By Willow Symonds
Staff Writer
Diversify Your Bookshelf introduces readers to books written from marginalized perspectives, including racial minorities, LGBTQ+ people, disabled individuals, and more. These books come in all genres and targeted age groups, so there’s something for everyone.
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Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (2021)
Genre: Young Adult Mystery; Romance
Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine was born into secrets and scandal. She was excited to leave the Upper Peninsula for UofM’s medical school, but family tragedy kept her at home. Only by staying in Sault Saint Marie does she meet Jamie, the high school’s newest hockey star. Although Daunis has a feeling Jamie is hiding something, she doesn’t expect him to be the other witness in a shocking murder. Both Daunis’ and Jamie’s backgrounds come to light when she begins helping the F.B.I. find whoever created a super drug affecting reservations across the Midwest. Her medical knowledge and understanding of her Obijwe culture may help her track down the Meth-X source, but her desperation to save the community from more trauma keeps unearthing old scars.
“Firekeeper’s Daughter” is a young adult debut novel that also appeals to adults, being informative of Ojibwe culture and their struggles while centering a strong, smart female lead. Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of Sault Saint Marie’s Chippewa Tribe, expertly layers several storylines and characters into one slow-paced, cohesive narrative.
Confessions by Kanae Minato (2008)
Genre: Literary Thriller
Yūko Moriguchi, a middle school teacher in suburban Japan, resigns after her four-year-old daughter, Manami, dies on campus. On her last day, though, she tells her story to her homeroom class: her mundane life leading to this job, her struggles with being a recent single mother, and the fact she knows which students killed her daughter. Though she doesn’t name these two students, she lets the chaos begin. The murderers and their classmates must face the consequences for their actions, even if said actions weren’t obvious until redemption is too late.
Translated from Japanese, “Confessions” follows multiple characters in their phone calls, written letters, blog posts, diaries, or other ways they recorded their perspectives. Kanae Minato knows how to keep every reader engaged in only 228 pages, as the unconventional twists and turns don’t stop until the very end.
Crier’s War by Nina Varela (2019)
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy; LGBTQ+ Romance
The War of Kinds ended almost 50 years ago, with humans losing control of the magical machines they created in their own self-image. Like all Automae in the Automa Era, Lady Crier doesn’t suffer from human needs and wants – but then her husband-to-be reveals something disturbing about how she was Made. Automae can’t feel love, so what could she be feeling for her new human handmaiden, Ayla? What she doesn’t know is that Ayla’s climbed the ranks through the sovereignty to close in on Crier – all to get the revenge Ayla’s plotted for years.
“Crier’s War” combines alchemy with political intrigue in this unique fantasy setting where LGBTQ+ characters are more common than not. The story switches between the title character and Ayla’s perspectives, showing readers the two girls’ growing relationship and how it impacts the world around them. Readers can continue this journey with the sequel “Iron Heart.”
