What do I read next?

Library Journal

With the growing popularity of authors such as Toni Morrison and Louise Erdrich, there is a rising demand for similar books by other minority writers. The latest in Gale's "What Do I Read Next" series (What Mystery Do I Read Next?, LJ 4/1/97 and What Do I Read Next? on CD ROM, LJ 3/1/97), this volume should assist readers and librarians with these quests. Divided into sections covering African American, Asian American, Latino, and Native American authors, the book highlights titles published mainly between the late 1980s and 1996. Sections begin with an overview of the literature and a brief discussion of current publishing. Each of the 1350 entries provides the author/illustrator's name and ethnicity; the book's title, publisher, and date of publication; general subject headings and reading age levels; major characters, time period, and locale together with the plot summary; awards; where the book had been reviewed; and other books by the author as well as similar titles of interest. Nine indexes allow a search by author, title, illustrator, subject, reading-age level (it is not evident until the end of the introduction that the book includes children's and young adult titles), geographic location, time period, character name, and character description. Although the primary focus is on current popular fiction, general nonfiction and biographies occasionally appear. Not all titles published by highlighted authors are listed, and although many authors may have several title entries, other authors' books are mentioned only as suggested reading or not at all. Still, this work provides methods for assisting readers seeking multicultural fiction that are not available in other reference sources. Works such as Wilson's ongoing Fiction Catalog and the CD-ROM database NoveList, introduced by CARL in 1994, allow searching for ethnic groups as subjects but for authors by ethnic groups. This book will complement Lyn Miller-Lachmann's bibliography, Global Voices, Global Visions (Bowker, 1995), which examines multicultural literature from a world view. Recommended for libraries looking to enhance reader's advisory services.Elaine M. Kuhn, Allen Cty. P.L., Fort Wayne, Ind.