Stumbled Upon: YA Novel, Kimchi & Calamari

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

So, all of my loyal readers know that I practically live at the library. In the summer it's no different, except I usually haul my kids with me on my visits. They love the library too. When we go, they immediately run off to read graphic novels and other things I usually won't buy for them. And they're perfectly cool with me picking out their books for the week. I don't know how long this is going to last but for now it works for me.

So, this summer I've been trying to get my sci-fi loving 11-year-old to read more realistic fiction. I still try to find stories that I think will speak to him as a 11-year-old boy who likes sci-fi and fantasy. So, for example, last week he read The Orphan of Ellis Island, about an orphaned Italian-American boy who falls through a time portal and goes back in time and meets his Italian ancestors. He loved it. Yes! Yesterday, I stumbled upon a book called Kimchi & Calamari. You know with just that title, I was intrigued.

Sure enough, the book is about a Korean boy adopted by an Italian-American family. The boy in the story is 14 years old and dealing with typical teen boy stuff, plus he's dealing with identity issues and a search for a birth parent. Here's a link to a review (cuz I haven't read it yet.) And here's how the author, Rose Kent sells, Kimchi & Calamari:

" Kimchi and calamari is a quirky food fusion — and exactly how fourteen-year-old Joseph Calderaro feels about himself. Why wouldn’t an adopted Korean drummer feel like a combo platter given

1. his face in the mirror and
2. his proud Italian family?

Now Joseph has to write an ancestry essay for school. But all he knows is that his birth family put his diapered butt on a plane to the USA.

What Joseph does leads to a catastrophe messier than a table of shattered dishes — and self-discovery that he never could have imagined."

Sounds good right? It'll be next on the list for my son. And I'll tell you how it goes.

Has anybody else read Kimchi and Calamari? Any thoughts? Any other realistic fiction suggestions for an 11-year old boy with Ms. Meltingpot for a mom? I'm listening.

Peace!

A Meltingpot Book Review & A Giveaway Too: "A Wedding in Haiti"

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

I have a confession to make. When I received my advanced reader's copy of Julia Alvarez's slim new memoir, A Wedding in Haiti, I was not impressed. In fact, I was a little put off by the concept. Alvarez, a prolific and award-winning Dominican poet and novelist, had written a book about her friendship with her Haitian farm worker. The broad brush strokes of the story are that Alvarez befriends young Piti when he comes to work on her organic coffee farm in the Dominican Republic. When Piti comes of age and decides to marry, he invites Alvarez to the wedding which takes place in rural Haiti. Alvarez has to leave the comfort of her home in Vermont to go to the wedding and of course her life is altered by what she experiences in a place that's almost always referred to as the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Cue the violins and call the cliché hotline.

So, I didn't read it. I didn't think I'd have to read it to know how the story begins and ends. What's more, considering Alvarez is Domincan, I guess I expected her to know more about Haiti than her story suggests. And if she really never had visited the country that is attached to her birthplace, I guess I didn't want her to admit that either. At least not out loud. I am a big fan of Alvarez and didn't want to lose respect for her work. So, like I said, I didn't read it.

But dear readers, the book just sat there, mocking me with its pretty cover and the temptation of a good Alvarez read. Finally, one morning, I just picked it up and started reading, figuring I'd put it down if even the slightest hint of "The White Man Learns the Meaning of Life from the Poor Black Man Who Has Nothing Yet Can Still Smile Every Morning," came through the text. But it didn't.

Alvarez is pretty honest about her lack of knowledge about Haiti, as well as her inherent privilege and relative wealth. And it is that honesty that comes through the book as she narrates her journey to the wedding and then a subsequent trip to Haiti post earthquake. As I said, the book is slim, the story covers less than two years, and there is no great aha! moment. Instead, we get a travelogue of a journey most of us will never make because we don't have the resources and because we don't have to. We can send money, rail at the injustice and even pretend things are actually better than they really are in Haiti.

Alvarez doesn't use the book to preach a sermon or shame us readers into flying straight away into Port-au-Prince. She does one better. She allows herself, a middle-aged American college professor with good intentions, to be our eyes and ears in Haiti. She recoils at sights and smells but puts on a brave face because she knows it is the right thing to do. She smiles and uses charades to communicate because she doesn't speak French of Kreyol. She offers what comfort she can, be it a box of spaghetti or a hug to a grieving mother. In a nutshell, Alvarez bears witness to Haiti's despair, but also and just as importantly, to Haiti's dignity.

"We ride into the downtown area, full of ambivalence. To watch or not to watch. What is the respectful way to move through these scenes of devastation? We came to see, and according to Junior, Haiti needs to be seen....You tell yourself you are here in solidarity. But at the end of the day, you add it up and you still feel ashamed...You haven't improved a damn thing. Natural disaster tourism -- that's what it feels like."

Despite its premise and the author's lament, A Wedding in Haiti doesn't feel like natural disaster tourism. On the contrary, this book reads like an honest account of one woman's experience in Haiti. Yes, there is unspeakable poverty and heartache, but there is also humor, love and random acts of kindness that reinvigorate your belief in hope.

This book probably won't change your life. But it might change your opinion about Haiti and the people who live there.

If you'd like to win a free hardcover copy of A Wedding in Haiti, tell me what you think about when you think of Haiti in the comments section. I'll randomly select a winner from the comments on Thursday, April 26 at midnight.

Peace!

White People, Black Stories Wraps Up with 'Run' by Ann Patchett

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

So, today is the last day of February, the last day of Black History Month and the last day of my ambitious project to bring attention to White people who tell Black stories. At the back of my mind, when conceiving this list, I was feeling kind of peeved about the fact that White authors can tell Black stories and become wildly successful doing so, yet Black authors telling the same stories are continuously marginalized. I also wanted to demonstrate, in this month dedicated to celebrating the contributions Black people have made to this country, that clearly Black achievement, Black history, Black culture and Black heroes and heroines don't belong to a collective Black community. They belong to everyone and anyone who wants to tell a good story. Unfortunately, these same heroes and heroines celebrated in the stories of White authors (and their White audiences), aren't so widely embraced off the page.

Of course, there's always a lesson to be learned when trying something new. While I'm still kind of peeved by the inherent inequality of praise given to White people telling Black stories compared to their Black counterparts, I also feel that in many cases, we should feel honored and thankful that any author feels so moved by the lives of Black people that they want to tell their stories. And as many of you dear readers pointed out, isn't it better that at least these stories are being told? If the author does their research and tells the story with respect and aims for authenticity, isn't that enough? In many cases, I say yes.If I love a story, I can't hate on the storyteller simply because she doesn't share the same racial background as her characters. That would be borderline racist and just plain dumb. And it would limit me from enjoying some really great books. As an example, today's offering, Run by Ann Patchett.



I reviewed Run on the Meltingpot a while back. You can read that review here. A story about a White father with two adopted African-American sons, Run is a true rumination on race, family and identity. It is extremely well written and after reading it, I was convinced Patchett must be married to a Black man or have some of her own Black kids. Something that would have given such incredible insight into these issues. But no, she's just a really good writer who likes to tell good stories and isn't afraid to tackle characters who have nothing to do with her own life. Needless to say, I was impressed by Run, as was the New York Times Bestsellers list.

So, dear readers, the month ends with lessons learned, new books discovered and old favorites remembered. I hope you enjoyed the ride. But before we go, what books do you think should have made my list? White People Telling Black Stories? Let's hear them.

I'm still listening.

Peace!

White People Telling Black Stories: Sue Monk Kidd and The Secret Life of Bees

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

I'm having great fun compiling this list  of White people who tell Black stories for Black History Month. And as I keep coming up with more and more candidates for my list, I wonder why nobody has done this before. I also wonder why White people have always felt Black History Month wasn't really "their" thing,  when clearly many White people feel Black people's stories are 'theirs' for the telling. Makes you go hmm...doesn't it? Makes you kind of wonder really, why we live such segregated lives if we are comfortable enough to creatively inhabit one another's world, yet can't manage to find a way to connect in real life.

So, today we are talking about Sue Monk Kidd, author of the 2002 novel, The Secret Life of Bees. I loved this book about a young White girl who flees life with her tyrannical father and ends up moving in with three Black, bee-keeping sisters who become surrogate mother figures and teach Lily how to love herself.

One might argue that since the main protagonist of the book is the young White girl, this book shouldn't make my list, but once again, I'd argue that the three Black sisters, the Black maid, and the Black 'love interest' for Lily qualify this title to be a "Black story." The story would have been over on page 10 if Lily's saviors had simply been three White sisters.

THE SUCCESS: The Secret Life of Bees was a New York Times bestseller for 2.5 years, sold more than six million copies, was published in 35 countries and was nominated for the Orange Prize in England.

TAKING IT BLACK: In 2008 the book was turned into a movie starring Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and Dakota Fanning. The movie was directed by Black movie director, Gina Prince-Blythewood and produced by the also Black, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.

How many people read this book? Did you enjoy it? Did it give you pause knowing a White woman wrote it? And considering the Blacklash against The Help, why did Sue Monk Kidd get away with her version of the helpless young White girl being 'saved' by the trio of strong Black females? Thoughts?

I'm totally listening.

Peace!

Diversity Reigns at the National Book Awards

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

I'm a little late in posting this, but still I have to use this space to honor and celebrate the winners of the 2011 National Book Awards. The winners are:

FICTION: Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones (Bloomsbury USA)

NONFICTION: Stephen Greenblatt, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
(W. W. Norton & Company)

POETRY: Nikky Finney, Head Off & Split 
(TriQuarterly, an imprint of Northwestern University Press)

YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE: Thanhha Lai, Inside Out & Back Again
(Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers)

It was such a joy to see this list of winners as, they finally seem representative of America's diversity. Jesmyn Ward and Nikky Finney are Black women. Thannhha Lai is an Asian woman. Stephen Greenblatt is obviously a man. I don't believe that award winners should be selected based on their race or gender, but it seems to me that the best books in the United States would be written by a variety of people who reflect the true scope of  the 'American experience.' 

And for the first time in a long time, I'm truly excited to read every single one of the award-winning books. They will top my TBR list for 2012. 

What about you Meltingpot readers? Have any of you already read the works of the winning authors? What did you think? Any suggestions on what book I should read first? I'm listening.

And in the meantime, you can listen (and watch) Ms. Nikky Finney's acceptance speech for her book of poetry, Head Off & Split. The actor John Lithgow said it was the "best acceptance speech for anything" he's ever heard in his life.

Peace!

"Kissing Outside the Lines:" A Meltingpot Book Review

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

If you recall a while back, I mentioned I'd be reading and reviewing TV actress, Diane Farr's new book, Kissing Outside the Lines: A True Story of Love and Race and Happily Ever After. So, I read it. And it's taken me a moment to decide what I want to say about it. But now I know.

First, I want to say that Farr has penned a very readable and in some parts, quite hilarious book about her experience meeting and marrying her Korean-American husband. Farr has no problem laughing at herself and sharing some of her most embarrassing moments.  For that reason alone, one immediately becomes engaged in the story. In addition, I applaud her efforts at sharing her experience as a White woman marrying into a Korean family and sharing the stories of other interracial and/or intercultural couples. As a member of a mixie tribe myself, I love hearing how other people are living the life.

But here's the problem with the book. Farr's premise that she's shedding light on a topic that remains hidden in the 21st century -- that topic being that people don't want their kids to marry someone outside of their race -- is old news. In the clip below from the Today Show, Farr says about her reasons for writing the book, "[This] is the last prejudice we don't talk about." In other words, after being shunned by her Korean husband's family because she is White, Farr realized that people are secretly prejudiced and it was up to her to tell the world about it.

Watch.

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Sorry to say, Ms. Farr, but it is only because you have pretty much lived your life without being judged by the color of your skin (except for an incident in elementary school where it seems Farr was beat up for being half Italian) that you are shocked by the racism that people all over the world still exhibit.

So, back to the book. It was hard for me to stay engaged in the story, despite Farr's gift for the gab, because I was kind of going 'duh' throughout the whole thing. And because after awhile, I wanted to shake Farr and say, "They (her Korean in-laws) don't dislike you because you're White, they dislike you because you're not Korean!" That's a whole different ball of wax. I think this book could have been saved if Farr had simply decided to write a cute little memoir about integrating her new Korean family, instead of trying to tell the rest of us what we already know about interracial relationships. They're complicated. Some people are mean. And despite the obstacles, sometimes people can live happily ever after.

The Meltingpot grade: Nice Try

Has anybody else read Kissing Outside the Lines? I'd love to hear your opinion.

Peace!

Would You Name Your Son Rhett?: Colorful Baby Names from the World of Fiction

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Recently I saw an article on Parents.com that said the latest trend in baby naming was to name your kid after a fictional literary and/or cinematic character. Apparently it's all the rage these days. Considering I named my own babygirl after a fictional nubian princess, I could only agree, although I felt a little "sheepish" knowing I was part of a so-called trend. Still, I was curious to see if babygirl's name made it on to Parent's list of top-ten names culled from our favorite books and movies. Not even close. In fact, there's not one female name on the list of any characters of color. Not a one. Instead, we have names like Gatsby, Eloise (from the children's book), Darcy and Rhett. Yes, Rhett. Would you name your Black child after Rhett Butler? I'm just sayin.

Still, I love the idea of naming one's child after a favorite hero or heroine in literature. In case you do too and have a baby to name in the near future, I thought I'd create my own Meltingpot list of best baby names from some of my favorite books and movies. So, here goes:

1. Sula (Toni Morrison's main character in the novel of the same name)
2. Beloved ( Same as above. I just think it would be cool to name my child Beloved.)
3. & 4. Birdie & Cole ( The two mixed sisters in Danzy Senna's Caucasia. Obvious Jazz influence there)
5. Coco (From Fame, the movie, not the TV series)
6. Storm (From the X-men, can be for a boy or girl or both.)
7. Isis (From superhero/Egyptian lore)
8. Shelby (From Dorothy West's The Wedding)
9. Lilo (From one of the better Disney flicks, Lilo & Stitch)
10. Fire ( He was the sexy, Jamaican poet from Colin Channer's sumptuous debut novel, Waiting in Vain. If I were to have another boy, I might name him Fire.)

Okay, dear readers. What names would you add to this list? I'm listening. And perhaps a whole bunch of expectant mothers are too, so speak up.


Peace!

Meltingpot Book Review: Maman's Homesick Pie

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

How many Persian memoirs have you read? What's your favorite Persian food? Besides the horrific headlines about nuclear threats and repressive regimes, what do you know about Iranian culture and history? If you're anything like me, you may have no solid answers to these questions. And like me, maybe you would never have cause to investigate. Well, by chance I was sent a copy of this delicious little memoir called, Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen and now my appetite for Persian culture has been thoroughly piqued.

Maman's Homesick Pie by celebrated chef, Donia Bijan definitely falls under the category of food memoir where a life story is told in prose and recipes. And since Bijan is a chef, the recipes are perfectly chosen to both inspire one to head into the kitchen as well as further illustrate her journey from pampered Persian teen, to immigrant in America, to student chef in Paris. And while we get to see how Bijan, the youngest of three sisters, came to be the rock star chef that she is today, the book really is an ode to Bijan's mother.

I really enjoyed reading about Bijan's life journey, especially her love affair with food, but honestly her mother's life story is far more interesting. Sent to England for nursing school at 18, Bijan's mother was a woman ahead of her time who worked as a nurse, raised her three daughters and ran for and was elected into Parliament. When the family was forced into exile in the United States, while her husband sank into a depression, she jumped right into her new life, never looking back.

But still, this is Bijan's story and she tells it well, keeping sight of the fact that this is a foodie memoir. Besides the recipes, there are wonderful descriptions of the meals she ate prepared by her mother's loving hands in Iran, the food markets she wandered through in Paris, and even the rushed staff dinners at the restaurants where she learned her craft. It's enough to make any reader want to lick the pages. What's more, Bijan is  truly a talented writer. The book is engaging and sweet and reads really well. For a first-time author I am truly impressed. I hope Bijan continues to write and considers a true memoir about her mother who sadly, met with a tragic demise. Her story deserves to be written.

The Meltingpot gives Maman's Homesick Pie, two big thumbs up.

Peace!

What I'm Reading Now: Stories in Living Color

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

You all know I regularly post book reviews here on the Meltingpot, but the truth of the matter is, I read far more than I have time to review. In fact, I read so much, I consider myself a book addict. When I finish one book, if I don't have a new book to dive into, I'm like a crackhead and start to get the shakes. Sometimes I can stave off withdrawal symptoms with a good magazine article, but that will only hold me for a short period of time.

Because I know many of you appreciate recommendations for good books, I thought I'd share with you what books I've gobbled up...I mean, read lately. And these aren't just good books, these are Meltingpot books. In other words, I'm not really interested in reading a book about White people and their lives in a White world. Not that I don't find White people fascinating, but it seems their stories are everywhere. I want to use my reading time to find out how other people live. Even if it's fiction, I want to immerse myself in another culture, or see my own culture reflected in some way. I want to see different cultures engaging with one another. I want to see cultures colliding and coming together. Don't get me wrong, I don't discriminate in my literary choices. I think of it more like affirmative action. If I can find a book with at least one colored character, I'm choosing that one over the book with just White folks. But at the end of the day, a good book is a good book. I'll read anything by Ann Patchett, for example, whether she adds people of color in her books or not (interestingly she usually does but not always.)

So, without further ado, here's what I've read in the last two months, in addition to Conquistadora and The Taste of Salt, which I reviewed here on the site.

1.  You Are Free: Stories by Danzy Senna. I generally shy away from short stories, but I'd read a grocery list if Danzy Senna wrote it. She is one of my favorite authors who always tackles mixed-race identity in all of her work. You Are Free is no exception. The stories aren't explicitly about race, but almost every story in the collection features a mixed-race character grappling with an issue that seems to stem from their racial blend. It's deep stuff and kind of depressing. By the end of the book, I desperately wanted to know if Senna was intentionally playing with the 'tragic mulatto' stereotype or if she truly 'knew' these characters she had invented. I'd love to hear other people's reactions to You Are Free.

2.  Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. Lisa See has been in my literary rear view mirror for awhile. My mother's book club was reading one of her books. One of her books is now showing at a theater near me. The local Barnes & Noble had a display of her books on the front table. But I just wasn't that interested. But when my local Borders went out of business, I scooped up Shanghai Girls because it was on deep discount and I decided to finally find out what Lisa See could deliver. This book is about two young sisters who are living the high life in Shanghai right before the Japanese invasion. Their privileged world falls apart however, when their father admits he's gambled away their fortune. To save himself, he essentially sells his daughters to get out of debt. The two sisters, May and Pearl, are now wives to two awkward brothers who live in the United States and they go from upper-class Chinese, to downtrodden immigrant workers in California.

I can't say I loved this book, but it was definitely a page-turner that kept me entertained. I also learned a lot about Chinese culture and the Chinese immigrant experience in America. For that reason, I would recommend the book to every American because you will never eat at a Chinese restaurant or stroll through your local Chinatown with the same innocent eyes.

Now I'm reading a new memoir by the award-winning author and poet, Jackie Kay. Kay was adopted as an infant in her native Scotland. Her birth mother was Scottish, her father an academic from Nigeria. The book, Red Dust Road, is her story of tracking down her birth parents and examining her life growing up with her communist parents. Despite the seriousness of her endeavor, this book is hilarious. Considering Kay finds out her birth mother became a Mormon and her birth father became a Christian zealot, if she couldn't find the humor in her origins, she probably wouldn't be in such a positive place in her life today. I had the pleasure of meeting Kay a few years ago at a literary festival and she is a beautiful human being and full of laughter. When I finish the book, I'll give you a complete review. But if you want to beat me to it, order if for yourselves. The only thing is, my friend sent it to me from England where it was published. I'm not sure if it's available through US book stores yet.

So, what are you reading these days? I'm going to need my next fix soon.

I'm listening.

Peace!

The Taste Of Salt: A (Colorful) Dysfunctional Family Story

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

You know there are some books you read that have very simple plots to explain. Like, Cinderella is a story about a girl whose mom dies and she has to live with her evil stepmother who treats her like a slave until her fairy godmother shows up and turns her life around. Well, Martha Southgate's haunting new novel, The Taste of Salt isn't like that. There's no clear beginning and happily ever afters are nowhere to be found and yet it is a story about a troubled family, about love and in some ways about believing that salvation can come in the arms of the right man. And yes, there are major daddy issues.

If I had to be more specific in my descriptions, I'd say The Taste of Salt is a story about a middle-class, African-American family destroyed by addiction. The father is an alcoholic as his son. The wife feels herself powerless to help either her husband or son and daughter, Josie just wants to get as far away from the whole clan as possible. And really The Taste of Salt is Josie's story. At the beginning of the novel, Josie is in her mid-thirties, a successful scientist living in Woods Hole, one of the only Black people on staff at the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She's married to a White man and happily has no children. Her life is neat and orderly and she hardly ever has to think about her painful childhood back in Cleveland. Until her mother calls to tell her that her brother, Tick has fallen off the wagon, again.

It is Tick's stint in rehab that truly sets of the life-altering chain of events that occur in the book. Josie goes back to Cleveland to help her mother deal with her brother and subsequently her well-ordered life starts to unravel as she trips through the memories and pain.

The reason I enjoyed this book so much, besides Southgate's masterful and mesmerizing storytelling, is that while one could consider this a book about addiction, it really is a story about an American family trying their best to capture the American dream. But the booze keeps thwarting everyone's efforts. Southgate goes all the way back to Josie's parents' meeting to explain how they got to today. She humanizes the plight of so many people struggling with substance abuse by giving us an individual story. The fact that the family is Black is inconsequential, yet refreshing to this reader as it is always validating to fall in love with characters that look like the people in your own life.

All told, The Taste of Salt is a compelling, thought-provoking, page-turning drama. I gobbled it up in two days. The characters are real, not romanticized and their reality will resonate with many people touched by addiction of all sorts. A perfect book-club read, The Taste of Salt gets two Meltingpot thumbs up.

P.S. If you haven't read Southgate's other novels, Third Girl From the Left and The Fall of Rome you are truly missing out. Seriously. Go read them and tell me what you think.

Peace!

Meltingpot Reads-- Mixie Marriages and The "Puerto Rican Gone With the Wind"

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I don't know if it's because it's hovering near 100 degrees or because I'm just too heavy to move regardless of the temperature, these days all I want to do is find a cool, comfortable space to read. Of course, for me, the question is always, what to read next. Here's what I have in the TBR pipeline.

1. In the realm of nonfiction, I'm about to crack open, Kissing Outside the Lines: A True Story of Love and Race and Happily Ever After by Diane Farr. In this book, Farr --who happens to be an actress -- tells her story of falling in love and marrying a Korean-American man. Farr is White. She also shares stories of other interracial couples she interviewed along the way for inspiration and guidance. Here's a clip of her being interviewed on The Today Show about the book.

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I'll being posting my review of the book as soon as i finish it.


And on my fiction list, I just read about Esmerelda Santiago's latest novel, Conquistadora. It's about a 19th century Spanish woman who convinces her husband to move to Puerto Rico to seek their fortune. He dies and she becomes a powerful plantation owner and healer. I've heard it is supposed to be the first story in a trilogy that has been described as a "Puerto Rican Gone With the Wind." Yummy! I can't wait to get my hands on this one. To be honest, I've only been a fan of Santiago's non-fiction, mostly her first memoir, When I Was Puerto Rican, but this novel with it's Spanish/African/Slavery/Kinky Gazpacho history sounds right up my alley. Anybody else plan on reading this one?

Okay, that's what's next on my list. What about you? I'm listening.

Peace!

"Secret Daughter" --An Adoption Story, A Family Story, An Indian Story

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I just finished the book, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. Told from multiple perspectives, the story is about the life of a little girl named Asha. Asha was born in India to a peasant woman whose family did not place any value on females. Rather than have her daughter killed at birth, Asha's mom gives her to an orphanage where she prays a family will adopt her and love her. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a young White American woman with a promising future as a doctor and a loving husband discovers she can't have children. Can you guess what happens? Yes, the young doctor and her husband, who happens to be Indian, adopt baby Asha and we discover through the pages of the book how everyone's lives are inextricably changed.

I heard about this book from a good friend and was immediately intrigued by the story idea. The author is Indian and I anticipated an 'authentic' perspective on an often debated topic. I was not disappointed in that the author gave voice to the adoptive mother, the birth mother, the adoptive father, the birth father and Asha herself. We got to be inside of the heads of all of the people involved in this complicated family structure. In many ways, I found it to be a very enlightening novel, especially in hearing the voices of the Indian birth parents and their struggle with the cultural norms that encourage female infanticide, selective sex abortion and the basic devaluing of female life. Gowda does an excellent job at giving each character a unique voice and she doesn't paint anyone as villain or angel.

That being said, I wish the author had given us more of Asha's childhood experience. The story begins on the day of Asha's birth and ends with her finishing college. In between we get glimpses and pieces of high and low points of her life, but I really wanted to hear more about those in-between parts. On the one hand, this is supposed to be Asha's story, but because we have to/get to hear from all of these other characters in alternating chapters, I felt like the reader has to do a lot of filling in the blanks.

Overall, I found the book to be a compelling read. I finished it in about three days. The writing is solid and the descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of India had me yearning to book a trip to Mumbai as soon as possible. I would recommend Secret Daughter to anyone interested in Indian culture, adoption and/or women's fiction. Ultimately I think this is a story about motherhood and the sacrifices we make in the best interest of our children.

Has anyone else read this book? What did you think about it? Here are two reviews, one positive and one not so positive about Secret Daughter.

I'm listening.

Peace!

What Are You Reading in 2011?

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

So yesterday I wrote a blog post for the Girlfriends Book Club about my New Year's Resolution to read more books in 2011. Now, those of you who know me, know that I already read a heck of a lot of books, but I'm doing something a little different this year. I'm reading with purpose. I'm reading to prepare myself to write my next novel. I'm reading only really good novels that will both inspire and instruct. So far this is what my list looks like:


Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Room by Emma Donoghue
What is the What by Dave Eggers
If Sons, Then Heirs by Lorene Cary (Release date May 2011)

I would love to have anybody else's suggestions of books that changed your life (fiction only please) and/or books that you deem the best of the best. And people, you know I have a penchant for books that feature colorful characters, although I'm not against a good story with only White people :) I love White people too.

I have to admit, that this plan for deliberate reading was actually inspired by BrownGirl Speaks' Quirky Brown Book Challenge. I love her list, but I decided to create one of my own. My dear readers, what's on your list for 2011?

Peace.

What Would Tiger Mama (Amy Chua) Do?

Hi there Meltingpot Readers,

Have you heard about the new parenting memoir called, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua? The book and its author have received a lot of media ink recently because of the reportedly controversial parenting style Chua writes about in her book.

The short and overly simplified take on the book is that Battle Hymn is a parenting primer promoting the inherent superiority of Chinese parenting over Western/American parenting. And strict Chinese parenting, the kind Chua used to raise her two daughters, meant no sleepovers, no play dates and endless hours of music practice and studying. It also meant being ferociously honest with her kids about their achievements or lack thereof. There is one part of the story that is quoted ad nauseum where Chua tells her seven year-old daughter that her hand-made birthday card was garbage and gave it back saying she wanted something better.

Full disclosure, I haven't read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother yet, but I want to. I'm intrigued by the controversy but I also just enjoy reading memoirs by people of different ethnic heritages. That's kind of what we're all about here on the Meltingpot. But I am really appalled at the way people have attacked Chua and want to demonize her for daring to share her way of parenting. Besides the fact that Chua recognizes that her system backfired even with her own children, she doesn't imply that her way should be adopted by American parents everywhere. It is a memoir, remember.

And here's the key point. If people would stop their knee-jerk criticisms (Meredith Viera, I'm talking to you), I wonder if they might actually find some useful tips and/or ideas in Chua's words. I know I have, just from listening to her on all of the radio and/or television interviews I've heard her on in the last few weeks. Most importantly she has said that one of the main points of her book is to dispel the myth that somehow Asians are intellectually superior. Race has nothing to do with it, she says. Instead, Chinese (and many other Asian and immigrant parents in general) parents instill such a strong sense of self-discipline in their children they are essentially programmed to achieve, not hard-wired. That means almost any parent --who is willing to put in the time and effort -- can raise high achieving children. To me that has a lot of implications for educators, parents and politicians who try to align achievement to race and ethnicity. Instead of heralding the 'model minority' we should be heralding the model minority parenting style and trying to replicate it across the board. Obviously not everything should be copied, just the good parts. But that's the American way anyway. Pick and choose the best parts of all our immigrant heritages and create a superpower. It's about time we used that model for parenting.


So, I'm going to read the book and then tell you more of what I think. Have any of you read this book yet? Have any opinions on the controversy? I'm listening.

Peace!

Comic Books for a Diverse Audience

Meltingpot readers,

My boys love comic books. Thankfully, they are both avid readers. The older kid tore through the entire Harry Potter series in one summer. The little one reads everything from picture books to Captain Underpants (which I had to ban temporarily because he can't seem to stop talking about the evil villan Mr. Poopy Pants in the middle of class.) to the Children's Bible my mother gave him for Christmas a few years back. But hands down, their favorite thing to read is comics.

I've written here before about the dearth of comics featuring characters of color. I don't want to prevent the kids from reading about Superman unless he has a handsome Black sidekick, but I do want them to have the kind of hero worship experience of a hero that kind of looks like them. As far as my kids know, the only Black superheroes are The Green Lantern and Storm from The X-Men. However, according to Wikipedia there are far more.

Currently their favorite animated cartoons/superheroes to watch are Avatar, which are Asian-esque characters. I've watched a few of them and even bought a couple Avatar graphic novels for the older kid because I think the story lines are pretty cool. But since my boys literally devour books, I need to have more books at the ready. So, I was thrilled when somebody tipped me off to a comic/graphic novel publisher I've never heard of. It's called Bluewater Productions. Now, their newest title is a unauthorized comic biography of (wait for it) Beyonce but they also have a comic bio on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Barack Obama among many others.

And the multicultural characters are not only relegated to non-fiction titles. They have a series called Violet Rose about a super-sleuth sixth grader, who happens to be a foster child. The titles are endless. Some might not be your cup of tea, but they truly seem to have something for everyone. I will definitely be checking them out and looking for some of their offerings at our local comic book store.

So do you have any favorite multi-culti comic book heroes or stories? Please share.

Peace!

Music Monday: It's a Book, It's a Song, It's a Spork!

Meltingpot Readers,

Prepare to fall in love. With this video, with this song, with this book. Tell me what you think.



To buy the book, Spork for all of your Mixie friends and those who love them, try amazon. To read more about the super cool author, Kyo Maclear, visit her Spork website.

Tra-la-la, the times are a-changin...

Peace!

Color Blind: A Memoir by Precious Williams

Imagine if finding a child to adopt/foster was as easy as looking in the back pages of a magazine called Nursery World and scrolling through descriptions that read like, "attractive baby girl of Nigerian origin' available.

That's how Nigerian-born, but British-based journalist Precious Williams came to live with her 57-year-old foster mother who went by the name of "Nanny" and who had a penchant for fostering 'colored' children. It sounds too unbelievable to be true, but Color Blind is very much the true story of how Williams grew up from an infant to a young woman -- being shuttled back and forth between her cold, distant Nigerian mother and her well-intentioned but ill-equipped (to be raising a little Black girl in 1970s England) 'Nanny.'

Color Blind initially attracted me because I wanted to read about the Black girl in a White world experience across the pond. But Williams' memoir isn't an every girl's story because her family circumstances were quite particular. Her mother never gave her up for adoption, and in fact, haphazardly swooped in and out of Precious' life, often bringing chaos and confusion to her daughter's already convoluted world. Meanwhile, her foster family doted on her, but they were never allowed to be her 'real' family, nor did they truly comprehend that raising a Black child required a different set of skills than they innately possessed.

Color Blind is a bittersweet coming of age story that will surely make your heart ache. I also found myself angry and intrigued by the seemingly lax system of oversight for foster parenting in the United Kingdom and I'm curious if that system is still in place today. The book is beautifully written and you can't help but hope for a happy ending for the author, which she seems to be having as her life continues to unfold. To catch up with Williams these days, check out her website. But first read the book.

Peace!

Gobbling Up Summer Fiction

People, can I just say I am gobbling up novels these days like nobody's business. I am averaging almost two books a week. It's crazy and I love it. It's summer time and even though I'm supposed to be revising my own YA novel right now, I am allowing myself to gorge on good fiction.

So far I've read, Neesha Meminger's, Shine Coconut Moon, which is a YA racial coming-of-age tale about a young Indian teen living in post 9/11 New Jersey. Very good. And I devoured Zetta Elliott's A Wish After Midnight, the book about a 15-year old African-American girl who gets transported from modern-day Brooklyn, to Civil-War era Brooklyn. That book was very well done and the characters were so real.

I can't lie though. Hands down my favorite summer read so far has been, Ernessa T. Carter's 32 Candles. That book had me reading into the wee hours of the night and playing hooky from work to finish. I ignored my kids and let them watch TV in the middle of the day, just so I could finish this wholly unique, funny and absolutely fabulous novel that "redefines girl gets boy." I will be writing more about this book in the coming days. In fact, I'm on my way to New York City today so I can meet the author at a book party in her honor. I can't wait because seriously, when I read a book like this, a book that is so quirky, fun, and well-written, I get totally star struck. I will probably ask Ms. Carter to sign my book and my chest! Hold me back!

While you're waiting for my report, I suggest you pick up a copy of 32 Candles and read it. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. And then watch this pro-library video that spoofs the Old Spice commercial and get your laugh on. Don't you love reading? What are you reading this summer?

Peace!

Burning Questions from The Meltingpot

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

It's been awhile, but my mind has not stopped wondering about a few things. Maybe you can help me figure out the answers.

1. I love to read, we know that. I love to read about multicultural characters, we know that too. So how is it possible, it wasn't until yesterday that I heard of the very prolific author, Zetta Elliott? I stopped by my local indie bookstore bemoaning my lack of inspiration to revise my YA novel and the very wise and competent bookseller dropped Elliott's book, A Wish After Midnight into my lap. The novel is about a 15-year-old Black girl who gets transported back in time, from her modern Brooklyn neighborhood into Civil-War-era New York. It's been compared to Octavia Butler's Kindred (which I read and loved) and Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time (another book I LOVED!!!). So is it just me, or have the rest of you all heard of Elliott? What can you tell me about her work?

2. This is a quickie. How many of you plan to boycott the film, The Last Airbender because of the whitewashed casting? If you're like me, you don't even know what an Airbender is, but you feel for the cause. Apparently the movie is based on a comic featuring Asian/Inuit characters. In the movie however, the Asians appear only in the background or as bad guys and White actors get all of the glory. (grrr). So I can't say I'm boycotting the movie because of this, because I wouldn't have seen it anyway, but I will talk about it if someone asks. What do you think about the boycott? Justified? Need more information? Check out this new website created to educate people and protest against Hollywood whitewashing. (Photo above from blog Thoughts on the Asian Stage)

3. Did anybody else not take their kids to see fireworks yesterday? I'm not unpatriotic, but I couldn't fathom the idea of dragging my kids to Center City Philadelphia to sit amongst the throngs of people trying to do the same thing. There were no community fireworks displays near our home, so I said forget it. But I'm not a total holiday humbug. In the spirit of our country's independence, we took the kids on a tour of this historical house which played a pivotal role in the revolutionary war. And then we went to eat at our favorite Korean restaurant, followed by cherry slurpees from 7-Eleven. If that's not an all-American experience I don't know what is. And my kids thought it was a perfect day. So what did you do?

Peace!

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P.S. The Winner of the Katherine Paterson book, The Day of the Pelican is AnaCeleste. Ana, please send an email to myamericanmeltingpot@gmail.com with your mailing address so I can get this book to you before you fly off to Korea!!!

Summer Learning And a Giveaway Too!

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Does your kid know where Kosovo is? Mine don't. They also get confused with the difference between a city and a state. On the other hand, my five-year old can name all five oceans and the seven continents. In other words, they're pretty much where they should be. But I think they could learn more about the world around them. And I don't want their brains to get mushy over the summer.

As a frustrated elementary school teacher (you know I have a degree in education) I look forward to summer because I get to "homeschool" my kids. Now for me homeschool in the summer means looking for exciting, educational things to do in our hometown. And of course, if the activities are free, even better. So we're going to the zoo (we have a membership), the Art Museum (on Free Sundays) and the library a lot. And my biggest coup? My older son is going to Arabic language and culture camp. He won a full scholarship for this awesome three-week camp. I can't believe our good luck and fortune.

What are you doing this summer with your kids or for yourself? Do you look to summer as a chance to learn something new or try a new class or something? My own summer project is to learn how to compost. I'm so excited. Yesterday I bought my composting bin and today I get started before the next heat wave hits. My kids want me to use worms, but I'm not ready for that yet. I'm doing barebones composting.

Maybe you just want to read a new book over the summer? About a topic that's new for you? To get you started, I'm giving away a hardcover copy of Katherine Patterson's latest, The Day of the Pelican. The book is a YA novel about an Albanian family living in Kosovo right before war breaks out in the '90s. It's a great book for older tweens and young teens. A great book to read aloud as a family and discuss. I enjoyed it a lot and learned so much about an ethnic conflict I never understood before.

Leave a comment about your summer 'educational' plans before midnight on Friday to be entered in the drawing for a copy of the book.

Here's to learning something new!

Peace!