Our next post is a conversation between educators about a specialized book club in Portland, Maine, USA. They discuss book club title selection, favorite international mysteries, and the problems with "translation" in a beloved series. Enjoy! - Rebecca Starr My name is Lynn Lawrence-Brown, and I am a Taiwanese-American teacher librarian working at Shrewsbury International … Continue reading #WITMONTH 2025: International Women of Mystery
#INTYALITMONTH: Feminism, Storytelling & the Power of the Graphic Novel
Written by Angela Erickson From Skeptic to Enthusiast (Again!) When I wrote recently about my evolving relationship with graphic novels, I focused on the nonfiction science titles in translation that had caught me by surprise. I wrote about those first because they were what I have been reading most recently, but it was not graphic … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Feminism, Storytelling & the Power of the Graphic Novel
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu
The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu is the engagingly told story of a lesser-known figure from an important part of 20th century history, Edith Garrud. A 2024 GLLI Translated YA Book Prize Honor Book, this superb nonfiction graphic novel connects the dots between women’s suffrage, their personal freedom, and their ability to … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu
#IntlYALitMonth Review: Funeral Songs for Dying Girls
Review by Tânia Cerqueira Please note: I am a non-Indigenous reader who grew up in Portugal, a country known for its colonial exploitation and genocide. Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline (author of The Marrow Thieves [2017] and its sequel, Hunting by Stars [2021]) is a poignant and beautifully written story that explores the … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Funeral Songs for Dying Girls
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Fire from the Sky
Fire from the Sky is the beautifully evocative story of Ánte, a young Sámi reindeer herder. Ánte loves his land and herding reindeer; he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. But as the book begins, he has just realized he is attracted to his long-time good friend, Erik, who has a girlfriend but also … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Fire from the Sky
#EndangeredAlphabets: Succeed at Your Peril
Topographic map in the Bamum script from early 20th-century Cameroon. Image courtesy of the Incunabula Library. Creating a new script for an indigenous people during a colonial era is a two-edged sword. The desire to claim and assert one’s cultural identity may provide the driving force that sustains an author through the long, hard work … Continue reading #EndangeredAlphabets: Succeed at Your Peril
#EndangeredAlphabets: Trotting Out Camels
“Save our language” in the Zaghawa language and the Beria script, in which each letter resembles a camel branding symbol. Carved by the author. Right, let’s get this month going. Let’s head out into the fascinating world of Indigenous and minority scripts. And let’s start by talking about camels. I’m trotting out camels, so to … Continue reading #EndangeredAlphabets: Trotting Out Camels
#Veganuary: The Postcolonial Animal: African Literature and Posthuman Ethics
The Postcolonial Animal: African Literature and Posthuman Ethics by Evan Maina Mwanga African culture is intimately connected with animals, from literature to spirituality; non-human animals are central to African beliefs and practices. Animals are featured extensively in African literature and are prominent in philosophy and political movements. But despite this, Africans are rarely featured in … Continue reading #Veganuary: The Postcolonial Animal: African Literature and Posthuman Ethics
#DegrowthLitMonth: Hospicing Modernity
Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity's Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism, by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira Published by: North Atlantic Books Pages: 304 Publish date: Sep 21, 2021 ISBN 9781623176242 A challenging yet important book for anyone involved in trying to change the world, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira asks us "are we doing really enough?" … Continue reading #DegrowthLitMonth: Hospicing Modernity
#DegrowthLitMonth: Sand Talk
Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, by Tyson Yunkaporta 256/288 pages Publisher: Harper One in the United States ISBN: 978-0062975621 Publisher: Text publishing in Australia Published: 3rd Sept 2019 ISBN: 9781922790514 In Sand Talk, Tyson Yunkaporta brings an Indigenous perspective to various aspects of our lives, including money, eduction, power, economics and … Continue reading #DegrowthLitMonth: Sand Talk
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 