Diversity is so multi-faceted in what it asks of literature and yet it’s only in recent years that it’s been gaining more acceptance. Growing up, I didn’t come across any books featuring multi-racial characters. That lack of representation made people like me invisible to readers. Only in the mid-2000s did such books start to gain traction, alongside books dealing with mental health. Books with LGBTQ themes followed suit beginning 2010s.
While diverse books still aren’t as prolific as I wish there were, I’m glad that they’re much more accessible. Sometimes I haul books without knowing they represent diverse themes, so it’s great that they end up more easily in the hands of readers than they did in the past. With that, I pulled out a bunch of my books from my shelves which I have yet to read. Knowing that these books give voices to minorities makes me look forward to them all the more.
That’s a lovely shot and a great set of books to read! It’s good to see you have quality diverse lit to look forward to.
Shadowshaper and Ari & Dante are each magical in their own way.
I reckon there’s a lot more of a push now for diverse books – and it’s honestly so awesome when I come across characters that I can relate to, because they’re such a good representation of me!