With everything that’s happened after the American Dirt fiasco, I was inspired to read only books by people of color and women for a year. This was decided this morning when I woke up.

I’ll be keeping track of them here, so this list will change as the year goes by.

Here’s what I’ve read so far and checked out of the library. I’m an avid comic-reader and check out DC’s Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean yesterday, and I won’t implement this rule for comics and graphic novels, but I will make a better effort to read comics illustrated and written by women going forward.

A few things you should know:

• I’m sticking to what I can find at the local library. I live in a small town and do my best to put books on hold, but it’s hard to find immigrant authors here sometimes.
• I rarely buy books, but will buy only books written by POC and women in case I decide to part with my money.
• Not every book is something new to me. I’ve moved around a lot and spent several years away from certain books near and to me, so some are re-reads.

List: this contains some of the stuff I read in January and February (some of it is pictured above)

January 2020

• With the Fire on High, Elizabeth Acevedo
• Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Ta-Nehisi Coates
• The Distance Between Us, Reyna Grande

February 2020

• Beloved, Toni Morrison
• The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (re-read)
• Maid, Stephanie Land

March 2020

• The Dirty Girls Social Club, Alicia Valdes-Rodriguez
• Instant Love, Jami Attenberg