Diversity Awareness
RACE AND RACISM
The Harrison Public Library aspires to be the center of information and discovery in the community. The reading resources provided by the Harrison Public Library are meant to encourage learning, discussion, and exploration. This list is intended to be a starting place for exploring racism, prejudice, discrimination, and inequity and we hope to promote conversations and informed views on these issues. Our reading lists are not endorsements of any opinion, websites, organizations, or publishers.
Books for Adults
- Thick and other essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom
- When they call you a terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
- Dying of whiteness by Jonathan Metzl
- How to be an antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- I can’t breathe by Matt Taibbi
- Me and white supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- White Fragility by Robin J. DiAngelo
- Raising white kids by Jennifer Harvey
- So you want to talk about race by Ijeoma Oluo
- Stamped from the beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
- Stay woke by Justin Michael Williams
- On account of race by Lawrence Goldstone
- The Address Book by Deirdre Mask
- Driving While Black by Gretchen Sullivan Sorin
- Overground Railroad by Candacy A. Taylor
- What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker by Damon Young
Books for Children
- Not My Idea: A Book about Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham
- Something Happened in Our Town by Ann Hazzard
- The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
- Sulwe by Lupito Nyong’o
- I Am Enough by Grace Byers
- Black Brother Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
- The Usual Suspects by Maurice Broaddus
- Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
- A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
- Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
Books for Young Adults
- All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
- Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
- Breakout by Kate Messner
- The Hate you Give by Angie Thomas
- How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Uwiringiyimana, Sandra
- I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal
- Black Boy White School by Brian Walker
- Monster by Walter Dean Myers
- Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America
- Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson
- YA-Graphic Novels- recommendations for Black History month
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
- Nevertheless, We Persisted: 48 voices of Defiance, Strength, and Courage
- Our stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America edited by Amy Lynn Reed
- Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
- American Street by Ibi Aanu Zoboi
Online Resources
- TED Talk Playlist: Talks to Help You Understand Racism in America
- Race Forward: What is Systemic Racism?
- Talking About Race
- The 1619 Project
ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH (and every month!) READING LIST
Books for Adults
- All you can ever know by Nicole Chung
- Bengali Harlem and the lost histories of South Asian America by Vivek Bald
- The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui
- If They Come for Us: Poems by Fatimah Asghar
- The Leavers By Lisa Ko
- We Too Sing America by Deepa Iyer
- Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
- The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
- Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
- The namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
- Girls burn brighter by Rao Shobha
- Minor feelings : an Asian American reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
- Dear America : notes of an undocumented citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
- The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Books for Kids
- Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
- Drawn Together by Minh Lee
- The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kaila Yang
- Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed
- Grandpa Grumps by Katrina Moore
- Sumo Joe by Mia Wenjen
- Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang
- Ohana Means Family by Loomis, Ilima
- Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi
- Jasmine Toguchi series by Debbi Michiko Florence
- Mindy Kim series by Lyla Lee
- Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai
- Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim
- The Best At it by Maulik Pancholy
- When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
- Any Day With You by Mae Respicio
- A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
- Kudo Kids series by Maia and Alex Shibutani
- The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
Books for Young Adults
- Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
- There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon
- The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
- The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan
- The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
- Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
Online Resources
- Smithsonian Institution – Asian America
- Smithsonian Institution – Learning Together
- Japanese American Relocation
- Cherry Blossom Festival
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
READ WITH PRIDE
Books for Adults
- Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
- Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
- Less: A Novel by Andrew Sean Greer
- Little Fish by Casey Plett
- Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen
- River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
- Speak No Evil: A Novel by Uzodinma Iweala
- Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride
- An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
- Willa & Hesper by Amy Feltman
Books for Children
- And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
- Better Nate than Ever by Tim Federle
- The Flower Girl Wore Celery by Holly Clifton-Brown
- Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender
- I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel
- Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
- Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack
- Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall
- Sparkle Boy by Lesléa Newman
- This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman
Books for Teens
- Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
- Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
- I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
- Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
- The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
- The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
- Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
- What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson
- The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
- The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
- The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper