Seeing ourselves in stories
Highlighting books written by women of color
Join our FREE virtual book club as we discuss fiction written by women of color, and learn how to embrace the wide spectrum and beauty of this intersectional identity.
Current Book
The contentious relationship between a Vietnamese mother and daughter comes to a head when their family’s beloved matriarch dies.
Discussion on April 23, 7.30 pm CT
Overview
The trauma from war
The difficulties of settling in a new country
The challenges of cultural assimilation
Complicated mother-daughter relationships
Physical and emotional abuse in romantic relationships
Casual sexism and racism that women of color go through
The fetishization of Asian women
Themes to be discussed
Upcoming Books
May 28
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why a book club?
Growing up, books felt like a place to gather joy and comfort as well as the knowledge to face the challenges of life. The world feels like a very hard place right now with climate change, COVID, and the continued oppression of marginalized communities across the globe. So, we wanted to create a safe and joyful space to share stories that could empower people.
Why highlight women of color?
Did you know that in 2018, only 11% of books were written by BIPOC (NY Times, 2020). The publishing industry is also comprised of 76% of people who identify as white. The voices of people of color, especially women of color, are too often silenced. And when our stories are erased, our existence is diminished. We want to change that. We want to uplift women authors of color so that their stories reach the world and change it for the better.
How do you expect these stories to change the world?
For people with identities that are so often marginalized in this world, sometimes just knowing there are others out there going through similar struggles can give you the hope needed to face another day. We want the young black and brown girls staring in the mirror to know that there are others out there with beautiful dark skin and curly hair. We wish for our BIPOC and immigrant readers to know they are not alone in their struggles. For our white readers, we hope that these stories inspire them to stand up to racism and become better, more effective allies. Our dearest wish is that these small ripples will create a tide of change that makes this world a safer place for BIPOC. And while its hard to believe now, we want to have faith that one day enough systemic barriers will be dismantled so that when a woman of color wants to become a writer, instead of wondering if any publisher will accept her books, she simply writes her stories, authentically and fearlessly.
Why the emphasis on fiction?
Research has shown that people tend to empathize and understand a character’s struggle better when they’re stepping into their shoes, which the world of fiction allows you to do more effectively than reading an academic book with facts, figures, and statistics. Fiction offers you a chance to glimpse the world through a character’s eyes, whether it be navigating a complex identity, picking up the nuances of a social interaction, or getting insights into their hopes, dreams, and fears.
I want to join, but not sure if I can always finish the book!
Don’t worry! While it’s preferable to have finished the book for more effective engagement, that’s not a hard and fast rule. We want to create a place of joy and discussion, not add more stress to your life! Also, while plot points may be revealed through examples, our discussion will focus on the themes of the book and how it relates to our current lives. We’ll talk about lessons learnt, insights gained and what we are taking away from the books into our lives.
If I join, do I have to attend every session?
While we hope you enjoy our book club enough to attend every session (usually every month), we also understand that life gets busy and things like sicknesses and other unexpected events happen. If you can’t attend one or two (or more) sessions, that’s alright! Just come back when you are able to. We will send out calendar invites for the book club and appreciate RSVPs so we can better plan times for our discussion.
How does the process work and is it really FREE?
The book club is completely FREE! The only cost you would incur is if you chose to buy the book. But often local libraries will carry copies for you to check out for free. As for the process, we will announce the book and dates for discussion a month in advance, and then send out zoom links for the discussion.