Diversity

Welcome to my little corner dedicated to diversity in books!

On this page, you will find a list of books I have read that have diversity, book recommendations, discussion posts. Whether you share this goal, you are thinking of reading more diversely, or are curious about what diversity means, I hope this page will help you find what you are looking for.

What does ‘diversity in books’ mean? 

For me, diversity in books encompasses books that are about or explore narratives of people of colour, gender diversity, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities (including neurodiversity), and so on.

The purpose of this page aligns with my goal to celebrate, promote, and read more books with characters and themes with a diversity of experiences and identities. #Ownvoices books are also celebrated.

What are #ownvoices books? 

#ownvoices books are stories authors have written that are based on their own personal, lived experiences and/or are stories with characters that have the same marginalized identity as the author. For more information, visit this page.

Diverse Books Recommendations

– bolded = my favourites and are highly recommended
– ❗ = may have triggering content (if book is reviewed by me, it will be disclosed at the bottom of the review)

#OwnVoices

Contemporary
Historical
Fantasy
  • The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee (young adult contemporary/fantasy, Chinese protagonists and folklore)
  • The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury (fantasy romance, Aladdin retelling, inspired by Persian mythology, culture, and history)
  • The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi (middle grade steampunk fantasy, Muslim-American protagonist)
  • The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (historical adventure fantasy, Chinese & Malaysian characters, mythology and setting)
  • The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig (fantasy adventure, biracial protagonist, bipolar side character)
  • Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (fantasy adventure, Latinx protagonist, inspired by Latinx culture, mythology)
  • ❗Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis (young adult fantasy-contemporary, Latino protagonist with a disability, bi dark-skinned protagonist with a disability)
  • ❗Peter Darling by Austin Chant (Peter Pan retelling, trans MC, gay side character)
  • The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (fantasy romance, Hades/Persephone retelling, inspired by Indian folklore and mythology)
  • The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho (fantasy short story, Chinese/Malaysian mythology and afterlife, romance, sci-fi elements)
  • ❗The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (fantasy romance, Arabian Nights retelling, inspired by Middle-Eastern culture and mythology)
  •  When The Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (middle grade fantasy, Chinese protagonists with Chinese mythology and folklore)
Science-Fiction
  • Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (science fiction short story, black protagonist)
  • ❗More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (young adult, has sci-fi elements, gay and Latino protagonist)
  •  Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee (superheroes young adult, bi Chinese/Viet protagonist, trans secondary character, f/f romance)
  • Want by Cindy Pon – (science fiction young adult, Taiwanese protagonist, SE and S Asian characters, set in future Taipei)
Non-Fiction

Diverse SFF

  • The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (young adult fantasy, Chinese protagonist, has PoC characters, f/f romance)
  • The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (young adult high fantasy, Asian-inspired world and folklore)
  • The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim (middle grade historical fiction/fantasy, set in Song Dynasty, China, Chinese characters and folklore)
  • ❗ Down Among Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (young adult paranormal/fantasy, WLW romance)
  • Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza (young adult sci-fi space opera, has PoC characters)
  • ❗ Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire (young adult paranormal/fantasy, asexual protagonist, trans side character, Latino side character, Japanese side character)
  • The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine (fantasy, bi protagonist)
  • Ms Marvel by G. Willow Wilson (science fiction graphic novel, Muslim Pakistani-American protagonist, has diverse characters)
  • Not Your Villain by C.B. Lee – (science fiction post-apocalyptic, black trans MC, has diverse characters)
  • The Reader by Traci Chee (young adult fantasy, has PoC characters)
  • The Rose Society by Marie Lu (fantasy, has PoC characters)
  • ❗ Saga by Brian K Vaughan (science-fiction graphic novel, has PoC characters)
  • Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee (young adult fantasy, bisexual Chinese protagonist, m/m romance)
  • Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (fantasy heist, has PoC characters)
  • Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (historical fantasy, has PoC characters, Asian-inspired mythology)
  • The Tiger’s Watch by Julie Ember (nonbinary protagonist, PoC characters)
  • We Awaken by Callista Lynn (fantasy paranormal, black main character, asexual characters)
  • Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee (science-fiction sport, has PoC characters)

Realistic Fiction

  • American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (young adult graphic novel, Chinese protagonist, immigrant experience)
  • Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (young adult comedy-satire, has characters that are African-American, Indian-American, transgender, lesbian, deaf)
  • ❗ Black Iris by Leah Raeder/Elliot Wake (new adult, LGBTQ not defined)
  • Black, White, and Other: In Search of Nina Armstrong by Joan Steinau Lester (young adult/historical, biracial African/White-American protagonist)
  • Cloudwish by Fiona Wood (young adult romance, Viet protagonist, immigrant experience)
  • ❗ For Today I am a Boy by Kim Fu (contemporary, Chinese protagonist, trans*)
  • Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (middle grade, Filipino-American protagonist, character with hearing disability, Japanese characters)
  • Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom (young adult, protagonist with a disability)
  • Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (young adult romance, m/m romance)
  • ❗ The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes (young adult, protagonist with a disability)
  • The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee (young adult, has PoC characters)
  • Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz (young adult romance, Filipino protagonist who is an illegal immigrant, biracial love interest)
  • The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler (young adult, has PoC protagonist with a disability)
  • ❗ This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz (contemporary short stories, Latinx characters)
  • ❗ When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah (young adult, Muslim Afghan-Australian refugee)

Short Story Collections

Blog Posts

Let’s Talk About discussion posts:

Blog features

Book Recs by Other Readers & Bloggers

Discussions & Recommendations

Diverse Protagonists/Narratives/Authors & #Ownvoices

Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month

Diverse SFF

Favourites/TBR/Top Books Lists