Our #ILAchat tonight (May 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET) focuses on #OwnVoices texts and why students should have access to and be encouraged to seek out these types of stories. The term #OwnVoices was created by author Corinne Duyvis to describe books in which the author and the protagonist share a marginalized identity.
Although this movement might be gaining steam, the majority of books about diverse characters still aren’t written by members of the marginalized identity centered in these stories. That makes finding #OwnVoices texts difficult.
We want to make that a little easier. Here are some #OwnVoices books and reading lists featuring stories by authors from a marginalized population:
Reading list
Books from ILA Intensive: Nevada speakers
- Dealing in Dreams and The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera (@lilliamr)
Books from the Choices reading lists
- Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed (@aishacs)
- Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
- Checked by Cynthia Kadohata
- The Chinese Emperor’s New Clothes by Ying Chang Compestine
- The Day You Begin and Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (@JackieWoodson)
- Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome (@lclineransome)
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (@jewell_p_rhodes)
- Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly (@margotshetterly)
- The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani (@VeeraHira)
- Rebound by Kwame Alexander (@kwamealexander)
- Sewing the Rainbow: The Story of Gilbert Baker and the Rainbow Flag by Gayle E. Pitman
- Sisters & Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Howard Bryant
- Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard
- Undocumented: A Worker’s Fight by Duncan Tonatiuh (@duncantonatiuh)
- You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly (@erinentrada)
Books from authors who will be at Children’s Literature Day at the ILA 2019 Conference
- Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang (@KatZhang)
- Blue Jasmine by Kashmira Sheth (@kashmiraSheth)
- Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz (@cruzwrites)
- Fire in the Streets, The Rock and the River, and How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon (@KeklaMagoon)
- Hair Love, Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, and Little Dreamers: Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World by Vashti Harrison (@VashtiHarrison)
- Hammering for Freedom by Rita Lorraine Hubbard (@RitaLorraine)
- Jasmine Toguchi series by Debbi Michiko Florence (@DebbiMichiko)
- Like Vanessa by Tami Charles (@TamiWritesStuff)
- Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani (@nidhiart)
- The Princess and the Warrior, Funny Bones, Separate Is Never Equal, Diego Rivera: His World and Ours, and Dear Primo by Duncan Tonatiuh (@duncantonatiuh)
- We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell (@tracisorell)
- Watch Us Rise and Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson (@reneewauthor)
What resources do you use to find #OwnVoices texts? Let us know on Twitter by tagging us (@ILAToday) and using the hashtags #ILAchat and #OwnVoices.
Hope to see you tonight for our chat!
Wesley Ford is the social media strategist for ILA.