Challenge Update: Better Reading and Diversity Challenge

Hello Friends! I hope you all had a great January reading month!! I read well in January with a some books that ticked off some prompts in my Better Reading and Diversity Challenge

I checked off a few prompts with these better books.

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

Book that explore a part of history. The Exiles explores a part of history set in 19 century Australia. The story explores a time when convicted women were transported on a slave boat to a penal colony in Australia.

Book that explore social justice for women. The story centers around three English female convicts being transported and an orphaned Aboriginal girl. It explores a time when women were oppressed, treated unfairly and less with themes that parallel with life today. It’s a hopeful story that shows the strength in the women as they leave behind their old lives and adapt to their new lives that are forced on them.

Books that explores a character of color and their challenges and social justice. The British government in the 1840s viewed Aboriginal people as savages and a nuisance. Their land was seized by white colonist and relocated. A small part of the story shows the struggles Mathinna faces when an English governor’s wife takes her in out of curiosity to see if she can turn a savage into a proper lady.

The Push by Ashley Audrain

Books that challenges or defies gender expectations and roles. The story challenges the expectation we have on women to be good mothers, bond with their children and raise the perfect children. The men are strong characters who don’t ground the female characters with their actions. Instead, we see how their expectations affected them, their wives, and their children

Book that explores uncomfortable realities or things we don’t like to talk about. The story explores motherhood and marriage while exploring those expectations we have about good mothers, the things mothers worry about, and the doubts Mothers have about their children.

Book that avoids harmful tropes while exploring multiply themes.
It would have been easy to fall into those harmful tropes like a bad mother and psychological tropes with this story; however Ashley Audrain pushes for better here.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Book with unseen characters that explores loneliness. The story explores the complexes we now face with identity, being seen and unseen, how people see us, how we see ourselves, being remembered and essential (needed) to someone, making our mark in the world and in people’s lives.The story explores loneliness through three unseen characters differently. One character who is forgotten after she is out of eyesight. She is unable to leave her mark by being remembered. Another character has many friends but feel unseen by them and he not enough for them. He feels too much and this makes him feel alone in those feeling. The other one longs for someone he can’t have.

Books that challenges or defy gender expectations and roles. The characters here are all strong characters who defy gender roles. We see their strengths, flaws and vulnerabilities though their struggles and not because of the roles they are expected to conform too.

Book with a strong female character using her voice Addie unable to leave her mark finds a way to use her voice in a unique way to leave her mark.

I would say I am off to a great start with some exciting books I highly recommend for better reading!!