Begun in the Fall 2024 semester, SUNY Schenectady students and employees meet monthly to discuss fiction works that explore experiences and perspectives around the themes of heritage, awareness, and recognition months. New members are always welcomed. For more information reach out to libraryservices@sunysccc.edu
This program is intended to assist the College in meeting General Pillars One and Three, and specifically pillars 3.2 and 3.3 of the College's Strategic Plan.
Daughter of Fire
by
For a young woman coming of age in sixteenth-century Guatemala, safeguarding her people's legacy is a dangerous pursuit in a mystical, empowering, and richly imagined historical novel. Catalina de Cerrato is being raised by her widowed father, Don Alonso, in 1551 Guatemala, scarcely thirty years since the Spanish invasion. A ruling member of the oppressive Spanish hierarchy, Don Alonso holds sway over the newly relegated lower class of Indigenous communities. Fiercely independent, Catalina struggles to honor her father and her late mother, a Maya noblewoman to whom Catalina made a vow that only she can keep: preserve the lost sacred text of the Popol Vuh, the treasured and now forbidden history of the K'iche' people. Urged on by her mother's spirit voice, and possessing the gift of committing the invaluable stories to memory, Catalina embarks on a secret and transcendent quest to rewrite them. Through ancient pyramids, Spanish villas, and caves of masked devils, she finds an ally in the captivating Juan de Rojas, a lord whose rule was compromised by the invasion. But as their love and trust unfold, and Don Alonso's tyranny escalates, Catalina must confront her conflicted blood heritage--and its secrets--once and for all if she's to follow her dangerous quest to its historic end.
The Sign for Home
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When a young DeafBlind man learns the girl he thought was lost forever might still be out there, he embarks on a life-changing journey to find her--and his freedom. Arlo Dilly is young, handsome, and eager to meet the right girl. He also happens to be DeafBlind, a Jehovah's Witness, and under the strict guardianship of his controlling uncle and unscrupulous Tactile ASL interpreter. His chances of finding someone to love seem slim to none. And yet, it happened once before: many years ago, at a boarding school for the Deaf. Arlo met the love of his life--a mysterious girl with onyx eyes and beautifully expressive hands which told him the most amazing stories. But tragedy struck, and their love was lost forever. Or so Arlo thought. After years spent nursing his broken heart, Arlo attends a writing class where a new unfiltered interpreter is assigned to him. Against the wishes of his guardians, the new interpreter provides Arlo with access to a world he had no idea existed. Memories from his past are unlocked. Soon he wonders if the hearing people he was supposed to trust have been lying to him all along, and if his lost love might be found again. No longer willing to accept what others tell him, Arlo convinces his new best friends (his gay interpreter and a rebellious Belgian barista) to set off on a journey to learn the truth. Despite the many forces working against him, Arlo will stop at nothing to find the girl who got away and experience all of life's joyful possibilities. "Tender, hilarious and decidedly uplifting," (BookPage), The Sign for Home is a "poignant...riveting" (Los Angeles Times), fresh and charming romance that you won't soon forget.
Apple: Skin to the Core
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PRINTZ HONOR AWARD NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST A moving memoir-in-verse that chronicles one Native teenager's search for belonging The term "Apple" is a slur in Native communities across the country. It's for someone supposedly "red on the outside, white on the inside." In Apple (Skin to the Core), Eric Gansworth tells his story, the story of his family--of Onondaga among Tuscaroras--of Native folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds. Eric shatters that slur and reclaims it in verse and prose and imagery that truly lives up to the word heartbreaking. P R A I S E WINNER, AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH LITERATURE AWARD Best of the Year: TIME * NPR * Shelf Awareness * American Indians in Youth Literature "Stirring.... Raw and moving."--TIME "Beautiful imagery and with words that soar and scald."--The Buffalo News "Easily one of the best books to be published in 2020. The kind of book bound to save lives."-- LitHub "A powerful narrative about identity and belonging." --Paste Magazine ★ "Timely and important." --Booklist (starred) ★ "Searing yet dryly funny." --The Bulletin (starred) ★ "Exceptional." --Shelf-Awareness (starred) ★​ "Captivating​." --S​chool Library Journal (starred) ​
James: A Novel
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A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. From the "literary icon" (Oprah Daily), Pulitzer Prize Finalist, and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river's banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin...), Jim's agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a "literary icon" (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.
The Personal Librarian
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In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world as she helps build a world-class collection. But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle's complexion isn't dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white - her complexion is dark because she is African American.
The Other Americans
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NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME * Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture. Late one spring night in California, Driss Guerraoui--father, husband, business owner, Moroccan immigrant--is hit and killed by a speeding car. The aftermath of his death brings together a diverse cast of characters: Guerraoui's daughter Nora, a jazz composer returning to the small town in the Mojave she thought she'd left for good; her mother, Maryam, who still pines for her life in the old country; Efraín, an undocumented witness whose fear of deportation prevents him from coming forward; Jeremy, an old friend of Nora's and an Iraqi War veteran; Coleman, a detective who is slowly discovering her son's secrets; Anderson, a neighbor trying to reconnect with his family; and the murdered man himself. As the characters--deeply divided by race, religion, and class--tell their stories, each in their own voice, connections among them emerge. Driss's family confronts its secrets, a town faces its hypocrisies, and love--messy and unpredictable--is born. Winner of the Arab American Book Award in Fiction Finalist for the Kirkus Prize in Fiction Finalist for the California Book Award Longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize A Los Angeles Times bestseller Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, Time, NPR, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Dallas Morning News, The Guardian, Variety, and Kirkus Reviews
The Forest of Enchantments
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''One of the most strikingly lyrical voices writing about the lives of Indian women'' -- Amitav Ghosh ''Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni turns the Ramayana around by telling it in the voice of Sita ... this inversion is a gift - it presents us a with a way to know an already well-known story better and to love an already beloved story more'' -- Arshia Sattar ''This inspired evocation of the goddess Sita is an epic song of strength and solidarity told with joy and intensity. It brings to life the personalities and predicaments of the Ramayana'' -- Namita Gokhale ''Among the many, many Ramayanas there are now even - thankfully - some ""Sitayanas"", but I know of none with the special magic that Chitra Divakaruni ... brings to the telling'' -- Philip Lutgendorf ''Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni''s Sita ... is an epitome of courage and self-respect, showing a path for all women. While weaving a familiar story, Chitra provides deep and surprising insights'' -- Volga ''An incomparable storyteller'' -- Denver Post ''Divakaruni''s stories are irresistible'' -- The New York Times Book Review ''Divakaruni''s storytelling talents put her right up there with the best'' -- Miami Herald ''In recasting the Ramayan as a love story Divakaruni accords Sita parity with Ram, revealing her innate strength. By giving primacy to her thoughts and feelings this also becomes the private tale of Shri and Shrimati Ramchandra Raghuvanshi, two wonderful people who loved each other but who broke up. To readers well-acquainted with that tragedy of modern times, the failed marriage, it will appeal. The ending, however, surpasses all expectations.'' -- The Sunday Standard ''The success of both The Palace Of Illusions and The Forest Of Enchantments hinges acutely on the skill with which Divakaruni deploys the narratorial voice.'' -- Mint ''The Forest of Enchantments is one of the simplest and most beautiful retellings of Sage Valmiki''s epic.'' -- Jetwings ''Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni does justice to the women of Ramayana ... The Forest of Enchantments is not just a retelling of a much-told epic, rather it is a book that tells it like it is - balanced and non-judgmental.'' -- Huffpost ''A work ... of pluralities and possibilities ... This is the Sitayan we will give to our daughters, that they may imbibe Sita''s strength, and even more proudly to our sons, who will learn how a woman is to be treated'' -- The Wire ''Banerjee is markedly feminist ... Her spin on the most pivotal moment of Sita''s life, the agnipariksha episode, is a moment of feminist brilliance. Her Sita answers all the questions we would have had when listening to the Ramayana while leaving us with plenty of food for thought.'' -- The New Indian Express ''Divakaruni''s retelling reminds her readers that the Ramayana, besides being a morality tale, is a love story at its heart'' -- Huffpost ''