Check Your Privilege // TBR + Discussion

Hey, guys,

As a 22-year-old white girl, I know that I could never experience the struggles and oppression that people of color face on a day-to-day basis. In the times that we are in, it would be completely obtuse to ignore my privilege and the advantage that my whiteness provides me. Like Forbes beautifully outlines in one of their many helpful articles, "racial injustice in 2020 isn't fundamentally a black problem, arguably it's a white problem." What's most disgusting of all, is that the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, & Ahmaud Arbery, is that they aren't shocking new news. For anyone, especially black people. It was just a "peek into their reality!"

At this point, it isn't the job of our black brothers, sisters, and siblings to educate their white friends, family, etc. If you can't use the technology at your fingertips to access the information that can be easily Googled, you're part of the problem. Open your damn eyes and get out of your damn white tower and look at the injustices that are pushed upon black individuals. Open your damn eyes. 

Before all of this, I thought I read diversely. It's already the halfway mark of the year and I've read about 70 books. Upon reflection, however, I saw that I really dropped the ball. I haven't been reading enough books by racially diverse authors. I've read books with diverse characters and sexualities, but how can I promote these practices through my social media if I'm not even implementing them properly in my own life? Our world is so large and so diverse, so I should manage to read that way too, right? 

(If you’re interested in the stats: 

• 3 by black authors

• 3 by Latinx authors

• 13 by east & west Asian authors)

This is my own call out. 

I KNOW can do better.

Reading books written by BIPOC & queer authors shouldn't be something that people actively seek out. They should be read anytime and frequently because they are valid stories and experiences and works of art. By expanding your reading to read other perspectives that are different from your own, you're doing yourself a service. As a community, we should stick up for and support diverse stories and their authors. We need to step up. 

So I went to my stacks on stacks of unread books. I haven’t counted how many unread books I have. I like to have a good selection to pick from, but there were SO FEW by BIPOC. I feel gross. Granted, I check out books through the library, IUK, and Hoopla, but I haven’t been putting my money where my mouth is. That’s gross and I know I can do better. 

Please do not tell me that it shouldn’t matter what ethnicity/race/sexual the author has/identify as/is. I know many people who do not seek out books based on an author's experience, but at this point, I believe that knowing these things allows you to find stories that best represent the people in the story. There are so many white people writing stories about black individuals, representing them incorrectly and spinning a false narrative about their identity.

Please check out this article written by the team behind We Need Diverse Books if you are unaware of this concept. Please educate yourself. As a white woman, I cannot fully explain why this is so important and I won't take from diverse voices that would explain their reasoning more eloquently. That isn't my place. 

The publishing industry is known for having racist behaviors, however, the public -- especially avid readers and members of the book community -- aren't standing for it. Rather, they're questioning the policies and established norms in the publishing industry.  We, as consumers, have the power to question the normalized racism and racist policies that have driven so many companies. Even now, some BIPOC are querying and searching for representation and are still being told, “Sorry, we already have our <insert inane racial label> book for the quarter/quota/whatever.” They’re not given a fair shot. White people do not have this issue. They aren’t profiled because of the color of their skin. It’s wrong. It’s stupid. It’s changing because readers have been vocal. They are calling for change. It’s slow. It’s still fraught with racism, but it’s CHANGING. WE HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE THE CHANGE. 

The book community is one of the coolest communities I could ever be a part of. We have a lot of problems too, but what community doesn't? 

I’m sure it seems trivial and dumb to the non-readers and people that stumble upon this post that I get so fired up about books and stories. But books and stories are the experiences of others, the dreams of the people I probably will never have the pleasure of meeting. Stories are what helped me with so many dark moments in my life. Stories are what helped me LEARN and educate myself on ideas that were considered too adult, too intense, too real for me to comprehend. 

Stories are what can bring us together. Stories have powerful. Stories can change the world. 

If you feel inclined, please comment a diverse book you recommend. 

I’ll start:

✨ A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi ✨

💗 #ownvoices

💗Takes place right after 9/11

💗 Muslim teen protagonist

💗 Emotional and thought provoking

💗 Break-dancing 😤♥️

💗 Written by an Iranian-American woman ✊🏼

💗 Raw, honest, and semi-autobiographical

💗 trigger/content warning for: islamophobia, bullying, &xenophobia

✨ Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert ✨

🍑 #ownvoices

🍑MC = black young woman who struggles with chronic pain & an invisible illness (beautiful representation)

🍑 gruff (secret softy) hero with a soft spot for cats - struggles to move on from abusive past relationship

🍑Salacious, romantic, and will make you swoon

🍑 Adorable slow burn friends to lovers story

^^ Both of these books were 5 stars for me. I adored them both. They are so different, but still so poignant and powerful.

🍑 THERE’S A CAT

🍑 Trigger/content warning: discussions and thoughts about recovering from abuse

✊🏼✊🏽 What I’ll Be Reading In June (& Probably July) ✊🏾✊🏿

✨White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson - on hold at the library

✨White Fragility by Robin J. DiAngelo- also on hold

✨ So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

✨ Take A Hint, Dani Brown (sequel to Chloe Brown) by Talia Hibbert - on hold

✨ The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

✨ Dear Martin by Nic Stone

✨ Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

✨ Know My Name by Chanel Miller (contd from May)

✨ The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

✨ Becoming by Michelle Obama

✨ The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

✨ Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi

✨ Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

✨ Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo - on hold and recently released

✨ If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane - on hold

✨ A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown - on hold and recently released

✨ Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan - @romancethequebookclub pick

I hope that this all explains some of my feelings. I wanted to post something, stating my stance on the events of the past two weeks, but I wasn't sure how to eloquently explain all that I've been feeling. 

To my white readers and followers, please just check your privilege.   

I stand with the protestors in my country. I hear you guys, I'm standing with you. I love you. Please stay safe out there and keep fighting the good fight. 

#BlackLivesMatter 

Resources

Please peruse this article by SWAAY because they have so many resources listed with all of the options to help, resources for educating yourself, and reading material as well. 

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:2‬  

“...Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Matthew 19:19

Happy reading, beautiful people. 

Speak up. 

Stand out.

Fight for what is right.

Olivia

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{Review} I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

Page Count: 272

Published On: October 1, 2019

Published By: HarperCollins

Genre(s): Children's, Middle Grade, Realistic

Source: Hardback provided by the publisher
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

In her debut middle grade novel—inspired by her family’s history—Christine Day tells the story of a girl who uncovers her family’s secrets—and finds her own Native American identity.

All her life, Edie has known that her mom was adopted by a white couple. So, no matter how curious she might be about her Native American heritage, Edie is sure her family doesn’t have any answers.

Until the day when she and her friends discover a box hidden in the attic—a box full of letters signed “Love, Edith,” and photos of a woman who looks just like her.

Suddenly, Edie has a flurry of new questions about this woman who shares her name. Could she belong to the Native family that Edie never knew about? But if her mom and dad have kept this secret from her all her life, how can she trust them to tell her the truth now?

~~~

Hey, guys!

This book was gifted to me by the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review.

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day follows young Edith (Edie) and her journey to self-acceptance, discovering her heritage and background, and coming to terms with the changes in her life. Edie has grown up knowing that she was half-Native American; however, she really doesn't have a connection to her NA roots. Because of her mother's adoption, she only really knows about her father's side of the family and her mother's adopted family. Until the beginning of the novel, she doesn't really think she'll ever get answers about her mysterious Native American side. 

One day, Edie and her friends discover a box full of letters and memorabilia from a woman that looks just like her -- a woman named Edith. This then leads Edie to question everything her parents have ever told her. Who is this Edith? Is her mother keeping her Native American family and heritage from her?


This book had a lot of promise, but unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy it as much as I would have anticipated. The writing was quite choppy, the characters were boring and lacked a depth that I would have hoped for in a shorter novel, and the relationships were half-baked. Not only that, but the pacing in the story was just extremely slow. The beginning and the end of the book were the best parts, but I felt like nothing really happened in the middle. There were a few scenes in there that I felt could have been cut. They slowed the pace and didn't add anything to the story. There was also a minor conflict between two of the characters that I felt like could have been handled much neater. There is a better way to handle a friendship breaking up than making one party the bad guy and leaving it at that. 

However, there were some really great discussions, really wonderful representation, and a really powerful overall message. The ending of the book was really its redeeming part. I wish that this story had been much longer. I honestly think that it could have been a novelette or short story. 270~ pages was just too long for me. 

I'm sort of glad that I didn't DNF this book, but full transparency, I wanted to during the entirety of the middle. 

Overall, this wasn't my favorite story, but I think that it will resonate with a lot of people and it will be really important for so many people. I'm excited to see this book on the shelves of so many younger readers. 

Thank you, HarperCollins for sending me this little book!

Happy reading!
Olivia
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