Welcome to In Reading Color, a space where we focus on literature by and about people of color.
I don’t know how many of you heard about the latest in American Girl Doll news, but the doll company decided to come for millennials’ edges and release TWO (there being two of them somehow made it worse) dolls with historical character backstories…from the ’90s. And they made sure it was 1999 to be extra shady. Naturally, we were in our feelings, because it wasn’t that long ago. But then I got to thinking.
And I came to the conclusion that yes, yes it was. There’s been debate over whether fiction set in the ’90s should be considered historical for the same reason, and I admit my previous hesitation with that, but I’ve started to see the light. When I think back to the ’90s, first of all, I was barely aware of my own existence for most of them, but what I do remember seems like so long ago. I mean, 2020 feels long ago, too, but the distance between now and the ’90s hits different. From our technology to how we even address each other has changed drastically. Thinking about it got me thinking about the time in general, and had me remembering what I liked about it (because nostalgia is convenient like that), and wanting to read some books that were set in that time. If you want to get into some ’90s nostalgia with me, I’ve got a few books for you.
Before we get into that, though, make sure to check out Book Riot’s newest newsletter, The Deep Dive, full of informed takes, useful advice, and more from experts in the world of books and reading. Subscribe and choose your membership level today at bookriot.substack.com
Bookish Goods
Reading Rainbow Inspired Enamel Pin by PinBotShop
LeVar Burton + the ’90s. Name a more iconic duo (I’ll wait). Get into this nostalgia for $10.
New Releases
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Vera Wong rises early and wonders why young folk don’t do the same. Actually, she wonders why a lot of people don’t do things she does or take her advice. Especially when she finds a body in her all but forgotten little tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown. She has advice for the police investigating the death — which they don’t seem to appreciate — and some advice for the suspects she’s gathered together…yeah, this is as silly and cute as it sounds, and I feel like I’ve met a few aunties like Vera in my day.
Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain
Here’s another mystery for you! This one takes place in New York City and follows Bobby Singh, an immigrant and single parent who is trying his best to achieve the American Dream. When his introverted daughter Angie finds one of her wealthy classmates stabbed in a football field, police think Chiara Thompkins, a Black runaway, is responsible. But we already know things aren’t always quite what they seem, and what gets revealed about the community, families, and even Angie’s own part in things is shocking.
More New Releases
Red London by Alma Katsu (Mystery/Thriller)
Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai (Fantasy)
Dispatches From Puerto Nowhere: An American Story of Assimilation and Erasure by Robert Lopez (Memoir)
Dust Child by Que Mai Phan Nguyen (Literary fiction)
Everyday Grand: Soulful Recipes for Celebrating Life’s Big and Small Moments by Jocelyn Delk Adams (Cookbook)
We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian (Nonfiction, True Crime)
I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu (Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller)
The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy (Young Adult, Fiction)
A Bit of Earth by Karuna Riazi (Middle Grade, Poetry)
The Book That No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade (Middle grade picture book)
Turtles of the Midnight Moon by María José Fitzgerald (Middle Grade, Magical Realism)
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
This YA novel takes place around the time Rodney King was brutally beaten by police. Until that happens, Ashley is living well — she’s been spending her high school senior year at the beach and California’s sunny days are peaceful. But once people see the recording of the beating, and L.A. is thrown into chaos, her wealthy Black family suddenly becomes fractured and the friends she thought she had remind her that she’s Black before she’s anything else.
Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang
In this collection of stories, Zhang details what it’s like to grow up the daughter of Chinese immigrants in New York City. Zhang’s girls are shy, loving, cruel, and creative, but most of all, they are trying their best to make a space for themselves in the world. Though some of the 1960s Cultural Revolution in China is shown, the stories take place mostly in the ’90s.
My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
This is the first of a series that actually started in the ’90s. In it, Jessica and David are happily married, but Jessica always feels that despite her husband’s seeming perfection, there’s something he’s withholding. Turns out that something is that David is a 400-year-old immortal who traded his humanity for immortality as part of an Ethiopian sect. Now, his sect wants David to leave his family. Instead, he tries to bring Jessica and their daughter into the fold. But Jessica may not be willing to make the sacrifice that’s required.
Honorable mention: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
I’m only briefly mentioning this one because it does, in fact, take place in the ’90s, but it also has literally over 1 million ratings on Goodreads and has been made into a show staring two of the biggest actresses working now, so I’m sure you’ve heard of it.
Thanks for reading; it’s been cute! If you want to reach out and connect, email me at erica@riotnewmedia.com or tweet at me @erica_eze_. You can find me on the Hey YA podcast with the fab Tirzah Price, as well as in the In The Club newsletter.
Until next time,
Erica