Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Diversity in Literature

We Need Diverse Books.

A simple statement for a basic requirement.

Growing up, I didn't put much thought into whether I saw myself in books or not. As a young, white girl, I saw representations of me left and right. I read whatever books I could get my hands on, but most of them featured white protagonists. I never gave it much thought.

Going through high school and college, I started to notice books that didn't feature white characters. When I interacted with characters who were "different" I would get excited. It was new (to me) and a fascinating shift from my normal.

For the last few years, I have become more aware of the lack of diversity in media of every kind. I now know all of the positive changes that come from featuring diverse characters. I find myself judging books for not having diverse characters. I like books less when there's only white characters. I judge every piece of media I encounter by a new set of standards.

I'm still learning. This isn't something I can wake up and go, okay I'm fully done with this now. I don't have to worry about saying non-inclusive things. That'll never happen. But now I try to pay attention to the world around me. I try to feature and emphasize books that are about readers of every facet of life.

What's your favorite diverse book? Put it in the comments!

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