Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is: Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters (example: features minority/religious minority, socioeconomic diversity, disabled MC, neurotypical character, LGBTQ etc etc.)
I needed to narrow this down somehow, so I went with 2015 releases. I also stuck with books I have read, and therefore can vouch for the diversity in.
And a few that I absolutely, unequivocally, must read ASAP, but can’t personally comment on since I haven’t yet:
(These aren’t all 2015, just books I need to read!)
I hope you pick up Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Under a Painted Sky and Lies we Tell Ourselves. All three are fabulous and I hope you enjoy them. I enjoyed reading None of the Above and I still need to read The Wrath and the Dawn. Lovely list you have this week :D.
Oooh, I will, ASAP! I own them ALL, so I really need to get on it! Thanks so much 😀
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly sounds so interesting. I really love how you did your list. 🙂
My TTT
Thanks so much! Minnow Bly was really unique, I enjoyed it!
SO many great books here. Great list. Thanks for sharing it. Happy reading.
Top 10 @Libby Blog
Thanks so much 🙂
Great list! When I was trying to pick my books for this topic, I realized exactly how much diversity there really is in YA these days. It’s pretty awesome. You have a few hoisted here that I really want to read!
Michelle @ Michelle’s Minions
Thanks! I agree, there IS a lot of diversity, but I also think we can do better- especially since most of the books I have found are VERY new. BUT I am so glad that it is getting better 🙂
I read 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger and it was amaaazing! It made me realize that there are still original ideas to be had in the dystopian genre. It somehow made me wish to read a dystopia in Japan, or in the Philippines, or in Vietnam, to see how it would be like there with their own cultures and values influencing it. I love your list, though, and I’m currently reading The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly which is the absolute bomb.
Yes! I totally agree with you- there IS still plenty of worth in dystopian, it just needs to be done right, and without following some trope guide 😉 Minnow Bly is so crazy, no? Like… how even? Scary that it DOES happen, rarely, but it does. ::shudders::
I’ll Meet You There is such a beautiful look at how mental health affects relationships. I just loved that book. And Lies We Tell Ourselves is on my TBR list too! I got it last fall and STILL haven’t read it!
Jennifer @ A Librarian’s Library–My TTT!
Oh, I’ll Meet you There is so, so good. Like, flawlessly good. I got Lies We Tell Ourselves last fall too! We are not doing great at reading that book 😉 Hope you get a chance to read it soon!
Ahhh, you just added so many books to my TBR list. I do have I’ll Meet You There on mine. Love that book!
Oopsie? Not even sorry 😉 But yes, I’ll Meet You There is so amazing!!
I have read and loved several of these, and all of the ones I haven’t read are on my TBR 🙂
Btw, I really love the way you put this list together visually!!
Aw thank you so much!! I hope you get to read the ones on your TBR soon 🙂
Wow. I frickin’ love this list. I want to read so many of these books. I’m so excited to read None of The Above after seeing it on so many lists this week. I’m loved Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda. One of my favourites of the year, by far!
Aw thank you!! None of the Above was incredible, I really hope you like it! And I cannot wait for Simon!!
Great list, Shannon! So many of these books are on my TBR; I’m especially interested in None of the Above, because I haven’t read a single book before in which the protagonist is intersex.
Thanks so much! And yes, None of the Above is SO unique, and so important, AND so well done. You must read it ASAP 🙂
I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT LIES WE TELL OURSELVES IS VERY VERY GOOD. But also super hard to read. *sobs quietly to self* Gah, so much abuse though, but the romance is ever so sweet. AND YESS STHE WRATH AND THE DAWN. I literally had SO MANY diverse books that I couldn’t fit all mine in. And I forgot TW&TD. Gee, shame on me. I love diverse books and I think YA is doing better for not making it be a “woah’ thing and make it be more usual.
I think the difficulty is why I’ve been putting it off. It makes me mad just thinking about what people went through 🙁 And I agree completely- it is just a BOOK now instead of being “OMG that book has diversity”, which is really the goal, no?
I love that you’ve included a list of the types of Diversity found in each book, it really helps if people are looking for specific recs! I’ve seen a few of these picks on lots of lists, and I’m really excited about them! ‘The Wrath & The Dawn’ looks amazing!
Check out my Top Ten Tuesday list!
Also, please take the time to see what I posted last week!
Katrina @ Chased By My Imagination
Thanks so much!! Wrath is fabulous, if you are looking for something to read, too 😀
First off – love the graphics! Second – Amazing list! Not going to lie – I haven’t read any but a lot are on my TBR and I just got Simon yesterday on audio! Super excited to get to that one.
Aw thanks!! I hope you enjoy it when you get the chance- it is so hard to find the time for ALL the books!
I did the same thing, five I read and five I need to read. I enjoyed reading your list. I need to add some of these to my TBR. Great list! Happy Summer Reading!
Thanks so much! That’s fun that we did the same kind of thing 🙂 Happy reading to you too!
This is a great list. I just finished Minnow Bly and it was very good.
Thanks so much! I am glad you liked it too 🙂
I really like how you’ve laid out your post. You’ve definitely introduced me to some new titles this week, thanks! x
Aw thanks so much!
I just read None of the Above, but for some reason I forgot to add it to my list! I really liked how you put together your list this week. It looks awesome.
Aw thank you so much! I was so impressed with None of the Above, I hope you liked it too 🙂
I LOVE the way you did your list this week! I am sad to say that I have not read MOST of the books on this list (though More Happy Than Not and I’ll Meet You There are on my very-short list of books I own that are to be read ASAP). I’m adding ALL of the ones I haven’t read to my TBR immediately!
Aw thanks! And you HAVE TO read I’ll Meet You There. Like, if you read no other book for the rest of the year, let it be that one!!
I’ve never read any of these but I hope to soon!
Check out my TTT and my leg of the Forsworn Blog Tour.
Hope you like them when/if you do!
So many books that are on my TBR! I am most (and most recently) excited about The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly. It sounds amazing (so many wonderful, wonderful reviews), and I have never read a book regarding cults before so I am super excited!
-Monica @ Tomes Project
Minnow Bly was SO good, and so unique! I hope you love it 🙂 (Also, I love cult books- so eerie but not in like, a normal way!)
There are several on your list that I’ve been wanting to read and I had no idea! It makes me like them even more. 🙂
Aww yay!! I hope you end up loving them 😀
You’re formatting for this Top 10 is probably my favorite today!
Aww thank you so much!! 😀
I think I shall read More Happy Than Not. It’ll be my second contemporary (both my contemporary reads were diverse, interestingly — perhaps the genre is predisposed towards it?). I read Wrath and the Dawn and loved the diverse world, although not the story itself much. And just read Simon Vs. DO IT.
I do need to read Simon Vs!! And I really liked More Happy Than Not- it definitely provided a good look at a WHOLE different world- I mean, Aaron couldn’t have been more opposite from me, but yet, I connected to him regardless. I hope you enjoy it!
I love your list and the fact you highlighted the characteristics of each book. Soundless and Written in the Stars both look really interesting. Now my TBR list is getting bigger again! Thanks for sharing!!!
My TTT
Obsessive Compulsive Reader
Aw thanks so much! Sorry about the TBR, it is such a pitfall of TTTs 😉
Great list, lady! Love seeing I’ll Meet You There and Simon on there. I still need to read Wrath! And that’s great that All We Have Is Now fits – I’ve been thinking about buying that one!
Aw thanks! And you MUST read Wrath, it is amaaaaazing! All We Have is Now was really good- a quick read, but thought provoking!
I love the way you did this! Becca and I are currently buddy reading None of the Above – I’m so excited!! I absolutely adored Simon Vs. and I’ll Meet You There. What did you think of Little Peach? I haven’t read it yet, but I do have a copy. I really want to read All We Have is Now too! 🙂
Aw thanks! I hope you guys love None of the Above, it is so, so good! And Little Peach is HARD to read, but a very important and eye opening book. I think it’s the kind of book everyone should read, but man, it’s rough. All We Have is Now is really good!
I absolutely love how many diverse books are surfacing lately – they’re becoming more and more popular around the blogosphere, and that makes my heart warm. <3 I still need to get around to reading Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda (because I hear it has an adorable ship + LOTS OF OREOS YES PLEASE) and The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly – those are the two I'm most excited about, at least, but knowing me I'll probably be devouring most of the other ones on your list as well. 😉 Lovely post! xx
I totally agree! I love it too 🙂 I really cannot wait to read Simon (and eat Oreos hahah) and definitely read Minnow Bly! It is creepy, but unique and really well written! Thanks so much 🙂
Awesome list, Shannon! I’ll Meet You There on my summer TBR list and I am *so* excited for it. I have Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda at home right now and I’m hoping I can get to it before it’s due back to the library.
Thanks so much! I’ll Meet You There is AMAZING- like you HAVE to read it. If you read nothing else, make it that! I hope you get to Simon Vs too!
OMG, you have me so psyched for this one now, Shannon! That does it – it’s going straight to the top of my TBR!
You must read Simon ASAP! And I’m kind of afraid of reading None of the Above because all the bullying, but I do find the concept eye opening!
NOOO None of the Above is incredible. Yes, the bullying IS hard to read, BUT it is hopeful without being like, unrealistic. I promise, it is worth it!
This is a really fantastic post Shannon! Not only did you pick some wonderful diverse books, I loved how you stated HOW they were diverse as well. I can’t wait to read I’ll Meet You There, it sounds like a really wonderful book, and 5 to 1 as well. Great picks!
Aw thank you!! I’ll Meet You There is seriously incredible- an all time favorite of mine! And 5 to 1 was so unique! I hope there is a sequel to it!