Diversity Spotlight Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Aimal @ Bookshelves and Paperbacks. Every week, you come up with one book in each of three different categories:
– a diverse book you have read and enjoyed
– a diverse book on your TBR
– a diverse book that has not yet been released
You can check out Aimal’s announcement post for more information.
Don’t forget to leave a link to your own post in the comments and take some time to check out other people’s posts! 🙂
A diverse book I have read and enjoyed
Island Of The Blue Dolphins 
When we read this back in middle school, I loved it. The main character is a Native American girl – although this isn’t an #ownvoices author.
compelling quote:
“If Ulape and my father had come back and laughed, and all the other had come back and laughed, still I would have felt the same way, for animals and birds are like people, too, though they do no talk the same or do the same things. Without them the earth would be an unhappy place.”
A diverse book on my TBR
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Can anyone believe I haven’t read this yet? Because I can’t. I feel like this is a must-read for everyone. I need to catch up with my own standards.
compelling quote:
“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”
A diverse book that has not yet been released
Take Us To Your Chief by Drew Hayden Taylor 
I featured Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor in a previous Diversity Spotlight post and just found out by coincidence that he has a new novel coming out soon.
Expected publication: October 2016.
compelling description:
“Drawing inspiration from science fiction legends like Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury, Drew Hayden Taylor frames classic science-fiction tropes in an Aboriginal perspective.”
Especially with the recent discussion about the need for more diversity in literature, I think this is a brilliant meme. Let’s broaden our horizons together and read more diversely! If you participate in the meme, leave me a link to your post in the comments or just tell me about some diverse book you have read or want to read 🙂
#WeNeedDiverseBooks
A Blog Of One's Own 
Great post! I’m hoping to be organised enough to participate in this meme next week. Take us to your Chief sounds great.
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Yay! I hope you get around to it! It always makes me happy when more people join in on this 🙂
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Great list. I read I Know Why the Caged Birds sing earlier on this year. It is such a wonderful, Inspiring book. I haven’t read the other two books on your post so will check them out.
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I have heard so many fantastic things about Maya Angelou in general, I can’t wait to finally read her works. It’s embarrassing that I haven’t even read one of them yet. I’ll just go hide in the corner of shame until I get to it 😦
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Lol i should go into hiding too.I read my first one this year after she was gone.Better late than never though so don’t no worries 🙂
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I am really loving this meme. You’re post each week is fun and informative! Hoping to get on it next week too! 🙂
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Yay! I hope you get around to it 🙂 I’ll keep an eye out for your post! 🙂
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I love seeing different titles compared to the same old ACOTAR ones ;). Island Of The Blue Dolphins is one that’s on my list ever since I read a great review on it last year. And I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings a couple of years ago…it was like a punch in the gut really. I can still vividly picture some of the scenes in my head. So yes, you should totally read it! If not for the foreword by Oprah Winfrey alone 😉
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Haha, I know what you mean 😛
I’m kind of ashamed that I haven’t read it yet – or any other of Maya Angelou’s works 😦 I should go hide in a corner until I have changed that.
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For shame! 😉 Luckily, her books aren’t huge tomes. That I know of at least.
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For shame! 😉 Luckily, her books aren’t huge tomes. That I know of at least 😉
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Honestly never heard of any of these books! Which is great because that’s why this meme was created! Defiantly adding this to my want to read pile! They all sound so interesting! 🙂
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I know, I always find great new books to add to my pile on other people’s posts as well 🙂 It’s also why I love this meme, because there are so many great books that don’t get the attention they deserve and that I would probably have missed otherwise!
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That is so true! 😊
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I read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings in high school, it’s definitely a heavy topic, but a very good book. I hope you enjoy it!
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I am already fairly sure that I will 😛 I just need to get to it and I hope to do that sooner rather than later 🙂
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I’ve never read an Angelou book before, but I have to admit that I’m very intrigued by her and her fanbase. Also haven’t seen Take Us to Your Chief around but it sounds very interesting. Thanks for participating. ❤
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I think Drew Hayden Taylor isn’t that well known. I had to read another book by him for university, so that’s how I became conscious of his works. And then goodreads told me he had a new book coming out soon when I checked upcoming releases 😛
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Here is a fun fact: The Island of the Blue Dolphins is based on a true story! I elaborated it a bit on my review of it earlier this year (http://deathbytsundoku.com/wordpress/the-island-of-the-blue-dolphins/). I really love that book. It’s a great survival/adventure book for girls.
I’m also super excited to hear that you want to read your first Maya Angelou book. I can’t wait to read your eventual review. I know you’ll have wonderfully insightful things to say.
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See I don’t think I knew that, so thanks 😀 I will make a note to check out your review I currently don’t have access to my computer (or rather wifi) and I won’t be there the weekend, but if I don’t get wifi back today I promise I’ll do it on Tuesday 🙂
And awwww thank you ❤ that's such a nice thing to say 😥 😀
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Island of the Blue Dolphins was one of my favorite books in middle school! I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is also on my TBR. I actually picked up a copy during a thrift store excursion last month.
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I loved it when we read it in school as well! 🙂 and that’s great! 🙂
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I love this meme! It warms my heart to see it gain traction in the blogging community. Keep the posts coming!!
Island of the Dolphins sounds like a good book, but I’d like to read some reviews by Native reader/scholars before I decided to add it to my TBR.
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Me too! It’s a lovely meme 🙂 I’m really sorry I missed it this time but I wasn’t able to write and schedule my posts before and then sick in bed and basically slept for three days
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Did you know that Island of the Blue Dolphins is a true story? My mother loves it; she read it in high school and has seen where she is buried. I thought you might enjoy that tidbit…if you didn’t know.
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Jackie (Death by Tsundoku) actually told me that recently! I didn’t know that before though or at least I didn’t remember the fact 🙂 so thank you regardless! 🙂
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[…] zone as, like most of Western pop culture, my reading is rather whitewashed. Then, when I saw this post, I decided I had to participate, but alas Life got in the way as usual and I’m just now […]
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