Brandywine Diverse Reading Spring Semester 2022
This semester, we’re hoping you’ll again join Vairo Library in diversifying our reading lists.
In February, we hope you will pick up a short story, novel, essay, or book by a Black author. Scroll down for some suggestions to get you started!
In March, we hope you’ll dig into anything written by an author who identifies as a woman. If you need help getting started, please check out this list!
In April, we would love you to join us in reading works by authors who are neurodiverse. Here is a link a little more information about what that means and some suggestions to get you started!
Follow along on social media, join us on our Teams page, and comment on this site if you have questions, comments, or want to share what you’re reading!
Finally, join us for book chats on February 25, March 25, and April 22. We’ll meet at 3pm – location TBD.
Suggested Readings for February 2022
This February, we are highlighting works by Black Americans. The list below is a jumping off place for you to find inspiration and add to your “to be read” shelf!
(*PSU login required to access/borrow)
Essays:
Ta-Nehisi Coates. “The Cancellation of Kaepernick.” New York Times Nov 23 2019*
Hannah Giorgis. “The Unwritten Rules of Black TV.” Atlantic. Oct 2021.
Nikole Hannah-Jones. “The Idea of America” in The 1619 Project. New York Times Magazine Aug 18 2019*
Short Stories:
N.K. Jemisin. “Sunshine Ninety-Nine.” Popular Science, August, 2015*
Brandon Taylor. “French Absolutism.” Joyland. January 2022
Novels:
Kacen Callander. Felix Ever After*
Terry McMillan. It’s Not All Downhill From Here.*
Jessmyn Ward. Salvage the Bones.*
Colson Whitehead. Harlem Shuffle.*
Non-Fiction:
Sarah Broom. The Yellow House.*
Roxane Gay. Hunger: A Memoir of (my) Body*
Saeed Jones. How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir.*
Pauli Murray. The Autobiography of a Black activist, feminist, priest, and poet.*
Suggested Readings for March 2022
This March, we are highlighting works by authors who identify as women. Below is a short list of works to get you started about your pick this month. Share what you’re reading and what you’re learning on social media using #BWDiverseReads22 or add as a comment on this post!
(*PSU login required to access/borrow)
Essays:
Jill Lepore. “The Last Amazon.” The New Yorker. Aug 2014.*
Jia Tolentino. “Simple Plans.” The New Yorker. Feb 3 2020. *
Short Stories:
Angela Carter. “The Company of Wolves.” Ecotone. 2013.
Shirley Jackson. “The Lottery.” The New Yorker. June 1948. *
Carmen Maria Machado. “Mary When You Follow Her.” Virginia Quarterly Review. 2018. *
Novels:
Louise Erdrich. The Sentence: a novel. *
Otessa Moshfegh. My Year of Rest and Relaxation*
Torrey Peters. Detransition, Baby.*
Non-Fiction:
Blair Braverman and Quince Mountain. Dogs on the Trail: A Year in the Life*
Grace M. Cho. Tastes like War: A Memoir*
Fiona Hill. There is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century.*
Suggested Readings for April 2022
This April, we are focusing on works by authors who are neurodiverse. What is neurodiversity?
Coined in the 1990s, “neurodiversity” is often associated with the autism spectrum, but proponents use the term far more broadly. The National Symposium on Neurodiversity at Syracuse University defines it as “a concept where neurological differences are to be recognized and respected as any other human variation.” As Paul McFedries puts it on Word Spy, “The neurodiversity movement is based on the belief that there is no such thing as ‘normal’ when it comes to the human mental landscape.” The implication is that, whether someone has a chronic condition such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, a mental illness such as schizophrenia, or no condition at all, every mind is different in some way. And some minds just need support rather than cures.
Peters, M. (2017, Jun 15). Neurodiversity: When you’re not flawed, just mentally different. Boston Globe.
The following list is only a start of authors who have identified themselves as neurodiverse individuals.
(*PSU login required to access/borrow)
Essays:
Julia Bascom. “Quiet Hands.” Just Stimming … [Blog.] Oct 2011.
David Finch. “Somewhere Inside, a Path to Empathy.” The New York Times. May 2009.*
Ido Kedar. “History Repeats Itself.” Ido in Autismland [Blog.] Dec 2019.
Sarah Kurchak. “Autistic People are Not Tragedies.” The Guardian. Apr 2015.
Novels:
Laurie Hals Anderson. The Impossible Knife of Memory.*
Helen Hoang. The Kiss Quotient*
Rivers Solomon. An Unkindness of Ghosts*
Non-Fiction:
Allison Britz. Obsessed: A Memoir of My Life with OCD.*
Naoki Higashida. The Reason I Jump: The Inner-voice of a 13-year Old Boy with Autism.*
Anand Prahlad. The Secret Life of a Black Aspie.*
John Elder Robinson. Look me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s*