Good morning! (because yes, on the west coast, it is still morning).

Today, I’m hosting a discussion and giveaway in celebration of Armchair BEA. I’m a newbie to Armchair BEA (my first foray, and I’m a little late to the party), but let’s get going anyway. I will choose six winners at the end of the conference. You will find details about entering the giveaway at the end of this post.

First, the Armchair BEA official topic–diversity in books. Here is the discussion prompt:

Beyond the Borders 
It’s time to step outside your comfort zone, outside your borders, or outside of your own country or culture. Tell us about the books that transported you to a different world, taught you about a different culture, and/or helped you step into the shoes of someone different from you. What impacted you the most about this book? What books would you recommend to others who are ready or not ready to step over the line? In essence, let’s start the conversation about diversity and keep it going!

I’ll start. My first cultural awakening came from The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene. You’re thinking blonde, rich Nancy Drew, how is that diverse? For me and my generation, it was. When I was growing up, professional women were making some of their first inroads into the workplace. However, available careers were primarily related to nurturing roles–nurse, social worker, teacher, flight attendant. There were few women doctors or judges. I once saw an interview with Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor. She described driving around the Bay Area looking for work, armed with her impressive credentials–juris doctor with honors from Stanford. After days of driving up and down the peninsula, she finally landed a job. Legal secretary for a small law firm. Imagine! Later, of course, O’Connor was able to break free from society’s constraining rules.

In Nancy Drew, I saw my first heroine who did not follow the rules, who got things done, who protected the innocent. But George was the character who stirred my compassion. George, a tomboy, was so named because her father wanted a boy and, disappointed with a girl, gave her a boy’s name regardless. She was always trying to live up to his expectations. I really felt for George because her father refused to see her for who she was. She lived her life as a “less than…” I so admired Nancy Drew for her fierce protectiveness and acceptance of George.

Other books that compelled me to step outside myself and that taught me compassion and tolerance

include To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, and The God of Small Things by Aundhati Roy. These books remain among my favorites, both for their approach to a world of difference and for their powerful writing.

What about you? Tell us what books inspired your journey into diversity. Leave a comment, and you will be entered into my giveaway, which consists of:

1. $20 giftcard to Amazon or Book Depository (1 winner)

2.  Moonlight Dancer mug and signed postcard (2 winners, US only)

3. Moonlight Dancer ebook (3 winners)

I’m techno-challenged, so I will pick names from a hat and notify winners on Sunday. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment responding to the Armchair BEA prompt above. As always, thanks for reading!