Teen Spotlight: #WeNeedDiverseBooks

As librarians, we are taught the importance of serving, and providing materials, for everyone in the community, no matter their race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or ability. With the growth of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement, diversity in fiction – particularly teen fiction – has increased, and provides true representation of all the facets of our society. In order to support diverse books and to make them more visible in our collection, our teen area will be hosting a year round display featuring books with diverse characters.

We hope that you will take the opportunity to check out this display and to challenge yourself to do what author Gene Luen Yang calls “Reading Without Walls.” During his term as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Yang promoted the Reading Without Walls Challenge in which he called for young people to do one of the following:

  1. Read a book about a character who doesn’t look like you or live like you.
  2. Read a book about a topic you don’t know much about.
  3. Read a book in a format that you don’t normally read for fun (i.e. a chapter book, a graphic novel, a book in verse, etc.)

We encourage you to take on Yang’s challenge yourself, particularly to find a book that meets the first criteria on his list. Here are a few books that you can use to do so:

The Closest I’ve Come, by Fred Aceves

Love, Hate, and Other Filters, by Samira Ahmed

Saints and Misfits, by S.K. Ali

The Girl In Between, by Sarah Carroll

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women, edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale

Little and Lion, by Brandy Colbert

Refugee, by Alan Gratz

Looking for Group, by Rory Harrison

At the Edge of the Universe, by Shaun David Hutchinson

Wired Man and Other Freaks of Nature, by Sashi Kaufman

Not Your Sidekick, by C.W. Lee

Ramona Blue, by Julie Murphy

The Authentics, by Abdi Nazemian

Tash Hearts Tolstoy, by Kathryn Ormsbee

The Education of Margot Sanchez, by Lilliam Rivera

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika L. Sánchez

Dear Martin, by Nic Stone

Love at F1rst Sight, by Josh Sundquist

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Piecing Me Together, by Renée Watson

American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang

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Teen Spotlight: #WeNeedDiverseBooks

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