Library Guide for Diversity, Inclusion and Awareness: Recommended Novels

Set in the contemporary Paris of American expatraites, liasons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. James Baldwin's brilliant narrative delves into the mystery of loving with a sharp, probing imagination, and he creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the heart.

A collection of short stories set in India explores the adjustment of immigrants to a foreign land, the accommodations families make to the differences between generations, and the struggle to find a balance between the pull of home and the promise of change.

"Ramy is a closeted university student whose parents have died, and who lives under the close scrutiny of his strict brother and sister-in-law. They exert pressure on him to find a wife, leaving him anguished and struggling to find a balance between his sexuality, religion, and culture. Desperate for counsel, he seeks the advice of Ammar, a sheikh at a local mosque, whose tolerance is challenged by the contradictions between Ramy's dilemma and the teachings of the Qur'an, leading him to question his own belief system."

A gripping spy novel, an astute exploration of extreme politics, and a moving love story, The Sympathizer explores a life between two worlds and examines the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, film, and the wars we fight today"

Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school in Lambertville, Tennessee. Like any other girl, all she wants is to make and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret. There's a reason why she transferred schools for her senior year, and she's determined not to get too close to anyone. And then she meets Grant Everett. Grant is unlike anyone's she's ever met--open, honest, kind--and Amanda can't help but start to let him into her. As they spend more time together, she finds herself yearning to share everything about herself...including her past. But she's terrified that once she tells Grant the truth, he won't be able to see past it. Because the secret that Amanda's been keeping? Is that she used to be Andrew."

Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides.

As David K. Shipler makes clear in this study, the invisible poor are engaged in the activity most respected in American ideology - hard, honest work. But their version of the American Dream is a nightmare: low paying, dead-end jobs; the profound failure of government to improve upon decaying housing, health care, and education; the failure of families to break the patterns of child abuse and substance abuse.

Sprinkle tells the stories of fourteen representative LGBTQ victims whose lives were savagely cut short due to homophobia and transphobia. Relying on personal interviews and visits to the locations where these people lived, loved, and died, Sprinkle records the raw emotions, powerful movements for social change, and unexpectedly hopeful communities that arise from the ruins of those people whose only "offense" was to live as they were born to be.

Since her late--1990s debut as a member of the R&B trio Destiny's Child, Beyoncé Knowles has garnered both praise and criticism. While some consider her an icon of female empowerment, others see her as detrimental to feminism and representing a negative image of women of color.

With his compelling voice and unique perspective--as a Korean-born, Brooklyn-bred chef who found his soul in Kentucky--Edward Lee offers sixteen vibrant chapters in the fascinating and ever-evolving story of American cuisine. And forty recipes, created by Lee and inspired by the people he met around the country, bring these stories right into our own kitchens.