Diversity Roll Call (week#6)

C.O.R.A. Diversity Roll Call:  the topic for this week is Y. A. literature you don't know. Well, I do not really read Y.A. literature lately so my contribution is minimal, however there are two books I am looking forward to read. 

One book was bought by my son a few years ago -not his typical comics or graphic novels purchased at his school book  fairs- Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell and that I had put it on my reading list a while ago. I think this summer will be  a good summer to read it. The book tells the story of a Native American woman that survived alone for 18 years on a deserted Island.

 The second book I just bought is called Dreams in the Golden Country - The diary of Zipporah Feldman by Kathryn Lasky. The book is part of a Scholastic collection of stories about American history and depicts the life of a young Russian Jewish girl that arrives as an immigrant in New York, 1903. 

And since I had so little to contribute to the YA topic, I'd like to answer to a meme I discovered on Susan's blog : Diversity in Reading.

1. Name the last book by a female author that you’ve read.
Anne Ranasinghe - At What Dark Point

2. Name the last book by an African or African-American author that you’ve read.

James Baldwin -Go Tell It On The Mountain (December 2007)

3. Name one from a Latino/a author.

Isabel Allende -Portrait in Sepia (last summer)

4. How about one from an Asian country or Asian-American?

There are two  South Asian authors I read and also I did mentioned recently on my blog :Shyam Selvaduray  with Funny Boy (Sri Lanka ) and Salman Rushdie with the Satanic Verses (India). Unfortunately,neither author does live in their"mother country". They do not live in US either, Selvadurai is living in Canada and Rushdie in UK.

Anne Ranasinghe, however is living in Sri Lanka. 

5. What about a GLBT writer?

Both Baldwin and Selvaduray are gay and wrote about it , but in order to avoid repetition: Andre Gide -If it die..., read in the spring of 2008.

6.Why not name an Israeli/Arab/Turk/Persian writer, if you’re feeling lucky?

Nava Semel -And the rat laughed

7. Any other “marginalized” authors you’ve read lately?

Do Romanian poets matter, I can compile a list in a short time...

Now, seriously, I read a few poems by Oodgeroo Noonucal, an Australian poet that deserves your attention.

Well I am going to sleep  now  feeling relieved that my readings are diverse, but also feeling  that I need more guidance when it comes to African and African American literature. There is a lot to read out there and so little time ...

and I was thinking to tag four more people with this meme:

Octavian, Pinocchio, Vlad and Earthwalker.