everything, Everything by Jamaican-American Nicola Yoon on a whim one night at midnight. I had only meant to read for a couple of minutes or just finish a chapter. Instead, I ended up finishing the book by dawn. It was so beautifully done and well-crafted and, I admit, I cried. A lot. Needless to say, this book is pretty high up in my love department.
By Women of Color – The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
I remember when I had $100 worth of books in my arms at the bookstore. The problem was, I didn’t have $100. I ended up having to put most back and only buying two. I had such a hard time deciding which books I should get, but I knew one of them had to be The Bone Witch by a Filipino woman, Rin Chupeco.
By Women of Color – God Don’t Like Ugly by Mary Monroe
When I was young (about seven or eight), I slipped a book off of my mom’s bookshelf and opened to a random page. My mom came into the room not ten seconds later, scolded me, and put the book back. Understandable, ’cause God Don’t Like Ugly by black-American Mary Monroe is not a book for seven/eight-year-olds.
Ever since I was fascinated with the book and was waiting for my chance to read it. I finally got that chance this year while helping my mom sort her bookshelf. I came across it, read the first chapter, and my mom let me borrow it so I can read the rest.
Guys, spoiler alert, but it was pretty good. At least, as good as seven/eight-year-old me hyped it up to be.
By Women of Color – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give is a book by a black American woman named Angie Thomas, discussing the sensitive topics of race relations and police brutality. Though this is her first novel, Thomas is able to write like a classic author by expertly mixing current politics and entertainment. I wouldn’t be surprised if high schoolers started studying from this book in the future!
By Women of Color – I Sit and Sew by Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson
I Sit And Sew is a poem written by African American writer, Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson (1875–1935). It is about a woman who despises sitting and sewing while the men are out fighting a war.
I fell in love with this poem the moment I read it. It holds so much power and meaning of gender roles in just a few wonderfully written stanzas.
In case you don’t know, Alice was a feminist, often writing about and advocating for women’s rights. She wanted to be a journalist, but, since it was a male-dominated field, she struggled. She often expressed her feelings through writing.