Books Under 200 Pages
Books that are under 200 pages is the first category on the 2020 Adult Summer Reading Challenge card. While you don’t have to go through the categories in the order they appear on the page, I started with the first block. I’ve been meaning to read Ghost by Jason Reynolds because it is a book that we get a lot of requests for and it meets the criteria for this category at 180 pages, so I went with it. The book is an easy read as it is geared toward middle grade readers. It’s about a middle schooler who inadvertently ends up joining the track team and the various highs and lows of his life - some resulting from choices he makes and some beyond his control. The story covers so many topics - childhood trauma, family violence, race, bullying, teen relationships with parents, income disparity, friendship, learning to be a better runner, learning to rely on other people. The book is well written and humorous in all the right ways. It’s a book that I wish was around when I was younger.
This is the first book in a series with each book focusing on a different member of the track team. Patina is the second book and it is slightly longer at 240 pages. Sunny is the third book and is slightly shorter at 158 pages. Lu is the fourth book in the series and is 240 pages. I enjoyed Ghost and after the reading challenge is over, I plan to read the rest of the series.
Other Summer Reading Challenge categories Ghost meets:
Adult Challenge: by a BIPOC author, a book you heard about online
Children’s Challenge (for middle school and high school aged readers): sports or an athlete, written by a BIPOC author, the cover is your favorite color (if you like yellow!)
Other suggestions from our Board of Directors for the Books Under 200 Pages category:
1. WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game by Abby Wambach
This book is an empowering rally cry for women based on the commencement speech Abby Wambach gave to Barnard College’s graduates in 2018. Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA World Cup champion.
2. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Moving back and forth in time, Jacqueline Woodson's writing uncovers the role that history and community played in the experiences, decisions, and relationships of the members of three generations of a family.
3. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide
Japanese poet, Takashi Hiraide, writes a book with beautiful and intricate descriptions of objects, places, and people. The book is about a couple who work from home and are visited by a cat every day.
4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Aparty by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe follows the life of Okonkwo, a local wrestling champion in the fictional Nigerian clan of Umuofia. The book is split into three parts, with the first describing his family, personal history, and the customs and society of the Igbo, and the second and third sections introducing the influence of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on Okonkwo, his family, and the wider Igbo community. Trigger warnings for violence/domestic violence.
5. By Night In Chile by Roberto Bolano
Roberto Bolano’s book was published posthumously and was written in stream of consciousness of a priest reflecting on his life in a feverish delirium in Chile. The whole book is two paragraphs.