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To me the word DIVERSITY means differences, acceptance, and being proud of who you are. The dictionary's definition of Diversity is: "the state of being diverse; variety; a range of different things." I feel that books need to do a better job at embracing diversity.
In our day in age we have this incredible selection of books. Unlike when I was growing up, you can now find just about any kind of book you're looking. So why is there an issue with diversity in books? Diversity in books should be a given. At least that's what I think. Books are amazing. Some books reflect the world around us, others allow us to imagine our own incredible worlds that we'd want to escape to for a bit, other's give us perspective, teach us something, and provide us an education. Regardless, books offer so much to the reader. Whether it's to escape real life for a bit, to be a shoulder to lean on, a place to find our voice, or to gain experience from, books are essential.
Growing up a reader, books made an impression on me at a young age. They taught me things, and introduced me cultures and different ways of life that existed outside of my own. I was amazed, and fascinated to learn anything and everything I could from reading. My kids now have this amazing selection of books to choose from. I only wish I had a fraction of the selection they have when I was growing up. Though there is a vast, beautiful selection of books out there for readers young and old alike, the selection of diverse books is still incredibly small. Sadly I feel that selection is often times hard to find in the ever growing YA and MG book world.
We need more diverse books for kids and teens so that everyone can grow up reading something they can relate to, or see themselves in. We need more diverse books so that a reader doesn't have to feel alone. We need more diverse books so that no one has to feel like they're the only ones. We need more diverse books so that when someone is looking for a book, they don't have to feel isolated because there is no book out there for them. Our society struggles enough with being openly accepting of diverse people. Why not start the change in books. It's funny how overly accepting we are of characters in books, but not so much people in real life.
"Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another's uniqueness." Ola Joseph
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One of the problems we see is that books with diversity are not given the same prominence/attention as other books. They're out there, but are "invisible" to the mainstream. That's something we're working to change on the romance front. Furthermore, authors who write diverse characters are often discouraged from doing so because publishers feel they won't sell.
ReplyDeleteNot only should the books be publicized more, but all readers should be encouraged to read them. They're not as different as people think, and any differences add texture to the stories.
Great comments and love that end quote!
I completely agree with your comments. I hope with the new awareness through the campaign, readers will seek out more diverse books, in turn hopefully that will push book sellers to make these books more easily available.
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