Respect U – Libraries Call to Action

Respect U aims to highlight that Class of 2019 community is comprised of thousands of unique stories, backgrounds, identities, and experiences.

The University of Minnesota–Twin Cities will welcome the Class of 2019 to campus next week. At more than 5,700 students, it is one of the University’s largest freshman classes on record. Following move-in on August 31 and September 1, the U of M will kick off its Welcome Week activities.

One significant event during the week is Respect U Day on Friday, September 4. The event will expose students to critical issues that are important to the student community by highlighting the importance of creating a caring and inclusive campus environment.

At the end of Respect U, students will receive a Call to Action – a tangible task that students will be asked to complete in their first semester. The Call to Action a student receives may be uncomfortable to them, or not, depending on their lived experience.

The University Libraries Call to Action

Read a book written by someone with a different identity than your own. Post a picture of yourself to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the cover of the book and the hashtag #calltoactionreads

Here is a list of suggested titles:

Shine, Coconut Moon
By Neesha Meminger
Sikh American; Young Adult

American Born Chinese
By Gene Luen Yang
Chinese American; Young Adult; Graphic Novel

Good Enough
By Paula Yoo
Korean American; Young Adult

Americanah
By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Nigerian American; Immigrant

World’s Strongest Librarian
By Josh Hanagarne
Invisible disabilities; Memoir

Kindred
By Octavia Butler
African American; Time Travel

Lilith’s Brood (Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago)
By Octavia Butler
African American; Science Fiction

The Plague of Doves
By Louise Erdrich
Native American; Minnesota Author

Bonesetter’s Daughter
By Amy Tan
Chinese American

Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Diaz
Dominican-American; Immigrant; First generation

Beloved
By Toni Morrison
African American

The Translation of Dr Apelles: A love story
By David Treuer
Native American; Minnesota author

The Big Sea: An autobiography
By Langston Hughes
African American; Memoir

Gardens in the Dunes
By Leslie Marmon Silko
Native American; Young Adult

How it went Down
By Kekla Magoon
African American; Young Adult

The Kite Runner
By Khaled Hosseini
Afghani; Immigrant

Love in the time of Cholera
By Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Colombian

Unbearable Lightness of Being
By Milan Kundera
Czech

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
By Marjane Satrapi
Iranian; YA; Graphic novel; Memoir

The Color Purple
By Alice Walker
African American

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
By Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Mexican American; Young Adult

Two Boys Kissing
LGBTQ; Young Adult

Death Wore a Smart Little Outfit
LGBTQ; Mystery

Artifice
By Alex Woolfson
LGBTQ; Graphic Novel; Science Fiction; Young Adult

Green Fairy
LGBTQ; Fantasy

Landing
By Emma Donoghue
LGBTQ

The Kappa Child
Japanese American; LGBTQ

Vietnamese Children’s Favorite Stories
By Phuoc Thi Minh Tran
Vietnamese American; Children’s; Minnesota Author

Maurice
By E. M. Forster
LGBTQ

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
By Sherman Alexie
Native American

History of White People
By Nell Irvin Painter
Race theory; History; Non-Fiction

Fun Home
By Alison Bechdel
LGBTQ; Graphic Novel