Are there any particular diverse books you read more and why? | Conversations #1

Conversations is a bimonthly meme hosted by Geraldine @ Corralling Books and Joan @ Fiddler Blue. It's a brand new meme, because it's the first edition! This week’s topic is: Are there any particular diverse books you read more and why?

Yes I read diverse books as much as I can but of course, I have my preferences. I have to admit that… I’m close to a stereotypical character in a YA book: I’m white, blonde and straight. For that, I never had problems to identify myself to heroines when I was younger, because there wasn’t nearly enough diversity. I’m so happy that we finally get to see diverse characters in fiction though, especially in young adult, which is a sign that our mentalities are starting to evolve.

Personally, I don’t read a lot of diverse books, because in fantasy –my favourite and most read genre- there aren’t nearly enough diverse characters. Still, the diverse books I read the most are about mental health and people of colours (or POC as they say) in general.

1. I read diverse books about mental health

This is a topic close to my heart. Indeed, I think I would be diagnosed with a form of anxiety if I went to see a specialist. Moreover, one of my brothers might be autistic –guys, it’s been four years we’ve been waiting to know if it’s that or something else, but they’re pretty slow- and it’s not easy every day, for him just like my family.

I don’t especially read books on anxiety and autism, though. About anxiety, I read Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella last year, which I really enjoyed, even if my anxiety isn’t that severe. Still, it allowed me to understand what Audrey was getting through. For autism, I loved that in Lady Midnight, one of the characters is autistic, even though Cassandra Clare never said it clearly and for that, I was so grateful. I liked that the characters were saying that others thought he wasn’t normal, because he didn’t think like typical Shadowhunters, but for them, he was a great brother than they loved. It’s really hard to face what people say of autistic people. For example, once, my ex-boyfriend insulted someone of autistic in front of me. I did a great thing by dumping him, ugh.

I’ve read other books about different mental health issues. For example, I was an ugly sobbing mess when I read Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone, last year. I intend to read more books about mental health in the future, and since the spring is here, I’m getting in a contemporary mood again so it’s going to happen!

2. I read diverse books about people of colours (POC)

In France, some people are still very racist and it’s been getting worse lately, because of what happened in Paris (amalgams…) but also with the rise of an extremist political party that is gaining more followers every week. I intend to read books about people from different ethnicities, because I want to understand their culture, the struggles they have to get through sometimes… I’m not saying I can fully understand but I can still have glimpses of it.

Of course, I don’t read books with diverse characters for that reason only, I read books that appeal to me. Indeed, it makes me even happier when fantasy worlds contain characters of different ethnicities, because it’s not something we see a lot in fantasy books. Moreover, I don’t read that many contemporary novels, because it’s not my favourite genre. For example, in The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead, which came out on Tuesday and that I finished recently, Mira, one of the main characters of the novel, came from a different country and had to deal with people’s racism, who basically considered she was worth half a girl like Adelaide, a main character from this land.

It’s important for me to see the struggles some people have to get through because of their ethnicity, since it’s something I never had to experience. For example in The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry, because Natalie was the only Native American character in her town and had been adopted, it was hard for her to find who she was exactly. Apparently, this book is problematic but I can’t really realize it, because it’s one of the first times I read about a Native American. Moreover, thanks to the many tales, I learnt about their culture, which I loved. I also loved Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, where Maddie was from two different cultures. In the historical novel Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee, set in late 19^th century, the two main characters were Afro-American for one and from a Chinese family for the other.  They had to deal with so many things, for example almost no one wanted to shake hands with Sammy, the Chinese character (!!).

I think it’s important to see characters from different ethnicities in a book, because if it’s not the case, it doesn’t feel realistic. When I’m in class and I look around me… Yes, white people are still in the majority, but there are so many people from different origins. And if fiction can’t even feel representative of our societies, what’s the point?

To conclude, I don’t read that many diverse books, because to have diverse characters… You have to read contemporary. I’m really happy that a movement like #WeNeedDiverseBooks now exists but I really want for it to happen in fantasy, because it’s so unrealistic.

Do you read diverse books? What diverse books you read the most? Do you have diverse book recommendations for me?