In My Mailbox

This week I had a library request come in and books in the mail. Overall a great week. Kristi at Story Siren created In My Mailbox. Marcia hosts Mailbox Monday and I focus on multicultural lit with New Crayons at Color Online. Here are a few of our goodies for the week:

Song of The Buffalo Boy by Sherry Garland. Saw this at Chasing Ray. This week, Colleen is hosting One Shot: SE Asia Round-up. If you haven't check it out, do. Great round-up of posts featuring works by SE authors or about SE characters. I read Alyssa's review at Teens Read and Write, and knew I wanted to read it. I picked up this copy at the library.

Seventeen-year-old Loi, whose father was an American soldier, is ostracized by her fellow villagers because she is con-lai, a half-breed. Loi has been promised to a cruel older man, but rather than marry him, she flees to Ho Chi Minh City, and along with thousands of other Amerasians, she begins the confusing process of applying for the Amerasian Homecoming Program.

She's So Money by Cherry Cheva. This came in a box of donations. While I was not impressed with the story (see my review here), I am glad to have a copy for our shelves. I don't have to like a book. My aim is to provide our readers with as much diversity as I can.

1 overachieving girl+ 1 insanely cute guy + 1 massive fine + 1 scheme involving a little dishonesty and a whole lot of cash?

The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin. Really stoked to get this. I follow this poet/feminist on Twitter. She's an activist and like all activists, she has plenty to say. The downside is I can't afford to buy every book I want so I requested my library did and I got a call yesterday. Before getting the book, I was impressed but when I read Dorothy Allison and Walter Mosely both endorsed the memoir, I was, "Hot damn!" If you don't know who Allison and Mosely are let it suffice to say they are highly respected writers.

Staceyann Chin, acclaimed and iconic performance artist, now brings her extraordinary talents to the page in a brave, lyrical, and fiercely candid memoir about growing up in Jamaica. She plumbs tender and unsettling memories as she writes about drifting from one home to the next, coming out as a lesbian, and finding the man she believes to be her father and ultimately her voice. Hers is an unforgettable story told with grace, humor, and courage.