2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Kristin wrote: "for this challenge, we do not have a requirement that you must complete 20 distinct tasks, so if you feel especially interested or drawn to read the stories of one or a few specific marginalized groups, you are welcome to read multiple books in that category."

Thank you for your response, Kristin.
I asked because several prompts have led me to multiple Great Books whereas a few prompts haven't turned up any deeply intriguing books (no doubt due to my unfamiliarity with the theme/region).
Nevertheless, I've uncovered many appealing books and will definitely be meeting my book-based challenge goal!

First book down.
I read Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi for my gender nonconforming choice.

1/10

I will try for ten this year. Good luck everyone! :)

I am going to try for all 26.
(Some categories may have more than one book)

#OWNVOICES

1. African (Ghanian)- Homegoing-COMPLETED
2. Agnostic, Athiest, or Humanist-An Absolutely Remarkable Thing-COMPLETED
3. Asexual or Aromantic-The Bone People-COMPLETED
4. Asian-Girl in Translation-COMPLETED
5. Bisexual or Pansexual-Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation-COMPLETED
6. Black (e.g. African-American, Black British)-Brown Girl Dreaming-COMPLETED
7. Buddhist-Lincoln in the Bardo-COMPLETED
8. Christian-minority-The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom-COMPLETED
9. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf, Paraplegic)-The Kiss Quotient-COMPLETED
10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female-Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe-COMPLETED
11. Hindu-Girls Burn Brighter-COMPLETED
12. Immigrant -American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures-COMPLETED
*2nd generation-I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter-COMPLETED
13. Incarcerated or Institutionalized-The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row-COMPLETED
14. Indigenous (Native American)- There There-COMPLETED
15. Jewish-The Complete Maus-COMPLETED
16. Latin American (e.g., Mexican, Colombian-descent) -Fruit of the Drunken Tree-COMPLETED
17. Living with a Mental Health or Cognitive Disability-Girl, Interrupted-COMPLETED
18. Low-Income or Financially Insecure-Angela's Ashes-COMPLETED
19. Middle Eastern-The Map of Salt and Stars-COMPLETED

20. Mixed Race or Multi-racial-The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother-COMPLETED

21. Muslim-
A Place for Us-COMPLETED
*A Very Large Expanse of Sea-COMPLETED

22. Non-binary or Transgender-If I Was Your Girl-COMPLETED

23. Oceanic (e.g., Papuan, Samoan) -
Oceanic-COMPLETED
*On the Jellicoe Road-COMPLETED
24. Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality-Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows-COMPLETED
25. Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker -Salt Houses-COMPLETED
26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence-Speak-COMPLETED

* Denotes additional title completed in category

Completed 29/26
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!!

Updated 11/14/2019

I really love this challenge because I feel it is so important to expand our reading to include diverse viewpoints. Thank you, Kristin, for putting it together and all your work! I have been working on my list for a few days now so I can totally relate to people having a hard time with finding #ownvoices books. I did a search on Instagram and that pulled up a lot of ideas. I am going to be looking at other people's choices so I may change a few things over the year.


Also, I could not find a Christian (minority viewpoint) book, so hoping someone has some ideas.

I tried to keep my books to Young Adult titles just to keep it a little easier too.

Updated post 41-- differently abled

I'll aim for 10

0/26

1. African (e.g, Ghanian, Nigerian) - (view spoiler)
2. Agnostic, Athiest, or Humanist
3. Asexual or Aromantic
4. Asian (e.g., Hmong, Japanese) - (view spoiler)
5. Bisexual or Pansexual
6. Black (e.g. African-American, Black British)
7. Buddhist
8. Christian-minority (i.e., Christian in a country in which it is not the most common religion)
9. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf, Paraplegic)
10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female
11. Hindu
12. Immigrant
13. Incarcerated or Institutionalized
14. Indigenous (e.g., Aboriginal, Inuit, Mojave)
15. Jewish
16. Latin American (e.g., Mexican, Colombian-descent) - (view spoiler)
17. Living with a Mental Health or Cognitive Disability
18. Low-Income or Financially Insecure
19. Middle Eastern
20. Mixed Race or Multi-racial
21. Muslim
22. Non-binary or Transgender
23. Oceanic (e.g., Papuan, Samoan) - (view spoiler)
24. Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality
25. Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker
26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence

Sign me up for 10 please. I love challenges that encourage me to diversify my reading!

@Kristin

Another of my weird questions.
I'm planning to read Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica later this month.
Apparently, this is Nora Zeale Hurston's memoir as an anthropologist of participating in Voodoo practices as an initiate not an observer. Would this work as an own voices narrative for #24 (Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality), even though she herself is not of Caribbean descent?
Just wondering if it might fit for ).. If not, I will be reading it anyway. 😊

Edited to add: After more thought, I realize that the book is unsuitable for #24. Hurston is an initiate for academic research; she is not truly "of the faith."

@Betsy I have had Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place on my list for a while which is the story of a Dutch Christian helping to hide Jews during the Holocaust. Not sure if that really counts as a minority Christian voice, but I'm going to argue it - certainly in parts of Europe during the war, Nazism replaced Christianity as the culturally dominant ideology.

Betsy wrote: "I really love this challenge because I feel it is so important to expand our reading to include diverse viewpoints. Thank you, Kristin, for putting it together and all your work! I have been workin..."

@Betsy
There is Silence by the Japanese novelist Endo Shusaku, about the 17th c. persecution of Christians in Japan. The protagonist is a Portuguese Jesuit, if I remember correctly, but what he shares with the author is the Christian faith.
Not sure if that works for the #ownvoices prompt.

My goal is gonna be 10!

1/10 Tasks Complete

Read a book featuring a protagonist who identifies as _____ by an author who is also _____.

1. African (e.g, Ghanian, Nigerian)
2. Agnostic, Athiest, or Humanist
3. Asexual or Aromantic
4. Asian (e.g., Hmong, Japanese) - Battle Royale: The writer is Japanese and so are all of his characters
5. Bisexual or Pansexual
6. Black (e.g. African-American, Black British)
7. Buddhist
8. Christian-minority (i.e., Christian in a country in which it is not the most common religion)
9. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf, Paraplegic)
10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female
11. Hindu
12. Immigrant
13. Incarcerated or Institutionalized
14. Indigenous (e.g., Aboriginal, Inuit, Mojave)
15. Jewish
16. Latin American (e.g., Mexican, Colombian-descent) - (view spoiler)
17. Living with a Mental Health or Cognitive Disability
18. Low-Income or Financially Insecure
19. Middle Eastern
20. Mixed Race or Multi-racial
21. Muslim - Het huis van de moskee: Kader Abdolah was born in Iran and moved to the Netherlands in 1988 as a political refugee. He is muslim and this book is about a muslim family that lives next to a mosque
22. Non-binary or Transgender
23. Oceanic (e.g., Papuan, Samoan) - (view spoiler)
24. Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality
25. Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker
26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence

I’ll set my goal low with 6 for now. This is a wonderful challenge for the year!

I'm in love with this challenge! I will aim for 10.

3/10

Read a book featuring a protagonist who identifies as _____ by an author who is also _____.
1. African
2. Agnostic, Athiest, or Humanist
3. Asexual or Aromantic
4. Asian
5. Bisexual or Pansexual
6. Black - The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
7. Buddhist
8. Christian-minority
9. Differently-Abled
10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female - We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
11. Hindu
12. Immigrant
13. Incarcerated or Institutionalized
14. Indigenous
15. Jewish
16. Latin American
17. Living with a Mental Health or Cognitive Disability
18. Low-Income or Financially Insecure
19. Middle Eastern
20. Mixed Race or Multi-racial
21. Muslim
22. Non-binary or Transgender
23. Oceanic
24. Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality
25. Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker
26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence - Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

I'm in for 13 to start (hopefully I can expand to do all 26).
Completed 14/13

1. African (e.g, Ghanian, Nigerian)
2. Agnostic, Athiest, or Humanist
3. Asexual or Aromantic
4. Asian (e.g., Hmong, Japanese) - The Space Between Us read 1/10/19
5. Bisexual or Pansexual
6. Black (e.g. African-American, Black British) - Becoming read 2/20/19
7. Buddhist
8. Christian-minority (i.e., Christian in a country in which it is not the most common religion)
9. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf, Paraplegic) - Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8: A Young Man's Voice from the Silence of Autism read 1/29/19
10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female -When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir read 1/8/19
11. Hindu
12. Immigrant
13. Incarcerated or Institutionalized - Solitary read 5/26/19
14. Indigenous (e.g., Aboriginal, Inuit, Mojave) - There There read 2/3/19
15. Jewish - The Weight of Ink read 7/18/19
16. Latin American (e.g., Mexican, Colombian-descent)
17. Living with a Mental Health or Cognitive Disability - Lab Girl read 6/10/19
18. Low-Income or Financially Insecure - The Glass Castle read 4/11/19
19. Middle Eastern - Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books read 5/7/19
20. Mixed Race or Multi-racial
21. Muslim - I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban - read 5/15/19
22. Non-binary or Transgender - Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender and Identity read 8/2/19
23. Oceanic (e.g., Papuan, Samoan)
24. Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality
25. Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker - Call Me American: A Memoir read 3/11/19
26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence - Educated read 4/16/19

Thank you @Oshizu for your suggestion! I am definitely going to look into Silence. It sounds like it will qualify for Christian minority perspective.

AnnaG wrote: "@Betsy I have had Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place on my list for a while which is the story of a Dutch Christian helping to hide Jews during the Holocaust. Not sure if that really counts as a mi..."

Thank you @Anna! Corrie Ten Boom's autobiography is on my TBR list (and I already own it!). I completely agree with you, if a country is taken over by Nazis then Christians would certainly feel in the minority. I am probably going to include it as my choice for a Christian minority viewpoint.

I’d like to sign up for the whole list
1. African (e.g, Ghanian, Nigerian)
2. Agnostic, Athiest, or Humanist
3. Asexual or Aromantic
4. Asian (e.g., Hmong, Japanese)
5. Bisexual or Pansexual
6. Black (e.g. African-American, Black British)
7. Buddhist
8. Christian-minority (i.e., Christian in a country in which it is not the most common religion)
9. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf, Paraplegic)
10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female
11. Hindu
12. Immigrant
13. Incarcerated or Institutionalized
14. Indigenous (e.g., Aboriginal, Inuit, Mojave)
15. Jewish
16. Latin American (e.g., Mexican, Colombian-descent)
17. Living with a Mental Health or Cognitive Disability
18. Low-Income or Financially Insecure
19. Middle Eastern
20. Mixed Race or Multi-racial
21. Muslim
22. Non-binary or Transgender
23. Oceanic (e.g., Papuan, Samoan) -
24. Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality
25. Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker
26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence

#96 updated - 1/10
26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence - Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Such a wonderful novel that would've probably fit into other categories at well. It has a strong female cast with a wlw romance in an Asian inspired fantasy world, but after the Author's Note it was clear that at the heart it's about working through the trauma of sexual violence, women finding empowerment through their own strength and bonds with each other, and giving the readers space to reflect upon this difficult topic.

Betsy wrote: "I really love this challenge because I feel it is so important to expand our reading to include diverse viewpoints. Thank you, Kristin, for putting it together and all your work! I have been workin..."

@Betsy
I see that you've already chosen your book for the Christian minority prompt. Just wanted to let you know that, since I read Silence years ago (there's a Martin Scorsese film adaptation, too, if you're doing the A-Z: Stage Edition challenge), I'll be reading:

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

updated message 97
1/13 complete

Update msg 42

1/12

I'm going to take part! I would love to read all 26 but for now I'm setting a goal of 10.
4/10 Tasks Complete



Read a book featuring a protagonist who identifies as _____ by an author who is also _____.

1. African (e.g, Ghanian, Nigerian)
A. Eastern Africa
B. Central or Middle Africa
C. Northern Africa
D. Southern Africa
E. Western Africa

2. Agnostic, Athiest, or Humanist

3. Asexual or Aromantic

4. Asian (e.g., Hmong, Japanese)
A. Central Asia
B. Eastern Asia The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore (2nd gen)
C. Northern Asia
D. Southern Asia
E. Southeast Asia The Rainbow Troops: A Novel

5. Bisexual or Pansexual

6. Black (e.g. African-American, Black British)

7. Buddhist

8. Christian-minority (i.e., Christian in a country in which it is not the most common religion)

9. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf, Paraplegic)

10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female

11. Hindu

12. Immigrant

13. Incarcerated or Institutionalized

14. Indigenous (e.g., Aboriginal, Inuit, Mojave) Heart Berries

15. Jewish

16. Latin American (e.g., Mexican, Colombian-descent)
A. Mexico
B. Carribean Brother (2nd gen)
C. Central America
D. South America

17. Living with a Mental Health or Cognitive Disability

18. Low-Income or Financially Insecure

19. Middle Eastern

20. Mixed Race or Multi-racial

21. Muslim

22. Non-binary or Transgender

23. Oceanic (e.g., Papuan, Samoan)
A. Australasia
B. Melanesia
C. Micronesia
D. Polynesia

24. Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality

25. Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker Homes: A Refugee Story

26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence

Just completed #10 (gay male) - The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne. I really enjoyed Boyne's writing! There were some beautiful images he conveyed. Overall, I liked the story, but I found it hard to connect with the characters. I liked them more towards the end, but I just couldn't sink into the story as I wanted. The history it conveyed, however, was stark and important. I received this book as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest review. Definitely worth reading! 4 stars

1/20

Okay so I’ve finished Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay, The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo, Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar, and Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward.

That brings my updated total to 5/15

Updating message #4 to say I've read 2/26 books for this challenge so far.

I read a book last year that would be perfect for this challenge, and I gave it 5 stars-- it was such a compelling book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good "Own Voices" book:

The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State-- the author won a Nobel Prize for her work with refugees and victims of sex trafficking; good for Middle Eastern, Refugee/Asylum-seeker, or Survivor of Sexual Assault Prompts

Update to msg #7:

Progress:
3/20 books
3/26 tasks

Just completed #26 (survivor of domestic violence) - Educated by Tara Westover. I'm blown away by this book. Apart from Westover's beautiful writing and efforts to be as accurate as possible, the way she relates her history is unflinching. I definitely found a few parallels in her book that resonated deeply. Above all, I admire her greatly for being able to find her own mind and voice it so clearly. Definitely worth reading! 5 stars

2/20

Completed 1/6

1. Muslim - Saints and Misfits by S. K. Ali

Update Message 19:
Completed 3 :

[X] 2. Agnostic, Athiest, or Humanist: The Quiet American by Graham Greene-Humanist
[X] 6. Black: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
[X] 10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female: Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Updating Message 4 to say I've read 4/26 books for this challenge.

updated message 97
3/13 complete

If anyone is interested in gaining insight into what it is really like to be autistic, I recommend reading The Reason I Jump or Fall Down 7 Times Get up 8 by Naoki Higashida (translated to English by author David Mitchell). This young Japanese man is nonverbal but was able to write these incredible books giving us a glimpse into his mind (and potentially insight into minds of others like him).

Update: 3/10

4. Asian (e.g., Hmong, Japanese) - Killing Commendatore
9. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf, Paraplegic) - The Kiss Quotient
22. Non-binary or Transgender - Trans Like Me: A Journey for All of Us

Updating Msg. 56

2. Agnostic, Atheist, Humanist- The Shark God: Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in the South Pacific
11. Hindu- Arresting God in Kathmandu

2/26 Read

I’m up to 4 books complete, message 31.

Just completed #20 (multiracial) - The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty. I really wanted to love this book, and I do love the concept and what he was able to accomplish. I just cannot get over the writing. It was too verbose. 10 words were used when 4 would have sufficed, and concepts were repeated quite a lot. Editing would have helped streamline the thoughts and events. Overall, fascinating information, but the format was a barrier for getting the information for me. I received this book as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest opinion. 3 stars

3/20

Update msg 53

4. Asian/South - Separate Journeys: Short Stories by Contemporary Indian Women

I'm aiming for all 26!

1. African (e.g, Ghanian, Nigerian): Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2. Agnostic, Atheist, or Humanist
3. Asexual or Aromantic
✅ 4. Asian (e.g., Hmong, Japanese): Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
5. Bisexual or Pansexual
✅ 6. Black (e.g. African-American, Black British): Pride by Ibi Zoboi
7. Buddhist
8. Christian-minority (i.e., Christian in a country in which it is not the most common religion)
9. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf, Paraplegic)
✅ 10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female: Ash by Malinda Lo
11. Hindu
12. Immigrant
13. Incarcerated or Institutionalized
14. Indigenous (e.g., Aboriginal, Inuit, Mojave)
✅ 15. Jewish: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
✅ 16. Latin American (e.g., Mexican, Colombian-descent): Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
17. Living with a Mental Health or Cognitive Disability
18. Low-Income or Financially Insecure
19. Middle Eastern
✅ 20. Mixed Race or Multi-racial: Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
21. Muslim: Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
22. Non-binary or Transgender: If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
23. Oceanic (e.g., Papuan, Samoan): The Bone People by Keri Hulme
24. Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality
25. Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker
✅ 26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Completed: 7/26

Update for msg 60

7 down so far.

Finished The Mothers by Brit Bennett and In the Place of Justice by Wilbert Rideau

Updated post 41-- Gay Male

Update to message 19: 4/12

[X] 19. Middle Eastern: Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak.
As Turkey is Asia West, it is included here per the challenge rules.

Updating Message 4 to 5/26.

Update message 55
The Color Purple - African American

Update message 128: 4/26
Convenience Store Woman - Asian

updated message 97
5/13 complete

Update to message 39

7/26 completed

Update msg 42

2/12

Cheer Up Love: Adventures in Depression with the Crab of Hate

Hi all! I'm a bit late to join this challenge, but it's an area I've been interested in challenging myself toward. Sign me up for 10 books and we'll see what happens from there!

0/10 Tasks Complete

Read a book featuring a protagonist who identifies as _____ by an author who is also _____.

1. African (e.g, Ghanian, Nigerian) - (view spoiler)
2. Agnostic, Athiest, or Humanist
3. Asexual or Aromantic
4. Asian (e.g., Hmong, Japanese) - (view spoiler)
5. Bisexual or Pansexual
6. Black (e.g. African-American, Black British)
7. Buddhist
8. Christian-minority (i.e., Christian in a country in which it is not the most common religion)
9. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf, Paraplegic)
10. Gay Male or Lesbian Female
11. Hindu
12. Immigrant
13. Incarcerated or Institutionalized
14. Indigenous (e.g., Aboriginal, Inuit, Mojave)
15. Jewish
16. Latin American (e.g., Mexican, Colombian-descent) - (view spoiler)
17. Living with a Mental Health or Cognitive Disability
18. Low-Income or Financially Insecure
19. Middle Eastern
20. Mixed Race or Multi-racial
21. Muslim
22. Non-binary or Transgender
23. Oceanic (e.g., Papuan, Samoan) - (view spoiler)
24. Practitioner of a minor religion or another form of spirituality
25. Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker
26. Survivor of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence

Updating Message #4 to say I've read 5/26 books for this challenge.