#OwnVoices at Richland Library is a way for BIPOC staff to provide thoughtful and well-written book reviews, book lists , and blog posts. The series invites our customers to learn one more way we are continuing the conversation in our community and speaking our voice. These posts work to promote authors of marginalized groups and their work about the life experiences of these under-represented groups through their own perspectives. The series invites our customers to learn one more way we are continuing the conversation in our community and speaking our voice. 

Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices Honoring Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary: Cassie's Top 5 Artist

  • Cassie G.
  • Wednesday, October 25
It doesn't matter if it's the lyrics "I can't stand the rain, Against my window, I can't stand the rain" from Missy Elliot or the lyrics "Who you calling a B....!" from Queen Latifah blare out of radio. Once they do, listeners will automatically begin to vibe and finish the lyrics.
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Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: Sorrowland - A Review

  • Mahogany S.
  • Wednesday, July 27
"Going against tended to end more rightly, more justly, than going with. People were wrong. Rules, most of the time, favored not what was right, but what was convenient or preferable to those in charge."
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OWNVoices: Shady Baby

  • Cassie G.
  • Wednesday, July 06
From the New York Times Bestselling Duo Gabrielle Union-Wade and Dwayne Wade Jr.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OWNVoices: Blackout Book Review

  • Cassie G.
  • Thursday, June 23
Are you looking for #Blackgirlmagic for Black History Month? If so, Blackout is the book for you! Take a look at my review of the novel and see if entices you to read it.
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

#OwnVoices: Children's Books Reflection of 2021

  • Taelor J.
  • Thursday, June 23
Missed out on 2021 book releases? Don't worry, you can find #OwnVoices books published in 2021 for both younger and older children here. I don't forget to look out for what's to come in 2022!
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: The Mistress of Spices (Book Review)

  • Mona Verma
  • Thursday, June 23
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s bestselling book, The Mistress of Spices is an evocative classic; a magical, mystical tale of a clairvoyant who sells spices that can soothe your soul. The author says that she wrote this novel “in a spirit of play, collapsing the divisions between the realistic world of twentieth century America and the timeless one of myth and magic” in her “attempt to create a modern fable."
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Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: The City We Became - A Review

  • Mahogany S.
  • Thursday, June 23
What we are, what we’re made of, is many worlds coming together. Reality and legends. This world where we’re just people, and that world, where we can be miles-wide cities that just happen to be sitting a couple of feet across from each other because the laws of space, physics, don’t work the same way.
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Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: Me & Mama

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
In Cozbi A. Cabrera's Coretta Scott King Award-winning Me & Mama, the day begins with Mama sings "bright as sun" to welcome her young child to a brand new, exciting day.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: The Death of Vivek Oji

  • Ronisha J.
  • Thursday, June 23
"The Death of Vivek Oji is a propulsive, titanic book. Emezi doesn't simply tell stories; they create genres, making new stories, new characters, feel as forever as thunder, clouds, and betrayal." -Kiese Laymon
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Clean Getaway by Nic Stone (A Review)

  • Ariel H.
  • Thursday, June 23
How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma: Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED. Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either. Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home. What Not to Bring: A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.
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Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
To some, 1967 seems like it was so long ago, but that was only fifty-four years ago. Only fifty-four years ago, Richard and Mildred Loving were fighting the state of Virginia to recognize their marriage. Only fifty-four years ago, two people (who just happened to be different races) had to fight to legally show their love to the world.
Blog
Richland Library Lower Richland

#OwnVoices: The Impact of Mispronouncing a Name

  • Sandra A.
  • Thursday, June 23
A child's socioemotional well-being and worldview can be negatively impacted by someone's failure to pronounce their name properly and can even lead them to shy away from their own cultures and families.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

  • Ariel H.
  • Thursday, June 23
Take a journey with Bree Matthews, in this OwnVoices read, as she struggles with life after her mother's death, and prepares to embark on a journey at the University of North Carolina in their Early College program--a journey that will alter how she views the world and herself.
Blog
Richland Library Eastover

#OwnVoices: Say Her Name

  • Kimberly Jones
  • Thursday, June 23
In this YA non-fiction, Elliot graced us with a beautiful collection of poetry that showcased the intersectionality of being black and a woman.
Blog
Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: Between the World and Me

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
Angry. Scared. Tired. These are only a few of the words to describe how the Black community is feeling right now and how it has felt for the past four hundred years.
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

#OwnVoices: Class Act

  • Taelor J.
  • Monday, August 07
New Kid, the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal, is now joined by Jerry Craft’s powerful Class Act.
Blog
Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: The Undefeated

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
Unforgettable. Undeniable. Unflappable. Unafraid. These are just a few of the words that can be used to describe this Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-Winning book by author Kwame Alexander and illustrator Kadir Nelson.
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

#OwnVoices: Black History Is American History

  • Taelor J.
  • Thursday, June 23
Black History Month should not be just a time to celebrate African Americans who have paved the way for us all to thrive. It should be a time to challenge the stubbornly persistent tendency to teach Black History as a footnote to American history.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Bring On the Blessings (Book #1 of Blessings series)

  • Ariel H.
  • Thursday, June 23
When a post-Reconstruction African-American community succumbs to a desperate need for funds and purpose, its mayor puts the small town up for sale and finds a buyer in Bernardine Brown, who believes the town's sale to be a sign from God. 🏠🏠
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Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: The Women of Brewster Place - A Review

  • Mahogany S.
  • Thursday, June 23
Weaving together the truths and the myths of their lives, Gloria Naylor creates a powerful, moving portrait of the strengths, struggles, and hopes of black women in today's America. - Penguin Publishing
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OWNVoices: Hip-Hop Lollipop

  • Cassie G.
  • Thursday, June 23
Teeth brushing Music crushing Bass thumping Shoulders pumping Head rotation Jubilation!
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OWNVOICES: Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

  • Ariel H.
  • Wednesday, October 12
Vivian couldn’t decide what appealed to her more, hot coffee and fresh scones, or that man in the corner who looked like a tall mug of hot chocolate. ☕📚 Why choose?
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Celebrating Differences

  • Ronisha J.
  • Thursday, June 23
It is our job as parents and caretakers to ensure our children know that everyone deserves respect, regardless of differences. We all were uniquely crafted and it is our differences that makes the world so interesting.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

  • Ariel H.
  • Thursday, June 23
The nine stories in this collection feature four generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church's double standards and their own needs and passions.
Blog
Richland Library Eastover

#OwnVoices: Monday's Not Coming

  • Kimberly Jones
  • Thursday, June 23
Friends are like family. So, when your best friend goes missing what do you do. If you are anything like Claudia, you go looking for answers.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Sunny and Lu

  • Cassie G.
  • Thursday, June 23
Imagine finding the sound of rhythm in everything that goes on in the world. Now imagine doing it with Swag. That’s what Sunny and Lu bring to you as the last two books of Jason Reynolds Track Series. They both work to find the right rhythm on the team but Lu adds a dab of Swag to the mix.
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

#OwnVoices: Black Female Illustrators Spotlight

  • Taelor J.
  • Thursday, June 23
When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part. - We Need Diverse Books
Blog
Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: Toning the Sweep

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
If you've visited the library, you've likely had one of our library staff emphasize the importance of not only reading but that reading builds empathy.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat

  • Ronisha J.
  • Thursday, June 23
This autobiography lets us know that we do not have to remain in our circumstance. If we want better, we can work to achieve better. It is OK to get help from others along the way.
Blog
Richland Library Northeast

#OwnVoices: When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir

  • Dana M.
  • Thursday, June 23
I don’t often read the comment sections on social media anymore. I even stopped myself for a while after George Floyd’s murder. A simple Black Lives Matter comment on my part in support of the fact the Black lives do indeed matter caused quite a few people to come and try and educate me on the facts as they saw them about BLM, the organization not actual lives. My course of action was to recommend a memoir, When They Call You a Terrorist, a memoir by one of the Black Lives Matter founders Patrisse Khan-Culllors.
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

#OwnVoices: Crown

  • DJ Barber
  • Thursday, June 23
Derrick Barnes captures one of the most pivotal moments of a black boy’s life: his first haircut.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Children of Blood and Bone

  • Ariel H.
  • Thursday, June 23
Seventeen-year-old Zélie, her older brother Tzain, and rogue princess Amari fight to restore magic to the land and activate a new generation of magi, but they are ruthlessly pursued by the crown prince, who believes the return of magic will mean the end of the monarchy.
Blog
Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: The Vanishing Half - A Review

  • Mahogany S.
  • Thursday, June 23
The Vanishing Half is a bittersweet look into the lives of twin sisters and how they deal with separation, betrayal, abuse, and a changing world. The sisters deal with the oppressive weight of being black in a time where lynchings were still commonplace as children, where light skin is seen as preferential and passing for white is as taboo as it is desirable.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Ghost and Patina

  • Cassie G.
  • Thursday, June 23
In my opinion Jason Reynolds's work connects to everyone but especially kids in the same type of urban background that he himself is from. His style of writing draws people in regardless of age or race and that is something that I love in an author.
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Colorism in Genesis Begins Again

  • Ashley S.
  • Thursday, June 23
While there are lots of books, articles, and videos that highlight how to talk about race, Genesis Begins Again brings forward a new conversation surrounding the topic of colorism.
Blog
Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: The March Trilogy

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
On Friday, July 17, 2020, the world felt a little dimmer, as we lost Civil Rights leader and hero Congressman John Lewis. This was an immense loss that seemed to take away a light that shined so brightly, but we will always have this light.
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

#OwnVoices: New Kid

  • Taelor J.
  • Thursday, June 23
It is difficult to find books featuring black protagonists that kids today can relate to and that somewhat mirrors their everyday reality. I implore anyone that has or knows of a young person in middle school to share this book with them.
Blog
Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: Ghost Boys

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
The present and past collide in this children's novel about race, fighting for justice, and how the two impact young people.