Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters
Top Ten Tuesday is a book meme run by The Broke and The Bookish.
I probably won't be participating in Waiting on Wednesday or Showcase Sunday whilst I'm on my year abroad because I'm really trying to use this time to catch up on some titles that I already own as well as the mountain of French literature I've got to read for my degree. I've hit a blogging low since I started university two years ago, but I'm really trying to get back into reviewing and hopefully something like Top Ten Tuesday will force me to think about the books I've already read. Anyway, enough rambling, here's my list!
1. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
The Rosie Project focuses on Don, a man with Aspergers syndrome, who is trying to find a wife. He is very atypical with a unique way of thinking and reacting to events. He can be incredibly blunt and as Hermione said, 'has the emotional range of a teaspoon'. Very funny, very touching, this is a must-read for the summer!
See my review here.
I don't think this book needs much explanation to be honest, but seeing two teenagers battling terminal illnesses and still trying to live their lives as ordinary teenagers is really inspirational and heartbreaking.
See my review here.
3. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Me Before You is one of my all time favourite books. It is the beautiful story of a man who was once very active and sporty who is now paralyzed from the waist down. This book had me in buckets - more so than The Fault in Our Stars! This can almost be seen as the adult version of TFiOS, but I actually think this is slightly better and more touching. READ THIS BOOK NOW. (Also buy a big box of tissues)
See my review here.
I know for a lot of fans of this series, the relationship between Bane and Alec is their favourite part of the story. This series ticks both the ethnic and sexual diversity box and I guess the paranormal one too with all the different creatures present in this series!
Set in the 1950s when for the first time ever, black children were admitted to a white school, this book features a dual narrative told from the POV of a white girl and a black girl. Not only that, but these two girls develop a beautiful relationship that portrays the struggles they faced in what I thought was a very accurate way.
Most YA books are set in the USA or the UK but this title is set in Japan and most of the cultural references are pretty spot on! It's been a while since I read this so I'm a bit sketchy on the details but I believe its centered on an American girl and a Japanese boy and the magical ink that can make drawings come to life.
See my review here.
Written in two parts, How To Be Both explores how someone can be ever-present and yet forever-gone, both male and female, both homosexual and heterosexual etc. etc. There are some lesbian relationships in this book and the way Ali Smith writes about adolescence is really touching. Though be warned, this is an incredibly complex and confusing book. Most people I know have a love/hate relationship with this title!
Review coming soon!
I found Tampa pretty disturbing when I read it as is it's about the sexual relationship between a teacher and pupil. The teacher in question is obviously a paedophile and her psychology is both really interesting and really frightening. Well worth a read!
See my review here.
Wahey for asians in YA fiction! I'm half-chinese and a big fan of Korean culture so I was ecstatic to find a book with an oriental teenager in it. I felt like I could relate to Park's family life, but I also appreciated that Park being Korean wasn't a huge deal. This is just like any old teenage love story (but better).
See my review here.
This is one from my university reading list and is about a married man who begins to explore his homosexual desires that are awakened through travelling. This was written at a time when being homosexual was still taboo so this book was someone of a scandal (as you can see from the title 'The Immoralist'). This is a fairly short story and an important part of the history of French literature so I'd definitely recommend giving it a read. Some of the descriptions are absolutely beautiful even if the characters aren't the sort of people you want to be.
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