Reading with Color, Year 3
2019 was my third year of reading color-consciously (see: 2017, 2018). Once again I used the simple goal of reading at least 1 book a month by an author of color, letting “author” also represent: illustrator, co-writer, translator, what have you.
Previous years by the numbers:
- 2017: 56.7% (17/30) authors of color; of all POC, 59% Asian authors
- 2018: 46.7% (14/30) authors of color; of all POC, 57% Asian authors
How did I stack up in 2019? I read roughly 42 unique authors, and of those:
- 45.2% (18/42) authors of color; of all POC, 36.8% Asian authors
😬 Welp. On one hand — I’m expanding beyond Asia, and I read more POC authors, numbers-wise. Another positive: I made a conscious effort to address the blindspots from my 2018 challenge (no native authors, minimal LGBTQ+ representation) and I think I mostly succeeded.
(Shoutout to my talented coworker & friend Sunny Ôchumuk who helped by being a badass and getting published in various comic anthologies I happily added to my library: Shout Out, Heartwood, and Dates!, to name a few.)
But as always, I want to do better. So, in light of my not infrequent reading slumps and that scripts are reliable one-day reads, I’m revising my ongoing monthly goal to 1 book and 1 script by POC per month. Let’s go 2020!
Looking Back: My 2019 Favorites
The Fairy Stepmother Inc, Maggie Hoyt
Paraphrased from my Goodreads review:
My one and only Inkshares (to date) because Maggie Hoyt wrote such sparkling and delightful four chapters I knew I had to read the rest. The characters are delightful, the hints to fairytale canon hilarious and sharp, and I could honestly read about Evelyn Radcliffe’s adventures forever. I have some minor quibbles, but I loved the journey the characters went on and the breezy, witty, incisive voice that took them there.
An American Marriage, Tayari Jones
Ah yes, my 2019 entry for tough stories about being black in America. A modern relationship drama, heartbreaking romance, and sharp examination of the burdens of being a black man and a black woman and a black couple in an unceasingly racist country that never forgives them for it. Jones’s prose, too, is gorgeous.
Afterlife with Archie, Vol. 1, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Francesco Francavilla & Jack Morelli
I have a soft spot for Archie and his Riverdale gang from my childhood — not enough to check out Aguirre-Sacasa’s CW reboot, alas, but enough to highly appreciate this spookily drawn horror remix of some beloved characters. A dash of supernatural, a splash of Walking Dead level zombie theatrics, and a great freakin’ read.
Also, shout out to my friend Brian for lending me this and further recommending DIE and Parable of the Sower, seen later on the list.
Shout Out, ed. Andrew Wheeler, Joamette Gil & B.C. Holmes
Props again to Sunny!! All eighteen individual comic stories were delightful, diverse, beautifully illustrated, and wonderfully warm. But of course I especially enjoyed Sunny’s contribution of “The Fisher and the Jeweler,” a queer historical romance with a wampum protagonist that highlights the culture.
Die, Vol. 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker, Kieron Gillen & Stephanie Hans
I don’t think I’ve been in this in love with a trade’s art since my first Saga. But even without Hans’s deft and expansive world-building and character details, Kieron Gillen’s “goth Jumanji meets D&D” story is a beautiful horror that I can’t wait to keep reading when Vol. 2: Split the Party drops. (Trying not to think about what it says about me that the Dictator is my favorite class…)
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, Kelly Harms
Stolen from my Goodread review:
In Amy Byler, Kelly Harms has created the best kind of heroine for those of us who love to read: well-read, smart in her analysis and criticisms, but not pretentiously so, in possession of a good heart, for all her flaws. Daniel is a swoon-worthy love interest, and I love that he is explicitly black AND Asian. Is this genre-busting, or unpredictable? No. But I think giving equal space to romance and motherhood, to friendship and learning to be alone — and recognizing that the world is not overwhelmingly white! — were great joys for me to read.
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, ed. Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman
Paraphrased from my Goodread review:
Naturally, with anthologies, the stories vary in quality, but the ones I liked were lovely and exciting, and it was honestly just such a gift to read all this Asian (and not just East Asian!) mythology I’d never really known before. My main criticism is that the focus was maybe too prominently on romance for my tastes, and I didn’t love that many stories used the trope of “good peasant boy earns/wins love of otherworldly goddess.” But overall, a great anthology! Give me more non-western mythology all day pls.
Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler
Paraphrased from my Goodread review:
This is not an easy book to read. Not because of the prose but because of what happens — like a lot of chilling dystopic fiction, there are elements of Octavia Butler’s future Earth that hit close to home in 2019. But there is so much hope, and warmth, nestled within the darkness — I’m paraphrasing but there’s a line about how you can always find the good of someone in the love of their child, and I think it speaks to Butler’s hope for the future, and future generations.
Much Ado About Mean Girls, Ian Doescher
What if Mean Girls, but Shakespeare? Ian Doescher’s an old pro at this game, but honestly what he does with Tina Fey’s ever sharp and incisive work is pure A R T. “Your mom’s chest hair!” was a great pithy line, but dare I say, Doescher elevated it into a beautifully derisive monologue?? I laughed so much and so hard reading this. A+++
Cambodian Rock Band, Lauren Yee
My biggest regret of 2019 may be failing to see this show’s when it was at a theater near me. I hope I have the opportunity to see it soon, because even just reading it was an amazing narrative and emotional experience. It doesn’t shy away from the devastating horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, but it is also achingly warm and funny and beautiful at parts, too. Plus, the music are all bangers. I can only dream to write theater as beautifully as Lauren Yee.
Honorable Mentions
- One of Us is Lying, Karen M. McManus: Read in a day. An absorbing YA mystery, a surprisingly sophisticated character study. Imperfect, but fun. And I just learned the sequel’s out soon!!!
- In the Woods, Tana French: My second foray into the Dublin Murder Squad. The Likeness rocked me in 2017, its prequel is equally if not more devastating. The ending is purposefully dissatisfying, which I understood alienated a lot of readers, but for me felt like a bold choice and the right one.
- What If It’s Us, Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera: Teen me would have LOVED this book, but adult me still found it sweet and delightful. Certain things are heavy-handed, but both characters are fascinating and flawed in ways that many YA protagonists aren’t allowed to be, and their young romance is treated with the right touch of tender care.
- The Terrible, Yrsa Daley-Ward: A tough read for its content — heartbreaking and devastating and at times horrifying to read. But Daley-Ward’s poetry is beautiful and lyrical, and her self-assessments walk the tough line between romantically nostalgic and unflinchingly incisive in a way that most writers could never pull off.
- More Than Enough, Elaine Welteroth: One day read! Partially because I was racing to meet my reading goals (lol) but mostly because Elaine’s voice is an easy and absorbing read. An honest memoir dissecting herself, her past, and the fast-evolving (and unfortunately likely dying) media landscape. An important document for why representation behind the scenes matters just as much (if not more) than the faces we see on page and screen.
Favorite Covers of 2019
Sourced from both the NPR Book Concierge and just covers I noticed throughout the year. Things that drew my eye in 2019 were striking unique typefaces and/or savvy or indelible visuals.
- Rosewater, Tade Thompson
- Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death, Caitlin Doughty
- Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo
- When You Ask Me Where I’m Going, Jasmin Kaur
- Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino
- Serpent & Dove, Shelby Mahurin
- Magic For Liars, Sarah Gailey
- Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead, Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
- Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide To Better, More Relaxed Parenting, From Birth To Preschool, Emily Oster
- Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, The World’s Greatest Rodeo, And A Hidden History Of The American West, David Wolman and Julian Smith
- Ayesha At Last, Uzma Jalaluddin
- Wilder Girls, Rory Power
- We Cast A Shadow, Maurice Carlos Ruffin
- Quichotte, Salman Rushdie
- A Spectral Hue, Craig Laurance Gidney
- One Day: The Extraordinary Story Of An Ordinary 24 Hours In America, Gene Weingarten
Thanks for sticking thru my loquacious AF 2019 recap. Feel free to share your own faves & recommendations!
