The Diverse Books Tag

Sticking with our theme of looking into diverse books, we thought that it was about time that we had a go at the diverse books tag, by Read Diverse Books. This tag is a great way to discover new diverse books, as it works sort of like a scavenger hunt - you basically have to find a book that fits into each category! 

We tag anyone reading who wants to have a go at this tag!  

FIND A BOOK STARRING A LESBIAN CHARACTER 

Goodreads | Book Depository

Released in May 2017, this is the story of two WoC (I'm unsure of their ethnicity which is why I haven't mentioned it, if you know, please let us know in the comments) who fall in love. Sana and Jamie, two sixteen-year old girls with their fair share of problems - Sana is worried her father may be having an affair and she is surrounded by friends who constantly leave her out. Jamie has an established group of friends but they don't accept Sana into them and a boy named Caleb is definitely making more than friendly advances towards her. Battling with their own problems, they find solace in each other and realise that loving a girl is the easy part.

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FIND A BOOK WITH A MUSLIM PROTAGONIST

Goodreads | Book Depository 

Yes, you've read that correctly. A Muslim superhero in a comic/graphic novel who goes by the name of Kamala Khan. Kamala, seemingly just a normal girl from Jersey City suddenly develops extraordinary gifts but is she ready for the legacy that she is about to create? However, developing superhuman powers doesn't come without discovering a secret behind them. Volume 1 in an ongoing series, Ms. Marvel is a definite must-read.

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FIND A BOOK SET IN LATIN AMERICA

Goodreads | Book Depository

A fantasy story full of Latinx culture, by an author originally from Ecuador! Not only is the main character Alex a WoC, she is also a bisexual character, and the majority of characters in this book are PoC as we discover Latinx culture. Alex is what is known as a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation but it is power she doesn't want. At her Deathday celebration, she performs a spell to rid herself of her powers but instead, she vanishes into thin air with nothing but the company of Nova, a brujo boy. This begins their journey to Los Lagos, an in-between land just as strange as Wonderland.

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FIND A BOOK ABOUT A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY

Goodreads | Book Depository

Six of Crows is a is a young-adult fantasy duology following a gang of six misfits about to complete a series of impossible heists in the criminal town of Ketterdam. Their leader, Kaz Brekker, is a criminal prodigy with a no-price-is-too-high attitude - he is smart, clever and ruthless and he just happens to have a disability - Kaz walks with a cane due to an accident damaging his leg a few years back. Occasionally crippled with pain and walking with a limp, it is just another part of him and he doesn't let it hinder him in any way. This series is also diverse with a bunch of PoC characters who also show us their individual cultures and gay and bisexual characters. Must read duology!

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FIND A SCIENCE-FICTION OR FANTASY BOOK WITH A POC PROTAGONIST

Goodreads | Book Depository

A reimagining of One Thousand and One Nights with a fantasy twist. E.K. Johnston tells the story of Lo-Melkhiin, a ruler who has killed over three-hundred girls before coming across our protagonist. When he takes her to his court instead of her sister, she vows she will not be the next to die. The court is a creepy and atmospheric place and each night, she tells him a story and every morning she wakes up is another day she has survived. Amongst the palace walls, she gradually discovers that Lo-Melkhiin may not have always been a cruel man. All the female characters are unnamed throughout it, including the MC showing us the magnitude of Lo-Melkhiin's reign. 
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FIND A BOOK SET IN (OR ABOUT) ANY COUNTRY IN AFRICA

Goodreads | Book Depository

A beautiful story that not only gives voice to Nigerian culture and folk tales but also to its LGBTQ community. Written by an own voices author, the wonderful Chinelo Okparanta, this tells the story of Ijeoma, only eleven during the outbreak of civil war in the young republic of Nigera as she is sent to safety and meets a girl who she falls in love with. However, in a country where this is a sin, the two must keep it secret and remain star-crossed lovers. It is the story of two women, their struggles and their triumphs set against a dangerous backdrop. 
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FIND A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN INDIGENOUS OR NATIVE AUTHOR

Goodreads | Book Depository

A novel following numerous characters who are trying to find the balance between their Native American traditions and the modern world. Written by a Cherokee author, Thomas King erases common stereotypes about Native Americans in his works. This story tells the story of Alberta, a university professor who would happily trade her boyfriends for a baby but no husband, Lionel, a forty year old television-salesman and finally Eli, whose log cabin home stands in the way of a profitable dam project. These three come together at the Blackfoot reservation for the Sun Dance and what follows will leave the small town of Blossom forever changed.
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FIND A BOOK SET IN SOUTH ASIA (AFGHANISTAN, INDIA, PAKISTAN, SRI LANKA ETC.)

Goodreads | Book Depository

When Naila falls in love with Saif, despite her parents strict rules that they would choose her husband, they travel to Pakistan so that Naila can get in touch with her roots and rediscover her culture. However, upon arriving in the country, Naila discovers that her parents have found her a husband in Pakistan and expect her to marry him during their stay. This is a book that isn't afraid to delve into Pakistani culture, and showcase the forced marriages that so many girls are involved in to this day. 
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FIND A BOOK WITH A BIRACIAL PROTAGONIST

Goodreads | Book Depository

Jess is a bisexual Chinese-Vietnamese girl living in a world where having superpowers is just the norm, except for her... she is completely normal despite having two famous superheroes as parents. She's still struggling with everyday issues, such as trying to find an internship that isn't for a super villain and doesn't require her to be more than human. When she does find one, she finds out she'll be working alongside her longtime crush, Abby who may just have a secret of her own. Not only does this book have a diverse cast of lesbian and bisexual characters but there's Bells, Jess' friend who is trans. This book needs to be talked about a lot more. Superheroes and diversity is the best combo.

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FIND A BOOK STARRING A TRANSGENDER CHARACTER OR ABOUT TRANSGENDER ISSUES

Goodreads | Book Depository | Our Review

This book follows the story of Amanda, a transgender woman as she moves across country to live with her father. Starting at a new school requires her to fit in but she soon finds a diverse group of friends and even love with a student called Grant. This book not only deals with transgender issues - we hear from Amanda from a young age when she realised she was born in the wrong body, all the way up to her starting her transition - it is also written by a transgender author. It is a very important YA novel and Amanda has a very strong and memorable voice. 
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So that is our list. We hope we have chosen books appropriate to its topic and if you would like to see any posts featuring more, let us know!
Love,

Diverse Reads

Our biggest goal whilst creating this blog was to encourage any viewers to read. No matter how long the book is or how short, what genre, what rating - it doesn't matter, any reading is important. Now we are nearing towards 10,000 views, we thought it was about time to dedicate a post to diversity. These are books that are written by or featuring POC and some also have LGBTQ characters. We think it is so important, especially in YA fiction, to feature diversity and it is the one thing we look for when reviewing a book. 

Goodreads | Book Depository 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Genre: Historial Fiction, Adult Fiction
Release Date: June 7th, 2016

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Homegoing is the debut novel of African author Yaa Gyasi. A historical-fiction novel that follows the story of a family though generations starting with half-sisters, Esi and Effia, two women with very different destinies - Effia marries an English slave trader and Esi herself is sold into slavery. They never meet and yet the generations that came after them tell their stories. The book gives us a look at the colonialism and slavery that took place across Africa and America over the course of 250 years.

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Goodreads | Book Depository

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Genre: Contemporary, Adult Fiction
Release Date: October 11th, 2016

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This is the story of Ruth Jefferson, a black nurse who is accused of the murder of a newborn baby after his father didn't want her to care for him. This father, Turk, who we also follow the story of, is a White Supremacist alongside his wife. Our third character is Kennedy, a white lawyer who handles the case. It is the story of racism and how it affects not just daily life but how it is 'ignored' in court. Ruth was singled out because of her skin colour and she wants that to be known. 

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Goodreads | Book Depository

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ
Release Date: February 25th, 2016

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Told by Frances Janvier, a bisexual POC, we follow her story as a girl known as a study-machine focused only on getting high grades, being head girl and getting into university. We follow her during her school year and find out that she has a secret obsession - a Youtube podcast called Universe Citywhich tells the story of a glove-wearing detective living in a monster-infested university. Nobody knows who the creator is until Frances is contacted to design art for the show. What begins is her journey towards friendship, acceptance and realising she can be who she wants to be. 

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Goodreads | Book Depository

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Release Date: May 12th, 2015

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When Shahrzad's best friend is chosen to be Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan's new bride and doesn't return, Shazi immediately volunteers to be his next bride. Khalid is famed for marrying a new girl each night and having them killed the next morning, and Shazi is determined to stop this cycle, stay alive and get revenge for her lost friend. However, as Shazi spends the nights weaving stories to Khalid as a bargain for her life, she begins to discover that Khalid has dark secrets, and reasons for his actions. Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights.
Read our full review here.

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Goodreads | Book Depository

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, LGBTQ
Release Date: February 21st, 2012

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A story about sexuality, friendship and family. We follow the lives of Ari and Dante, two POC who meet at the local swimming pool as they begin a friendship that changes everything. Despite being two very different people - Ari being angry at the world and with an older brother in prison and Dante, a boy who looks at the world differently - they bring out the truth in one another. 
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Goodreads | Book Depository

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: February 21st, 2017

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After 'borrowing' her father's credit card without permission, Margot finds herself having to work in the grocery store owned by her family as punishment and to pay off her debts. Margot is desperate to maintain her fought-for reputation at her private school, and refuses to let her family get in the way of her attending the ultimate beach party. The Education of Margot Sanchez looks at class and cultural issues, family secrets, and the building of new relationships whilst trying to maintain old relationships, with friends who could never understand the situation that you're in. 

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Goodreads | Book Depository 

The Blazing Star by Imani Josie
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Release Date: December 6th, 2016

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Portia is used to being the overlooked sister, what with her twin Alex being a genius. However, when she finds an Egyptian scarab beetle, she finds herself (and her sister) transported to Ancient Egypt. What follows is a story of family relationships, and the two girls trying to find their way home whilst history literally comes alive around them and they discover the reasons that they are linked to the past that they've been transported to.

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Goodreads | Book Depository 

It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ
Release Date: May 9th, 2017

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Sana is used to keeping secrets - from secrets as small as the irritation she feels when she's ignored by her friends, to her knowledge of her father's affair. Sana's own secret, though, is that she has a crush on her best friend. When Sana moves to California and meets Jamie, she knows that she has to admit that she has feelings for her. Unfortunately for Sana, she couldn't have anticipated what would happen once she stops keeping it a secret...

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Goodreads | Book Depository 

The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana 

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Release Date: July 18th, 2017

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Princess Amrita has sacrificed herself, offering herself as a bride to Emperor Sikander in order to save her kingdom of Shalingar. However, she soon finds herself a fugitive, stranded with an oracle named Thala who had been one of Sikander's slaves. Amrita attempts to journey home to warn her people of the dangers coming to them, but Thala tries to convince her that she should search for the Library of All Things instead, where she can reverse their fates, ensuring that Sikander never entered their lives. Amrita must choose between changing her past, or taking the path through her unknown future.

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Goodreads | Book Depository

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: February 28th, 2017

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Starr's life balances between two worlds: her poor neighborhood, and her rich prep school. When Starr sees her oldest friend, Khalil, get shot dead by a police officer despite him being unarmed, the balance between Starr's worlds tips. When Khalil's death hits national news, everyone wants to know what really happened, and only Starr can answer their questions. For Starr to tell, though, could shatter her community and endanger her life. Based on the Black Lives Matter movement and the awfully similar real life events that have been taking place in our world.

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Love,