Letโs Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each otherโs posts! I’ve listed the upcoming topics in brief at the end of my post, but check out these pages for more information on October 2020 prompts & a list of past prompts!
Now without further ado… This week’s topic asks us about:
what is the meaning of diverse books?
(SUGGESTED BY RUKKY)
Examples: We talk a lot about diverse books and reads, but what really makes a book diverse? Are books written by authors or about characters from Eastern Europe (Lithuania, Ukraine, Hungary, etc) considered diverse? Would you consider a book set in Spain about a Spanish main character diverse? Why or why not? Does diverse mean characters or authors from South America, Asia, and Africa, or from different religious, sexual, ability, etc backgrounds only?
This is a great question and very relevant topic as more readers continue to look for diverse books, and as more diverse books also get published. Iโve been trying to consciously diversify my reads for a while now and 2020 has been my most successful year doing that! Iโm a little intimidated about answering this weekโs prompt because I think there are quite a few layers to the topic, and I donโt feel comfortable going too in-depth as Iโm not that โknowledgeableโ about it. But this post is about sharing my thoughts, so I will do that and hopefully I make some sense and donโt come off as (too) uniformed or ridiculous!
defining diversity
Diversity (noun)
Diversity as defined by Merriam-Webster
: the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : VARIETY
especially : the inclusion of different types of people (such as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.
: an instance of being composed of differing elements or qualities
HOW DO I CLASSIFY DIVERSE BOOKS?
When I think about diverse books, I immediately think of stories with characters who are marginalized, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQ+. Or are written by authors of colour or LGBTQ+. I also count books that have representation for different religions, ethnicities, mental health, disability, and chronic illness (among other topics) as diverse too. However, I only classify books as diverse when:
- The main characters are BIPOC/LGBTQ+. I donโt consider it diverse when you have one or a few side characters that fall into these โcategoriesโ but are barely represented. But I donโt consider stories written by authors of colour or LGBTQ+ authors as diverse if the story focuses on mainstream โstraight and whiteโ characters.
- Same as above, the rep should concern or be focused on the main character(s) and is not used or identified as a minor sub-plot or anything like that.
is there a line and where do we draw it?
This prompt included a few guiding questions that really made me think whether I would classify certain reads as diverse. For example, if I read a book about Eastern Europe, is that considered diverse? I think if itโs set there and the story is about a straight white character, then no, I wouldnโt. But what if itโs about religion or ethnicityโwould I consider it diverse then? I think I probably would because it includes people from different backgrounds. What about a book set in Spain with a Spanish castโis that diverse? It made me think about a book I read earlier this year called Incendiary by Zoraida Cรณrdova. Itโs set during the Spanish inquisition period but in an alternate reality, and I considered it diverse because Cordova is AOC and the characters, including the MC, were diverse.
As I write this I realise that perhaps how I consider books diverse is pretty simplistic? But ultimately, I do think itโs subjective because I donโt believe diversity can be so neatly packaged into a box where it means exactly the same thing for everybody. There are many factors to consider, including our individual backgrounds and experiences, and it also depends on the book/author too.
Is it enough to consider a book diverse if it teaches you about different people, cultures, etc.? Is it enough to consider it diverse if it broadens your world view?
Sorry, I know I havenโt really answered anything in this post and itโs mostly just a bunch of brain blah and word vom that I’m not even sure makes any sense–but it has definitely got me thinking!
Now Iโm really curious to know what you think. What makes a book diverse in your opinion? Do you think it’s a strict definition or do you think it’s subjective? Iโm keen to know your thoughts if you’d like to share them with me!
dinipandareads 