Diverse
Diverse = A book about a main character who is of color, disabled, and/or LGBTQ; or a book written by an author who is of color, disabled, and/or LGBTQ.
Diverse = Set in a non-Western world or inspired by a non-Western world
DivisityinYA.com
-
published guest posts from authors about their books and writing process; lists of diverse books; data about diversity in YA literature; interviews of authors and those in the business of publishing diverse books; and shared links to the broader discourse on diversity in YA.
Defining Race/Ethnicity of Characters
One model (please note this is one definition it may not be universal)
- White – Characters with European origins
- Asian – Characters with Asian origins including members of the Asian Diaspora and South Asians
- Black – Characters with African origins including African Americans
- Latino – Hispanic and Latino Americans; characters from Latin America
- Mixed Race – Characters of mixed race backgrounds
- Indigenous – Including American Indians and Indigenous peoples from around the world
- Middle Eastern – Characters from the Middle East, e.g., Iran
- SF/F of color – Characters from a secondary or futuristic science fiction or fantasy world who have a race that does not precisely match our contemporary U.S. understandings, but which is situated as being nonwhite in that secondary or futuristic world
American Indians in Children's Literature
-
AICL
American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books, school curriculum, popular culture, and society.
Disability in Kid Lit.
-
Disability in Kid Lit.
Dedicated to discussing the portrayal of disability in middle grade and young adult literature, with published articles, reviews, interviews, and discussions examining this topic from various angles—and always from the disabled perspective.
Social Justice and Children's Literature
-
The Pirate Tree
The Pirate Tree is a collective of children’s and young adult writers interested in children’s literature and social justice issues.
Authors speak
-
'Where's the African-American Harry Potter or the Mexican Katniss?'
Story highlights
Different cultural backgrounds aren't well represented in young adult literature, authors say
Author: "Where's the African-American Harry Potter or the Mexican Katniss?"
Writers, educators, publishers and editors have ideas of how to transform YA literature
FACTS REGARDING DIVERSITY IN LITERATURE
Analysis of the most banned/challenged books in the U.S. shows that diverse books are disproportionately targeted for book challenges and censorship.
“Nearly 90% of the books reviewed by The New York Times are written by white writers. That is not even remotely reflective of the racial makeup of this country, where 72% of the population, according to the 2010 census, is white.”
(Roxanne Gay, writer for "The Rumpus" 2012)
Studies have shown that reading fiction leads to increased empathy, which suggests that it is more important than ever to make sure books with diverse perspectives are widely available.
Rainbow book list
http://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/“a bibliography of books with significant gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender content, and which are aimed at youth, birth through age 18.”
Library Media Specialist
36 Greenough Road
Plaistow, New Hampshire 03865
TYPES OF CONTENT IN DIVERSE STORIES
- Non-White main and/or secondary characters
- LGBTQ main and/or secondary characters
- Disabled main and/or secondary characters
- Issues about race or racism
- LGBTQ issues
- Issues about religion, which encompass in this situation the Holocaust and terrorism
- Issues about disability and/or mental illness
- Non-Western settings, in which the West is North America and Europe