: For Students, Faculty, and Staff 
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
