Our Shared Shelf discussion

This seems a great place to ask for suggestions for adult fiction where the main character is black or a person of colour (non white, non Caucasian).

There seems to be a great lack of adult fiction in this category. Please add any title you've read to this list.

I'd like to carry out an impromptu survey of the state of the market and also create a resource list for this group.
Thanks!

The first that comes to mind is of course The Colour Purple, which this group has already read. Very powerful book!

Second I'd recommend basically every book by Toni Morrison. I've read most of them, the one I liked best being Sula, but they are all powerful and leave an impression.

I realize that these are the best known examples already and won't be unknown to most people. I'm looking forward to other recommendations!

Octavia Butler's protagonists are always black women, at least the books I've read: Xenogenesis series, Patternmaster series, Fledgling.

Zora neale hurston, their eyes were watching god. Tiphanie yanique's the land of love and drowning. These are both good books by and about people of color.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
Sandi, my personal favourite from Toni Morrison was The Bluest Eye

There are a lot of listopias on this site with books where the authors or main characters are WOC or POC. I don't know if there are any with a feminist angle though.

Hello Paula,
Yes, I did a search on the site. The only thing is that the lists I found, whilst saying they were for adult fiction, contained mostly YA titles.
Also, I wanted to highlight the feminist angle.

The Joy Luck Club. Contemporary fiction. Most of the main characters are Chinese. And other works by this author.
Dawn Science fiction. Main character is black. And other works by this author.
Casanegra Mystery. Main character black. Also other works by Tananrive Due who wrote this one with the actor Blair Underwood.
The House of the Spirits and subsequent works by Isabel Allende, characters are Hispanic people of various colors. Works are in the tradition of magical realism.
Americanah and anything else by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Contemporary fiction, main character is Nigerian.
Interpreter of Maladies or The Namesake or other works by Jhumpa Lahiri, contemporary fiction about immigrants to America from India struggling between the two cultures.

Well, there is always Otherland by Tad Williams - both main characters are African. (One is from Durban, South Africa and is black, not Afrikaans and the other is San)

It is science fiction, and quite excellent.

I think any novels by Zadie Smith are good. White Teeth, NW, and On Beauty.

N.K. Jemisin's fiction, which is fantasy/science fiction.
Nisi Shawl's wonderful short stories.
Brown Girl in the Ring and other Afro Carribean fantasy by Nalo Hopkinson

Thank you, Bunny, Jennifer and Alexandria.

Haha! Person of colour? Some of the protagonists in my fantasy series are blue! I suspect this is not the sort of colour you're looking for!

I know Idris Elba is playing Luther on screen, but 'The Calling' by Neil Cross is the first Luther novel and that's the only one that immediately springs to mind. I think they're supposed to be good. they're certainly highly rated!

I've read a few books by Octavia E. Butler, my favorite being Parable of the Sower. My version of that book had a black woman on the cover - representing the protagonist. I did have a problem when I read Dawn where I didn't realize the protagonist was black for a good portion of the book. The story is very sci-fi, so present day racial status does not come into play. I only figured it out when they described her hair. I realized this is a unconscious bias that I have - I assume characters in stories are white until I am told otherwise.

just wanna chime in and say that you could just make this novel with the title of "person of color" as blacks are include in that category

Someone already mentioned it, but Their Eyes Were Watching God is a great read.

I really enjoyed Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The main characters are two Nigerians.

Anja wrote: "I really enjoyed Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The main characters are two Nigerians."

I also enjoyed it very much.

sucre'd friend said "I just wanna chime in..."

Sure, I realise that (and I thought long and hard how to phrase my question) but I wanted to make sure it was crystal clear - not everyone is on the same page when it comes to terminology and we're from many languages and cultures in OSS...

best,
Ann

I second White Teeth

I came across an interesting article 'Why I read only 'non-white' books for 12 months' by
Sunili Govinnage, in the Guardian, April 2015
here's a link http://www.theguardian.com/commentisf...
Sunili lists the 25 novels she read which are by people of colour.

Thanks for your additions and comments on this list Taylor, Sareena, Anja, sucre'd fiend, Etta, Martyn

I came across an article about Marlon James that makes interesting reading.
Marlon James won the Man Booker Prize 2015.
(I've not read his book so I can't comment on the feminist angle and that's not why I'm highlighting this article.)

I'm posting the link to the article because it's an interesting and controversial one.

http://flavorwire.com/549393/marlon-j...

What are people's views on this?

Hello
I think "mighty be our power" of leymah Gbowee is a great book.
She is a Liberian woman who has created many groups : women of Liberia mass action for peace and women in peacebuilding netwok.
This book is her autobiography and takes place her action during the civil war and after.
She is an amazing woman.

Sorry for my english, i'm French.

The Colour Purple, Their Eyes Were Watching God, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Coloured People

Amy Tan has a ton with Chinese characters.

Louise Erdrich's books are excellent. She is of mixed white and Ojibwe heritage herself, and her main characters are also Ojibwe. I highly recommend Tracks , The Antelope Wife , and Love Medicine , all really amazing works of magical realism whose central characters are Ojibwe women.

Thank you for all these selections from new (to me) authors. You have opened up a whole new world! Now i get to read new and exciting books i probably never would have known about.

To keep all your wonderful recommendations in one place, with links, I've created a Bookshelf - Diversity, people of colour

here it is -
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

I'll keep it updated as books are added to this thread.

I just finished reading Green. It is a fantasy story about a dark-skinned girl who is sold to a foreigner and raised to be something like a courtesan. It starts out about her quest for freedom from this strange mixture of privilege and oppression, but it becomes much more. It touches on topics of human trafficking, race issues, women's issues, and economic issues. One of the things I really like is that the character's understanding of such issues changes as she grows up and discovers that things are much more complex than they seem.

Thank you, Etta, I shall add it to the list.

I came across an article today that some of you might find interesting.
A History of Black Female Detectives

"On his blog today, author Martin Hill Ortiz discusses black female detectives. This past month he set out to catch up on reading mysteries which feature black female detectives including those by Barbara Neely, Nora DeLoach, Susan Moody, Paula Woods ...,"
here is the link
http://martinhillortiz.blogspot.fr/20...

Half of a yellow sunHalf of a Yellow Sun. I really enjoyed it!!

I have to second bunny on both Isabel Allende and Amy Tan. Almost all of their books deal with the role of womenand both authors base their stories in the United States as well as Chile and China, respectively. I have also really enjoyed The Twentieth Wife, by Indu Sundaresan, and Anchee Min's works, Wild Ginger being my favorite. Some of their works are historical fiction, including The Twentieth Wife. I'm not sure if you're looking for contemporary time periods, or if historical fiction will work as well. I suppose you could also try China Achebe's Things Fall Apart. It isn't from a feminist perspective at all, but when I read it in high school we used it as a launching point to discuss the roles of women outside of the United States. Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees. I seem to remember the main character being Native American, but I could be wrong.

lets see...
there is shakespeares othello (othello is a moor aka black)
then maybe wuthering heights (heathcliffe is described as a gypsy and black and dark)
i am not sure if to kill a mockingbird counts as dill and scout arent black but there is calpurnia and the black community plays a major role

i find it slightly discomforting that i have difficulties thinking of a book with a non-white main character

Half of a Yellow Sun

has been added to the main list
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

thanks, Eva

I know it's not adult-targeted fiction but it's still very enjoyable read for adults and children alike. Laurence Yep wrote a trilogy that starts with "The Tiger's Apprentice" then goes to "Tiger's Blood" and then "Tiger Magic." Tiger's Apprentice series.

It stars a Chinese-American young boy who deals with the mythology come to life from China, and is written by a Chinese-American who did the research on his ancestors' mythology and history and whom also lived for most of his life in San Francisco, CA, USA where most of the book takes place. There are really no white people in there (even the girl who shows up later I don't see as being a white person at all but maybe that's just me.)

Highly recommend especially since so many fantasy and paranormal books are based on primarily British-European mythology. It's wonderful to see something based in China for instance. :D

The Tales of the Otori Trilogy

Lian Hearn has written a brilliant trilogy about Takeo Otori, a Japanese man trying to make his way in feudal Japan.

There is also a prequel and a sequel to the trilogy.

Chinua Achebe's works, especially Things Fall Apart and Anthills Of The Savannah.

All Octavia E. Butler's works, especially Dawn

Alice Walker Possessing the Secret of Joy

Courtney Milan wrote a really interesting piece here https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog... about racism in the publishing industry. If white people find it easier to get published then it's not all that surprising that people of colour are underrepresented.

I think someone else has already pointed it out but we tend to assume that characters are our own colour and it may well be that some of the books I've read had characters with ambiguous/undescribed race but I've assumed they were white. (I grew up in an area predominantly white- like 98%, so the vast majority of people I see are white, unless specified otherwise that is my default assumption) If you look at the harry potter books the only description of Hermione's skin is "Hermione was very brown" When they get back from Egypt, her hair is repeatedly described as dark brown and bushy but beyond that her appearance isn't really described. I'd always assumed she's white but there's nothing to indicate one way or the other really.

I tend not to remember ethnicity unless a big point is made of it or it's a really unusual story. These are a few I can remember;

Talk Sweetly to Me MC is a black female mathematician in Victorian England. (Historical Romance)

All You Need Is Kill MC is Japanese (Sci Fi)

The Emperor's Blades Characters are a wide range of races the main characters are Asian (I think) (Fantasy)

Book of a Thousand Days Mongolian (YA Fantasy)

Skinwalker MC is Cherokee (Paranormal)

Thanks for all the suggestions.
I've added them to the list.
Anyone have recommendations to add which have a specific feminist perspective?

Here is a link to the updated list.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Shirley Chisolm's autobiography Unbought and Unbossed

I really reccomend the memoir Talking to High Monks in the Snow.
Its about an asian american women and her struggle not only as a women, WOC but also as a second generation american (a child to immigrant parents) who struggles with that feeling of "otherness". overall a great book that's very toughing and poignant.

Oh, wow! What a terrific list everyone has put together. Many of my recommendations are simply confirmations those that have already been given. However, I do have a book or two to add that isn’t already listed (I believe). This is my very first post on Goodreads, ever, so if I can't get the book links to show up, I apologize.

FEMINIST OR FEMALE PERSPECTIVE

White Teeth So much happening in this book, it’s hard to summarize. It’s the story of two Bengali immigrants in London, and their best friends, a Londoner and his Jamaican wife. While not a feminist book per se, the females are the strongest characters.

How the García Girls Lost Their Accents This book spans thirty years in the lives of four Dominican sisters. The book explores the themes of the sisters’ otherness as Dominicans in the United States, and American girls in the Dominican Republic. In addition, each sister has ways that separates herself from the other sisters, or from the family, or from tradition. More otherness. It is written in reverse, in shifting perspectives.

The Thing Around Your Neck This is a female-centric short story collection, in Nigerian voices. (I hope that makes sense. I struggled with it.) Anything by Ms. Adichie is a solid bet.

POC PERSPECTIVE
Not Without Laughter A young black boy is raised in poverty in rural Kansas with his grandmother, mother, and aunts. It’s a story of class, race, and gender dynamics in rural Kansas in the (I think) late 1930s/early 1940s.

Between the World and Me Life-changing for me. An essay from a black man to his son attempting to explain the world he (the son) will have to navigate as a man. An amazing read. I have thought of this book every day since reading it. It has become a part of me. I have an increased sensitivity to many issues and situations due to this book. There is just so much I didn’t know, couldn’t understand.

Things Fall Apart This story is set in tribal Nigeria, just as colonialism is beginning to appear in his area. This novel explores traditional gender roles (in particular the alpha male) and dynamics within an archetypal patriarchy.

LaRose I just started reading this yesterday, so I can’t say whether this book tackles any deep social issues. So far it’s just a really good novel about two American Indian families. The author, who is American Indian herself, does an excellent job of describing customs, traditions, and items. It’s so easy to immerse myself in this book from page one.

Jace wrote: "I really reccomend the memoir Talking to High Monks in the Snow.
Its about an asian american women and her struggle not only as a women, WOC but also as a second generation american (a child to imm..."

"Talking...Snow" sounds amazing. I'm adding it to my to-read list!

hey everyone - thanks for all the great suggestions! This list is looking amazing and full of great reading ideas.

Just to let you know that where multiple books have been recommended by the same author (Louise Erdrich, Chinua Echebe, Adichie) I've generally added one book by each author (to keep the list manageable)

Since we've hardly any mystery, suspense, thrillers, I've also added
Good Girl Bad Girl
Kal is the second generation of her family born in the UK. Her grandmother, mother and Kal have all received death threats and the past is about to catch up with them...

Here's a link to the updated list of 36 fabulous books -
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

hi all,

For those of you who are interested, here's an article discussing the lack of black characters in contemporary books -

Dear Reader - Have you been White-Washed?
I’m a bookaholic. I love reading and I also like to spend time browsing and searching for my next good read. The trouble is, I’m faced with a very restricted choice... In fact, white characters are in such powerful dominance we probably haven’t even noticed...

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ann-g...

Binti and Akata Witchby Nnedi Okorafor. I think they are meant for young adults but I really recommend them, they are awesome science fiction.

The Ancillary series (Ancillary Justice) by Ann Leckie also has an awesome protagonist of color.

Also more young adult-like but still really good is the Mangoverse! series by Shira Glassman The Second Mango. It deals mostly with sexuality, in a way that is both fun and enlightening.

Summer of the Mariposas is also really nice. It has four latina girls as protagonists and it is a kind of Odyssey re-enactment.

I recommend "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates." This is a great true story about diversity, privilege, and how environment can shape our lives.

I was at globe last week to see Macbeth, half the solders where played by women and Macbeth was played by a black man. No one cared. It was life affirming actually.

Excellent rendition I recommend it.

I would suggest reading more authors of color; they will write more about POC. Just my opinion.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

I tend to read historical fiction. A Free Man of Color (Yes male bent) is a mystery series set in New Orleans. The others are all female centered.

Octavia E Butler is one of my favorite authors April, I always wanted to be a shapeshifter as a kid, which says a lot about me. Sorry for the personal sidebar everyone.

Thanks for all the new suggestions - I'll be adding the adult books to the group list.