This summer we are highlighting #OwnVoices books. #OwnVoices, a hashtag created by Corinne Duyvis, highlights books that are written by an author that shares a marginalized identity with the protagonist because the best people to represent a marginalized group are those who experience that marginalization. We love being able to share these great books by amazing authors with you!
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Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
Patron Saints of Nothing is a coming-of-age young adult novel about Jay, a Filipino-American teenager who has grown up in the United States with occasional childhood visits to the Philippines. He and his cousin Jun were close as children, but grew apart as Jay's life became filled with school, friends, and video games. Jay is looking forward to coasting through his senior year when he receives word that Jun has been killed, a casualty of President Duterte's war on drugs. His family will not talk about Jun's death, and his desire to learn the truth sends him on a voyage to the Philippines. Once there, Jay is sure he can uncover the person to blame for Jun's death, but the story is much more complicated than he realizes. He also must come to grips with his guilt over losing touch with his cousin, forge new relationships with his extended family, and connect with his heritage.
The reader is drawn into Jay's journey of discovery, identity, loss, grief, growth, and acceptance. This book brought a personal perspective and immediacy to the devastation of Duterte's war on drugs and the thousands of lives lost.
"None of us are just one thing, I guess. None of us. We all have the terrible and amazing power to hurt and help, to harm and heal. We all do both throughout our lives. That's the way it is.”
Author Randy Ribay was born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest. He explains in interviews that he was moved to become a writer in large part due to the lack of stories about people like him when he was growing up in Michigan. He is very conscious of the fact that while he was born in the Philippines, he has spent the majority of his time in America. In this story he is sharing his voice and giving us all a window into his life as a Filipino-American.
Patron Saints of Nothing is this year's All Iowa Reads selection for teens. The purpose of All Iowa Reads is to foster a sense of unity through reading. Iowans statewide are encouraged to read and talk about a single book title in the same year. Libraries, book clubs, schools and local organizations are encouraged to sponsor discussion.
New this year, the Iowa Center for the Book will host virtual author visits with each of the All Iowa Reads authors! The webinars will be open to the public and will last about an hour; attendees will be able to submit questions via the chat function. See the full virtual visit schedule and register!
The adult All Iowa Reads selection is Little Faith by Nickolas Butler and the children's selection is Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai. Pick one up and be part of the discussion!
"Frank Li has two names. There's Frank Li, his American name. Then there's Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Frank barely speaks any Korean. He was born and raised in Southern California. Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl—which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. Brit, who is funny and nerdy just like him. Brit, who makes him laugh like no one else. Brit . . . who is white. As Frank falls in love for the very first time, he's forced to confront the fact that while his parents sacrificed everything to raise him in the land of opportunity, their traditional expectations don't leave a lot of room for him to be a regular American teen. Desperate to be with Brit without his parents finding out, Frank turns to family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar bind. Together, they come up with a plan to help each other and keep their parents off their backs. Frank thinks he's found the solution to all his problems, but when life throws him a curveball, he's left wondering whether he ever really knew anything about love—or himself—at all."
"In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives. Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people... In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal's office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance—and Papi's secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they've lost everything of their father, they learn of each other."
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