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.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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,
