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Showing posts with label Natasha Diaz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natasha Diaz. Show all posts
Monday, December 23, 2019
Color Me In Authentic, But Has Issues
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Although she's the daughter of a Black mom and a white, Jewish dad, 15-year-old Navaeh Levitz has never had to think much about her mixed ethnicity. With her light skin, she can "pass" as white, blending in well enough in the affluent New York City suburb where she lives. As far as her Jewish roots, her father is not religious and has never pressed the family to attend synagogue. All that changes when her dad's affair leads her parents to a bitter divorce.
When Navaeh and her mom move to Harlem to live with Navaeh's grandparents, she experiences some major culture shock. Not only is she dealing with her mom's severe depression, but she also has to listen to her cousins mock her for not being Black enough to understand the prejudice they deal with every day because of their darker skin. As if that's not enough, Navaeh's father decides out of the blue that she needs to have a bat mitzvah. He sics a rabbi on her tail to help her cram for the big event that Navaeh doesn't even want to have. Stuck in the middle, Navaeh has to decide who she really is, where she fits in, and how to make the various pieces that define her come together to create a harmonious whole. A tall order, even when you're not dealing with warring parents, in-your-face cousins, a dogged rabbi, and all the heavy emotions that come with falling in love for the first time. What's a stressed-out, confused girl to do?
As the adoptive mother of a bi-racial daughter, I'm always interested in books like Color Me In, a debut YA novel by Natasha Diaz. Racial identity, racism, and finding one's own voice, are themes I'm fascinated by, so this story sounded like it was right up my alley. Navaeh's search for herself is by far the best part of Color Me In, especially because Diaz is a mixed-race woman who's no doubt struggled with the same questions Navaeh does. It lends Navaeh's fictional experiences credibility and authenticity. Unfortunately, our heroine does not really have a concrete story goal to drive the plot of Color Me In, leading the novel to feel overwritten and way too long. It meanders here, there, and everywhere, touching on lots of different issues, some of which are explored in the story and some that aren't. Add to that cliché characters, tired stereotypes, and a main character who's whiny, self-centered, and victim-y, and yeah, this debut has some issues. While I didn't end up loving this novel, I do think Diaz writes well; I'll keep an eye out for whatever she does next.
(Readalikes: I've seen Color Me In compared to Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo several times, although I haven't read Poet X. The book does remind me of the following novels I have read: SLAY by Brittney Morris, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow, The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods, and Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker.)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, nudity, and depictions of underage drinking/partying and illegal drug use
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Top Ten Tuesday: FALLing for New Books
2:05 PM
A lot of fun Top Ten Tuesday topics come up during any given year, but my hands-down favorites are the seasonal reading prompts. It's always fun to think about what I want to read in the upcoming months and it's even more enjoyable to see what books other bloggers are excited about. The more the merrier, guys, so why don't you join in the fun? All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few guidelines, make your own list, and then sit back and enjoy wandering around the book blogosphere checking out other people's posts. Warning: keep Goodreads open because you'll be adding a lot of great-sounding reads to your "I Need to Read it NOW" list.
I'm thrilled to have been selected as a YA fiction judge for the first round of The Cybils Awards. I've never done this before, so I'm not exactly sure what it entails besides reading a lot of teen novels! I assume that's what I'll be doing for most of the Fall, but since nominations don't open until November 1st, I don't have any specific titles to share. In the meantime, then, here are the Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR List:
YA/Middle Grade
1. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (coming October 1, 2019)—I love Sepetys' historical fiction, so I've been eagerly waiting for this one to come out. It's a love story set in Madrid after the country's Civil War. I can't wait!
2. Slay by Brittney Morris (out today, September 24, 2019)—When a conflict inside the Black Panther-inspired video game she secretly designed causes the death of a player, 17-year-old Kiera Johnson is thrust into a real-life battle that threatens the safe world she thought she had created for herself and other Black gamers. Billed as Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give, this YA novel sounds intriguing and timely.
3. The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty (out now)—As the granddaughter of a doomsday prepper, Eleanor knows she will survive the apocalypse just fine. But what about her BFF, Mack? Before she knows what's happening, Eleanor has become the president of an End of the World club at her school. No matter what happens with the approaching apocalypse, her life is definitely changing. This MG offering sounds fun. Count me in, for sure!
4. Color Me In by Natasha Diaz (out now)—I've always been intrigued by stories about struggles with racial identity, even before my husband and I adopted our bi-racial daughter ten years ago. Now I'm especially drawn to them and this YA novel, about a bi-racial teen finding her way around her Black and Jewish roots, sounds exceptional.
5. The Grey Sisters by Jo Treggiari (out today, September 24, 2019)—A trio of friends head to the mountains to visit the site of the plane crash that took their siblings' lives in order to find closure. While they search for answers, they meet a mountain dweller searching for help. Their meeting will change all of their lives. I love a good survival tale; The Grey Sisters sounds like that and more.
Adult
6. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes (out October 8, 2019)—This historical novel, about an Englishwoman living in small-town Kentucky during the Depression who decides to become a book deliverer for Eleanor Roosevelt's traveling library campaign, sounds compelling.
7. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (out today, September 24, 2019)—This sweeping rags-to-riches family drama sounds like one I will really enjoy.
Of course, I can't make a TTT list without including a few mystery/thrillers:
8. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (out November 5, 2019)—On the day she turns 25, Libby Jones finds out not just who her biological parents are, but also that she has inherited their posh home in London. She soon discovers that the house has a dark, haunting history ... I love a ghostly story, especially around Halloween time. This one sounds like it will fit the bill perfectly!
9. One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski (out October 1, 2019)—When a woman is offered a house-sitting gig at a luxurious beach home, she jumps at the chance. The more she learns about a 30-year-old mystery connected to the home, the more intrigued she becomes ... Another creepy house story - yaaassss! I want them all!
10. Before the Devil Fell by Neil Olson (out October 8, 2019)—This is another novel that sounds like a great spine-tingling Halloween read. It concerns a man who returns to the hometown he fled in the wake of disturbing rumors about his mother and her "coven." His assumption that his mother's interest in witchcraft was just a passing hippie phase is dissolved as he finds disturbing clues in his family history that hint at a much lengthier association with New England witchcraft.
There you have it, ten books I'm looking forward to reading this Fall. How about you? What's on your list? I'd truly love to know. Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.
Happy TTT!
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