Diversity Roll Call/ Win Free Books not 1 but 5

Diversity Roll Call week #6 is being hosted by Susan over at Color Online We are asked to focus on YA fiction. Addressing one or a few of the following: 1) Provide a list of YA writers of color that you think deserve more exposure.2) Showcase cover art that does not reveal the race/ethnicity of the characters. Do you think these covers accurately represent the storyline? 3) Spotlight sub-genre YA fiction with teens of color i.e. graphic novels, romance, mystery, fantasy and science fiction.4) Briefly discuss YA novels with teens of color but race is not a dominant factor in the story.5) If you don't read YA fiction, do a little research and report back on a YA novel/comic you intend to read in the future.

If I do question 1. I may not stop, so I've decided to do 2 and 4

2) Showcase cover art that does not reveal the race/ethnicity of the characters. Do you think these covers accurately represent the storyline?

One of the first books I thought of was Girl Overboard by Justina Headley, The main character Syrah Cheng is Chinese but for the cover they don't focus on her race but rather her love of snowboarding. The cover is great and its a perfect fit for the novel. Its a teenage girl holding a snowboard looking down on a mountain.

I loved Sherri Smith's Flygirl, so I went back and read her first novel Lucy the Giant, and it works perfectly for this Roll Call for questions 2 and 4. In Lucy the Giant, 15 yr old Lucy is big for her age and she ends up running away and working on a crab boat. The cover depicts black rubber work boots, a fisherman net and a hand reaching down. I unsure what the hand is suppose to signify, though I do like this cover. I think the white back drop with the boots and fisherman's net is intriguing than you add a title that hints at a female giant, I think it would be hard for a reader not to at least glance at this book.

4) Briefly discuss YA novels with teens of color but race is not a dominant factor in the story.

I'll begin where I ended, with Lucy the Giant, Smith makes mentions Lucy brown skin once. Lucy the Giant has nothing to do with the characters race but everything to do with her height. 15yr old Lucy is over 6 feet tall and her fathers drinking problem.

A la Carte by Tanita Davis - 17 yr old Lainey dreams of having her own vegetarian cooking show. I love the fact that Lainey is Black but the author doesn't try to do anything to prove this,she just is who she is. The fact that Lainey is Black doesn't have any bearing on this story or her dreams.

Finally The Making of Dr. TrueLove by Derrick Barnes. Diego is trying to figure out a way to win his girlfriend back. Diego's best friend convinces him to take on an online relationship persona. Susan and Edi, like it or not you must agree it has nothing to do with race.

Free Books

Ali is upping the book giveaway to get more people to participate with Roll Call and Diversity Rocks. Up for grabs two sets of five books. One set by Latino authors and the second set by Asian authors. And if you win you don't get one book but all five. Yes people, you can win five books for simply doing a few Roll Calls or linking a few diverse titles. So go check out what titles could be yours for the low low price of free. Diversity Rocks