Visiting a beach is a time for relaxation, rejuvenation and riveting reads. While you listen to the waves, let your eyes relax with a great book. I'm not talking about your average romance novel but books that discussing pressing issues in our society with diverse narratives. These are just a few awesome reads to keep you thinking after your vacation is over!
1. The Hate U Give
This book has been on my reading list for a long time. Not only is it becoming a major motion picture (starring Amandla Stenberg!), but this bestseller addresses relevant issues in today's society from a perspective we do not always hear from. I recommend this read for anyone who wants to gain an education on police brutality and its effect on a community while enjoying a great story.
2. Unaccustomed Earth
Although I read this book in an English class, it was one of the best novels I've read. Jhumpa Lahiri's work is a compiliation of short stories that tell the diverse tales of Indian immigrants in the United States. Not only was the book at times funny and very relatable, but it presents a narrative not awesome seen in mainstream literature. So please take a look!
3. We Were Liars
Not only does this book take place in the summer on an island, but it's an awesome read for anyone who likes fiction with a touch of reality. The main characters are interesting, at times controversial and incredibly well-developed. E. Lockhart explores wealth and its effects on a broken family whose members are living a lie, and the ending — well that's the twist you'll never expect!
4. To All The Boys I've Loved Before
If you're a hopeless romantic like me, you'll put this book on your reading list! Jenny Han presents the story of an Asian American girl whose had many crushes with little success. Instead, she writes them love letters; that all changes when they are released to the public, and her life turns upside down.
5. Educated: A Memoir
While listening to an interview of this novel's author, Tara Westover, I discovered that her life story was so interesting and riveting that I had to read this book. Tara Westover was born to devoutly religious survivalists who banned school and modern education from her life. Despite her challenging upbringing, she educated herself and began her own coming-of-age by herself. A must read!
6. Dear Martin
This book is funny, emotional, serious and inspiring. Be prepared to get all the feels if you read this. I loved how the narrator Justyce is real, honest and extremely relatable. While he balances both starkly white private school life and the realities of a rough neighborhood, he comes face to face with police brutality. This experience changes the way he sees the world, and as he copes with a riveting chain of events, he writes letters to Martin Luther King, or just Martin, to express the whirlwind of emotions he must contend with.
Powerful, impactful and important is what I'd say about this YA novel.
7. Little Fires Everywhere
I devoured this book in just a few days. Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere is a tantalizing mystery in suburbia involving an artist, teenagers and a Chinese baby who is put in the hands of a white family. While the lives of Ng's characters unfold, it's clear this novel reveals there is more than meets the eye when it comes to family and understanding where we stand in the world. For a fun beach read that will keep you on your toes, I definitely recommend!
