“Of course, in SHINE, I was focused on the issue of post-9/11 discrimination against anyone who was perceived to be Arab, Muslim, or Middle Eastern, but that was an issue I was quite familiar with and had seen around. An issue I was not used to seeing, and that was utterly new to *me* was explored in ALL RIVERS FLOW TO THE SEA by Alison McGhee. It’s a lovely, heart-breakingly beautiful novel about the death of a sibling, a mother having to let go, and a family moving forward. It is definitely one of those “quieter” YAs, but one that has left a lasting, indelible imprint on me.”

–Neesha Meminger, SHINE, COCONUT MOON (McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, March ’09)

“THE OUTSIDERS was the first book I read that reflected my neighborhood. I couldn’t relate to fresh-scrubbed, fictional suburbias. It was such a relief to open a book and find the kids I knew. The ones who had to couch-surf to get away from abusive parents; the ones who knew if you had to shut off a utility, electricity was the one to keep. And that’s the world I chose for my first novel- always hoping that perhaps my book would be relief for someone else. There’s power in knowing you’re not alone.”

–Saundra Mitchell, SHADOWED SUMMER (Delacorte, February 2009)

“Prior to reading THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB series by Ann M. Martin, I had never heard of diabetes. In the third book, The Truth About Stacey, the main character struggles as she tries to both control and conceal her condition. In first-person narrative, she describes her treatment and her symptoms. She was often thirsty. Uh-oh. So was I! I momentarily wondered if I too had diabetes. I went to my mother and asked her. She told me I did not have diabetes. I was relieved. I drank some fruit juice.

I read more about diabetes in this book and checked out some fact-based articles about it. I had learned something new and developed a sympathy for those walking in Stacey’s shoes.

I devoured all of Ann M. Martin’s novels, including the single titles that were not related to her famous series. One such novel, WITH YOU AND WITHOUT YOU, detailed the illness and loss of a parent. The title is wholly accurate, as the story shows life for the family before and after the father gets ill, and how their lives change throughout the struggle and after he succumbs to the disease. As the Mouse said in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, “Mine is a long and a sad tale!” Yes, it was sad, but it made me feel for people I knew who had lost family members while also making me appreciate my family’s health and our close ties.”

–Little Willow, bookseller, writer, web designer

“…For me one of those books was ANNE FRANK: DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL. I don’t think it was about suddenly realizing the Holocaust was a terrible thing — I already knew that. But Anne was a real kid, and I felt like I knew her and lost a friend. That made the Holocaust become something more than a historical fact for me. It became immediate and real and horrifying.”

–Kurtis Scaletta, MUDVILLE (Knopf, February 2009)

“A SHELTER IN OUR CAR (Children’s Book Press, 2004) by Monica Gunning, illustrated by Elaine Pedlar, is such a powerful book. It takes you inside the life of a child named Zettie and her mother who live in their car and try to make do. As it explored Zettie’s fear and sadness, it made me think about the many homeless children who long for a safe place to live. The story ends on a hopeful note, but sadly, for too many kids there is no happy ending. I chose that book as the Thanksgiving selection for a girls book club I lead. So often, we take having a home for granted. But this book makes you remember to give thanks for every blessing and reach out to help those in need.”

–Kelly Starling Lyons, ONE MILLION MEN AND ME, (Just Us Books, 2007)

“Two current favorite children books: A COOL MOONLIGHT by Angela Johnson. I love this book for the magic and tenderness of it. What could have been a sad story instead is one about acceptance and joy. FEATHERS by Jacqueline Woodson. Love this for the perceptions of children, for their humanness. Children are not pure innocents. They are complex beings capable of greater understanding and insight than we give them credit for.”

–Susan, Color Online reviews and discourse on books, culture, and literacy of/for women writers of color

For more on children’s lit and issues, check out Susan’s Unofficial List of Great YA by or About Women of Color, Little Willow’s articles on gender bias, and her full article, Books That Opened Your Eyes.

What book changed your perspective, or get you thinking about something in a new or different way? Did it confirm beliefs or ideas that you’d already had? What made it effective? Did you take any action (large or small) as a result of reading the book? Share in the comments below.

Multicultural literature highlights the literary contributions that minority cultural groups have made. We might consider Lind Sue Park, Christopher Paul Curtis, or Pam Muñoz Ryan to name a few.

Does this mean then that only authors of particular cultural backgrounds are qualified to write about the African-American experience or the Mexican-American experience, for example? I don’t think so, as long as the cultural portrayal is accurate and devoid of stereotypes, including the depiction of language, traditions, etc.  

As teachers, librarians, writers, and parents we need to insist on such accuracy in addition to encouraging the exploration of cultures other than our own. By doing so, we help promote not only an understanding of other cultures, but a solid respect for those who have different backgrounds, in the classroom and beyond. 

Most importantly, we need to be mindful of children and young adults from various backgrounds who need to see true representations of their culture in contemporary books, where they feel a sense of pride and voice, where they can say, “This is about me.” or “I see myself in this book.”

And thankfully, in today’s literary environment we have access to a multitude of books written by talented authors from all sorts of cultural backgrounds who give us rich, varied stories.

AROUND OUR WAY ON NEIGHBORS' DAY by Tameka Fryer Brown

• Publication Season/Year: Fall, 2010
• Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
• Release Date: August 1, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-8109-8971-9

It’s a beautiful, cloudless summer day–perfect for the annual neighborhood celebration. Everything is running smoothly…until Momma burns the food!

AROUND OUR WAY ON NEIGHBORS’ DAY is a lyrical, rhyming picture book; a contemporary story about a young girl’s love for her close-knit, diverse community.

TORTILLA SUN By Jennifer Cervantes

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: Chronicle
• Release Date: May 05, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover):ISBN 9780811870153

To keep from taking over the site completely, I’ve included the first half of the survey here.  If you’d like to read the rest of the questions and responses, they are up on my site at www.NeeshaMeminger.com/funstuff.

Q.  What are some of the most recent books you’ve read for fun? Which ones did you like the most?

• Chitra:     Twilight – I enjoyed it the most.
• Ritu:         The Harry Potter series seem the most fun to me but I have not read any other recently.
• Pinku:     Daughters of the Moon books & Alex Rider books. I liked them both, they were really good.
• Nikhal:     I don’t read for fun. King Lear
• Touria:     The Tweneith Wife. I love creative stylistic novels. I also enjoy autobiographies.
• Kamil:     I liked Tomorrow Never Ends, The Jester, 4^th July, Memories of Midnight, Books by Sidney Shewlon and James Patterson
• H.S.:        2pac

Q.  What are some things that make you want to buy a book?

• Chitra: Storyline
• Ritu:    The description; horror and mystery books are my favorite
• Pinku: The story
• Nikhal: Music production
• Touria: The author
• Kamil:  Nice themes, real life experiences, more non fictional theme
• H.S.:     I don’t buy books.

Q.  So, what are things that make you put a book down?

• Chitra: If its just too serious or confusing
• Ritu: Too much detail
• Pinku: The author
• Nikhal: Title, cover
• Touria: When I cannot understand it
• Kamil: Hard to understand themes, book that deals with no major topic
• H.S.: The cover

Q.  How do you feel about blunt sex talk in books for teens?

• Chitra: I think it’s disgusting, more porn than literature
• Ritu: It’s good to be aware of everything.
• Pinku: I don’t mind.
• Nikhal: Not cool
• Touria: I feel comfortable
• Kamil: No probs
• H.S.: Its alright

Q. What about swear words?

• Chitra: Depends how much and where
• Ritu: It used in everyday lives
• Pinku: I don’t mind.
• Nikhal: Just not cool
• Touria: I feel comfortable as well
• Kamil: No probs…either…
• H.S.: Its all good

Q.  Do you have a favorite genre of books, i.e. fantasy/sci-fi (like Harry Potter, Golden Compass, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, etc.), romance, action/adventure, drama, comedy? What is it/are they?

• Chitra: Twilight series, romance/adventure
• Ritu: Harry Potter, horror, romance and mystery
• Pinku: Fantasy/sci-fi
• Nikhal: Not really but I liked goosebumps
• Touria: Autobiography, Shakespeare
• Kamil: I like mystery, adventure, thriller and romance
• H.S.: Romance, action

Q.  Do you feel that there is currently an accurate portrayal of South Asians in books, TV and the media? Why or why not?

• Chitra: Not really frequently
• Ritu: No. They show them poor and the show India filled with poverty
• Pinku: No, not really. They kind of just put them in there like a joke.
• Nikhal: Yes, they offer book and media advice
• Touria: Only at times. Novels are more accurate than the media because the media is more narrow minded and stereotypical
• Kamil: I do not think so because it only shows some cultures of many existing in South Asia
• H.S.: . . .

Q.  What kind of representation would you like to see of a South Asian teen? What qualities would s/he have?

• Chitra: Normal, like any other teenager
• Ritu: A smart, educated person because not all South Asians should be portrayed as poor, living in slums.
• Pinku: Strong, kind.
• Nikhal: Someone who is straight forward, nice and kind.
• Touria: South Asian teens (girls): youthful, independent, cultured
• Kamil: I like South Asian teen trying to cope in a white American society this quality would be confident, confused and questioning.
• H.S.: . . .

Q.  What kinds of issues do the South Asian teens in your life face that are not depicted on TV, in films, or in books? What would you like to see addressed?

• Chitra: Their family lives, rules, culture
• Ritu: Prejudism
• Pinku: Peer pressure, religion vs. society
• Nikhal: Racism, how South Asians are being blamed for 9/11
• Touria: Parent/sibling conflicts; peer pressure
• Kamil: I would like to see South Asians influenced by Western lifestyle and struggling to choose the right one.
• H.S.: family problems, relationships and etc.

Neesha Meminger is the author of SHINE, COCONUT MOON, her debut novel. For more information, visit her author page.

LEAVING GEE'S BEND by Irene Latha

• Publication Season/Year: Spring  2010
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
• Release Date: Jan 7, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover): TBD
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Every quilt tells a story.

When ten year old Ludelphia Bennett decides to make a quilt for her mama, she thinks it will tell the story of her quiet life in the isolated sharecropper community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. But when Mama gets deathly ill and rumors start flying about the “witches of Gee’s Bend,” life gets tangled and Ludelphia worries that it’s all her fault.

Determined to fix things, Ludelphia takes her needle and thread and leaves Gee’s Bend for the very first time. Her adventures take her across the river and into a world she could never have imagined — where there’s indoor plumbing and motorcars and white folks. As Ludelphia’s quilt grows, her understanding of the world grows too. But is it enough to save Mama?

At the heart of this story of survival and courage is the real-life 1932 raid on Gee’s Bend and the subsequent Red Cross rescue.

PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE

• Publication Season/Year: Summer 2009
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
• Release Date: June 11, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0399250439
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Twelve-year-old Paris Pan’s life is a mess. She’s just moved to a tiny town in Nowheresville, Oklahoma; her family life is a comical disaster; her new friends are more like frenemies; and the boy she has a crush on is a dork. Things couldn’t possibly get worse, until she discovers that a girl mysteriously died years ago while taking a seventh-grade rite of passage–the Dare– right near Paris’s new house. So when Paris starts hearing strange noises coming from the creepy run-down shed in her backyard, she thinks they could be a message from the ghost of a girl. But while she has no plans to make contact with the great beyond, her two new friends have other thoughts. Everyone who’s anyone takes the Dare, and now it’s Paris’s turn.

SHINE, COCONUT MOON

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
• Release Date: March 1, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-1416954958
• ISBN (paperback): 1416954953

Samar–a.k.a. Sam–is an Indian-American teenager whose mom has kept her away from her old-fashioned family.  It’s never bothered Sam, who is busy with school, friends, and a demanding boyfriend.  But things change after 9/11.  A guy in a turban shows up at Sam’s house–and turns out to be her uncle.  He wants to reconcile the family and teach Sam about her Sikh heritage.  Sam is eager, but when boys attack her uncle, chanting “Go back home, Osama!,” Sam realizes she could be in danger–and also discovers how dangerous ignorance is.

Kirkus Reviews: “This straightforward and ultimately reassuring novel reads like an older Sikh version of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and will fill a niche in any school or public library looking to beef up their YA multicultural fiction offerings.”

Publisher’s Weekly: “Debut novelist Meminger raises complex questions of identity, but avoids moralizing or spelling out answers for readers, who will likely be hooked as Samar takes a second look at her relationships with her boyfriend, friends and family, while seeking a better understanding of herself.”

School Library Journal: “Along the way, [the protagonist's] path to self-discovery is riddled with pain, racism, healing, love, and reconciliation. Meminger’s debut book is a beautiful and sensitive portrait of a young woman’s journey from self-absorbed naïveté to selfless, unified awareness.”

The Author: Neesha Meminger
Location: Riverdale, NY

Neesha Meminger was born in India, grew up in Canada, and currently lives in New York City with her family. All of her writing explores the inner landscape of her characters, and how it merges or conflicts with the outer. She writes stories of women and girls defining themselves and shaping their own destinies within the confines of their day to day realities.

Neesha has an undergraduate degree in Media Arts from Ryerson University in Toronto, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the New School for Social Research in New York City.  Her favorite things ever are: Spring and Autumn in the north; a steaming mug of sweet, organic soy latte first thing in the morning; and listening to the orchestra of birds in the morning after dropping her daughter off at school.

EIGHTH GRADE SUPERZERO by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
• Release Date: January 1, 2010
• ISBN: 0-545-09676-6

Reginald Garvey McKnight created a superhero character in kindergarten; now he dreams of being a real-life leading man: The Guy who’s got game and gets The Girl. Instead, he threw up on the first day of school. In front of everyone. Eighth grade has gone downhill ever since.

In EIGHTH GRADE SUPERZERO, Reggie wonders why things are so bad if God is so good; his faith at all levels is challenged by his friendships, his work at a homeless shelter, and a pair of “Dora The Explorer” shoes. Reggie’s involvement in a school election leads him to the superhero within; he learns that sometimes winning big means living small.