Dive Into Diversity: OzYA Recs

Diversity in lit is taking strides. We’ve seen some great titles released just this year and it’s a movement that is still going strong since We Need Diverse Books was launched in 2014. But here in Australia, there is still a gaping hole when it comes to diversity and we still have a way to go. I’ll be the first admit that Australian authors are some of the best, but this is one area where we need to improve on. Aussie authors including Ambelin Kwaymullina, Sarah Ayoub, Rebecca Lim and Gabrielle Wang have previously spoken about this issue. Book reviewer Danielle Binks has also written posts on the subject, hearing from Erin Gough and Eli Glasman.

We’re having conversations and getting people thinking, and that’s a great place to start. In the mean time however, we have some brilliant diverse titles published and we need to do our bit by supporting the books we do have at our fingertips. So today I’d like to welcome my good friend Rachel (blogger @ The Tome Travellers) to the blog, who has a list of awesome recommendations to share with you all. Get your TBRs and wallets ready and don’t forget to link up you reviews below. Happy reading!

P.S. Attention Int'l friends: If you're having trouble finding these, Fishpond ships internationally, so you can shop to your hearts content! (I am a terrible enabler...but supporting the Aussie industry. I'm sure it all balances out.)

Whisper by Chrissie Keighery - August 2011
Whisper is about a teenager, Demi, who went profoundly deaf about 18 months prior to where her story starts off. I can’t even remember why I decided to read it, but I’d never read a book about deafness before and I wanted to fix that. I’m so glad I did, because I was so invested all the way through and it makes me sad that this book is so underrated. It’s a moving story about Demi navigating all the things teenagers struggles with – there’s some family and friend issues that are beautifully dealt with - and coming to accept herself as a deaf person and realising that it’s not a bad thing, it’s just who she is now. I really, really liked it (in fact, writing this little paragraph right now is making me want to re-read it something fierce) and I think it’s a perfect candidate for the quietYA hashatag. Chuck it on your TBRs, please and thank you.

Grace Beside Me by Sue McPherson - 2012
Fuzzy McCardell ‘Fuzzy Mac’ is an aboriginal girl being raised by her grandparents in the small country town of Laurel Dale. Her story starts off in the year 2007, the year of Kevin Rudd’s national apology to the stolen generation. So while I personally didn’t connect to the story all that much, I loved Fuzzy. Her voice was so unique and fresh – I adored her observations and descriptions of the people in her life, the quirky and unique people of Laurel Dale. In fact, I’d say the final page of this book is probably the best final page I’ve read all year, so I want you all to read it, and experience it for yourselves.

** Nona and Me by Clare Atkins was published this year, but as it’s told from the perspective of a white girl living in an Aboriginal community, I thought Grace Beside Me was more appropriate for this post as it’s written by an Aboriginal woman with an Aboriginal MC.

Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman - Jan 2013
Alex is a 15 yr old who was born with both female and male parts. Her parents chose to raise her as a male but she has always felt like a girl. After an incident at her current school, she decides to start fresh in more ways than one - she moves to a different school and also starts dressing as a female. It’s been a few years since I read this book now, and I’ll be honest when I say it wasn’t one I loved. I liked and enjoyed it at the time, but much of the story has faded from my memory and I don’t know if I want to read it again (please keep in mind this is only how I feel – other bloggers I know loved it). I want you, dear reader, to read it though, because it features an intersex MC. I’ve never EVER read a YA featuring one, which only emphasises that we NEED books featuring MAIN characters that are representative of every sexuality that LGBTQIA encompasses. I believe Alex As Well has been published in the US and it’s of course available in Australia, so please seek it out and read it, it’s an important one.

The Boy’s Own Manual To Being A Proper Jew by Eli Glasman - July 2014
As you might guess from the title, Yossi, our MC, is Jewish. He’s also gay and desperately doesn’t want to be. Mix that with Yossi meeting Josh, the new, not-very-religious (and also gay) boy at his school and you will get thoroughly sucked into this endearing YA story about a boy figuring out how his sexuality fits into his faith and vice versa. Although I know next to nothing about Judaism and I was a little confused at times, I ended up devouring this book in one day (it’s in no way preachy, by the way, more that it’s just a lot of information to take in) and I’m so happy that this book exists because it’s a book about sexuality and faith, particularly Jewish faith and again, it’s something I’ve never seen in YA. I want everyone to know about this book and I feel like so few do (both in Australia and internationally) and that frustrates the hell out of me. So if you’re reading this, please, GET YOUR HANDS ON IT HOWEVER POSSIBLE AND START READING IT NOW.

Laurinda by Alice Pung - November 2014
Lucy is a Vietnamese-Australian teenager growing up in the relatively poor suburb of Stanley in Melbourne. At age 15, she is granted a scholarship to an exclusive private school for girls, Laurinda, and is drawn into the world of the elite upper class and into the web of the Cabinet, a trio of girls who rule the school. So essentially, Laurinda is an exploration of class and racial prejudice; it’s about Lucy existing in an environment where people constantly seek to remind her that she is lesser/doesn’t belong because of where she lives and who her parents are, and it’s so well done. I enjoyed the interesting format – the book is split into the four school terms and it reads like Lucy is writing a series of letters to her friend, Linh. Two other things:
1. If you’ve read Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - for me, Laurinda brought back some of those feels.
2. There is no romantic element, which I find to be so rare in YA these days (not saying there’s anything wrong with romance in YA, of course, because I can’t live without romance in my YA).

The Flywheel by Erin Gough - February 2015 
Okay basically what you need to know about this book is that it has A LESBIAN MC. Do you know this is the first lesbian MC I’ve come across in Aus YA and it’s 2015? THAT IS TERRIBLE. I mean, I’m sure there is others, it’s just that I haven’t read them/come across them yet (Bec did tell me about Pink by Lili Wilkinson when we were discussing this) but holy lesbians in Aus YA, Batman, we need more of them. Anyway. This book is so, so charming and adorable and sweet and funny (I loved the Marx Brothers references) and is essentially everything you want in a contemporary YA. It’s about Del, who has an all-consuming crush on Rosa, a flamenco dancer from across the street. She basically drops out of high school after being bullied and ends up running her Dad’s café, The Flywheel, when he decides to stay away longer than planned on an overseas trip. Chaos ensues. I think one of the things that’s so great about The Flywheel is that Del is already out and comfortable with who she is. That’s important for queer teen readers to read, just as reading about characters that are still struggling with their sexuality and identifying with them in that way, is. I can’t recommend this book enough, and I believe it’s being published in the US next so year so if you come across it, please please please read it.

Cloudwish by Fiona Wood - September 2015
Vân Uoc is a Vietnamese-Australian teenager attending Crowthorne Grammar school on a scholarship. She’s a dreamer. She dreams about making it into an arts school and Billy Gardiner. She makes a wish. And suddenly, Billy starts to notice her. Is it magic? Can wishes really come true? I can’t decide which of her three books my favourite is, but I think it’s this one? And to be honest, it’s hard for me to properly articulate why I loved it so much. I think a lot of it comes from how much I adored Vân Uoc and the achingly real portrayal of first love Cloudwish explores. I was surprised at myself actually, because I was well and truly swept away on a wave of FEELINGS (and normally. my cynicism butts in and ruins things). I love that Fiona wrote a book with Vân Uoc as our MC, because I absolutely loved her voice. Trust me when I say that you want this book in your life and you want it in your life NOW.

Other books that deserve a mention: 

• Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta – features an Italian-Australian MC 
• Hate Is Such A Strong Word by Sarah Ayoub – features a Lebanese-Australian MC 
• Clancy Of The Undertow by Christopher Currie – a very recent release that features a F/F relationship (I think, I haven’t read it yet but I’m so excited for it) 

Review: Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler

Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler
November 17th, 2015 · Spencer Hill Contemporary
Source: Author
Format: eARC
Page Count: 348

Reagan Forrester wants out—out of her trailer park, out of reach of her freeloading mother, and out of the shadow of the relationship that made her the pariah of Charytan, Kansas.

Victoria Reyes wants in—in to a fashion design program, in to the arms of a cute guy who doesn't go to Charytan High, and in to a city where she won't stand out for being Mexican.

One thing the polar-opposite best friends do agree on is that wherever they go, they’re staying together. But when they set off on a series of college visits at the start of their senior year, they quickly see that the future doesn’t look quite like they expected. After two years of near-solitude following the betrayal of the ex-boyfriend who broke her heart, Reagan falls hard and fast for a Battlestar Galactica-loving, brilliant smile-sporting pre-med prospective... only to learn she's set herself up for heartbreak all over again. Meanwhile, Victoria runs full-speed toward all the things she thinks she wants… only to realize everything she’s looking for might be in the very place they've sworn to leave.

As both Reagan and Victoria struggle to learn who they are and what they want in the present, they discover just how much they don't know about each other's pasts. And when each learns what the other’s been hiding, they'll have to decide whether their friendship has a future. 

In the words of Vic: Tia Maria! This is one fabulous book.

I'm not usually a fan of dual narration, but Just Visiting made it work so well. Normally it would take me a while to find my groove and adjust to two voices, but I sank into this book like a fluffy marshmallow and didn't give it a second thought because I was too busy turning the pages. Apart from jotting down a note as to how well the POVs were written, of course.

The diversity in the book is just SO GREAT. Truly. It's weaved in effortlessly and as always, you can see that Dahlia has done her research. For one, Victoria is fluent in ASL because her mum is deaf and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this done in a YA novel before. It was great and as much as I enjoyed it, I think I would have loved this particular aspect even more now that I’ve discovered the TV show Switched at Birth, one of my latest obsessions. (And hey, on another note, you should totally check out that show.) It also includes a cast that's diverse in race (Victoria is Mexican and one of the love interests is Indian) and socioeconomic class.

I already liked the girls, but I really came to love them when we got to delve into their pasts. This fleshed them out and allowed us to get to know them; where they've been and where they're going. Reagan and Vic are both very different and I think this is also why they complement each other in friendship and from a reading perspective. They both offer something different - to each other and for the reader. They aren't without their flaws, but they care for one another so much. It’s a beautiful friendship and the kind I love to see being represented in YA.

More reasons I love JV? I won’t spoil it, but there's this scene that deals with contraception and it's handled so well. Some authors might have simplified it or skipped over it altogether; I know this because I remember reading this scene once that was so dismissive of the subject it’s stuck with me, even though the book hasn’t. But Dahlia does’t take the easy route and has handled the subject with such grace. You’ll know it when you read it.

To sum up: Just Visiting is for you, if you like:

- Well written stories with heart and humour
- fleshed out characters
- books brimming with diversity
- awesome friendships to ship

Basically, what more could you want in a book?

P.S. I'll be hosting a Twitter party with the author to celebrate the release next week. Come for some fun, a Q&A, book chatting & more. 

Save the date:

8PM EST on the 18th (US)

 9AM AWST on the 19th (AUS, WA)
Not sure if you'll be able to make it? Check your time zone here!

Use the #JVParty hashtag to join in. Hope to see you there!

Review: What We Left Behind by Robin Talley

What We Left Behind by Robin Talley
November 1st, 2015 · Harlequin Teen Australia
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Page Count: 416

From the critically acclaimed author of Lies We Tell Ourselves comes an emotional, empowering story of what happens when love isn't enough to conquer all.

Toni and Gretchen are the couple everyone envied in high school. They've been together forever. They never fight. They're deeply, hopelessly in love. When they separate for their first year at college—Toni to Harvard and Gretchen to NYU—they're sure they'll be fine. Where other long-distance relationships have fallen apart, their relationship will surely thrive.

The reality of being apart, however, is a lot different than they expected. As Toni, who identifies as genderqueer, falls in with a group of transgender upperclassmen and immediately finds a sense of belonging that has always been missing, Gretchen struggles to remember who she is outside their relationship.

While Toni worries that Gretchen, who is not trans, just won't understand what is going on, Gretchen begins to wonder where she fits in Toni's life. As distance and Toni's shifting gender identity begins to wear on their relationship, the couple must decide—have they grown apart for good, or is love enough to keep them together? 

I had such high hopes and expectations for What We Left Behind. I’d liked Robin Talley’s debut, but since historical isn’t my thing, I thought I’d love her latest. It sounded like a sure thing and it’s disheartening to be sitting here writing a negative review. Beware: ranting ahead.

Of course, I certainly don't claim to know everything about the LGBTQIA+ community and their experiences, so these are just my thoughts and what I took away the book.

I like that it discussed gendered pronouns. It's the first time I've seen it on the pages in YA and that was great. But that’s the only thing about this book that worked for me.

It’s really disappointing that for a book I hoped would be free of stereotypes, it was full of them. Not in just secondary, uneducated characters, but in the way Toni thought too. He was always stereotyping people he didn’t know and judging them, which got really old fast.

So I show Carroll yearbook pictures and tell him more about my friends back home. He’s shocked by how many gay people went to our high school. I think it was partly because it was an all-girl school," I say. “Going across the street to the guys’ school was so much effort. People got lazy.” pg 56

Problematic much? Turned gay because they're lazy? Really? Also:

Ebony and Felecia are both black, and Joanna is Vietnamese. I felt a little weird at first, like I was boring next to them. Then I remembered that I bring in the LGBTQIA diversity angle, so I was still contributing. pg 293 

Oh no, you didn’t. So being of a marginalised group is “contributing” and if you're not, you're boring? Wow… Note: this is only two alarming excerpts of many.

The thing I found most problematic though was how the author completely misrepresented what it means to be genderqueer. Transgender and genderqueer are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. They’re not one and the same; they’re not interchangeable. For the author to basically depict that they are? I found that really damaging. I get that Toni was still questioning things and trying to better understand herself and what she wanted, but I feel the author did a major disservice in confusing the two and making them interchangeable when they are NOT. I feel this book was supposed to introduce people to the term genderqueer and instead it became a transgender book. And it’s not to say we don’t need books with transgender characters because we do, but I was just really let down with how things were handled here.

I think what makes me most disheartened is that people are going to pick up this book and take away a confusing, conflicted message. This may be their first time learning about genderqueer and transgender terms and the whole book was largely stereotypical. There’s enough stereotyping and erasure in the world when it comes to the LGBTQIA+ community, but I didn’t expect that from this book. We *do* need genderqueer characters, but we also need for that to be good representation.

P.S. I highly recommend this video, which explains genderqueer so, so well.

Mini Reviews: None of the Above + Written in the Stars = Diversity FTW

I read None of the Above and Written In the Stars earlier in the year and loved them. These books are incredibly diverse, unlike anything I’ve ever read and character driven page-turners. I would have loved to written a full review for each of them and given them the spotlight they deserve, but I was enjoying them that much I just wanted to sit, enjoy them and skip note taking. So I did. Nonetheless, I highly recommend them both! Here’s why I loved them and why YOU should check them out before the year ends:

A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex... and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between. (Goodreads)

None of the Above broke my heart and then mended it. This is the first book I’ve read about intersex and I thought it was handled so incredibly well. Before None of the Above, I knew a bit about intersex, but not in great detail so reading this was eye-opening and informative.  Kristin’s voice is great and hooked me from page one; she’s a character you really can’t help but wish the best for. Despite picking this up in a book slump, I couldn't put this down and finished it in a little over a day. You can't help but be pulled in by Kristin's story and all that she's going through.

The bullying Kristin experiences made me angry. It’s not that I expected supportive, warm and fuzzy reactions from everyone, but it was disappointing and saddening, yet unfortunately not unrealistic. The bullying Kristin experiences and her own inner turmoil was heartbreaking to read, but the support she did receive was great. As for the romance, it was lovely and sweet, but most importantly, it didn't overtake the heart of the story. Ultimately, this book made me wish people were more understanding and open minded because it would truly make the world of difference. I’m glad this book exists.

This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila’s fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny? (Goodreads)

Written in the Stars was one of my most anticipated titles and it certainly delivered.

This was like watching a nightmare unfold, one that poor Nalia can't wake up from. But what's really terrifying is that for some girls, this is a reality; this has happened and continues to happen. When you stop and think, it’s not only heartbreaking, but incredibly scary.

Looking back, I think I was expecting an honest, terrifying look at forced marriages, and while I got that, I also got much more. The author doesn't hold back and has written an intense, bittersweet story that is well worth the read.

As the ending neared, I was so invested, my stomach was in knots wondering how it would all end. It’s a nailer-biter of a book to say the least and kept me on the edge of my seat more than any thriller I’ve read this year. That truly is a testament to how well-written this is and make me excited to read more by Aisha Saeed.

Dive Into Diversity: Robin Talley Interview

Welcome back to another Dive Into Diversity post! This month I'm interviewing Robin Talley to celebrate the release of What We Left Behind. Enjoy and don't forget to leave your reviews in the link-up below!

Your upcoming release, What We Left Behind, is about Gretchen, who identifies as a lesbian and Toni, who identifies as genderqueer. Firstly, could you please explain genderqueer for those who aren’t familiar with the term? Secondly, how was it writing these characters? Were you ever scared of not doing the characters justice or offending people? (Yes, this is me jumping right in the deep end.)

For Toni, neither end of the binary gender spectrum ― male or female ― feels quite right. Toni spends much of What We Left Behind exploring gender identity and expression, and uses several different labels for gender over the course of the book, including genderqueer. I should note, though, that this is just Toni’s experience. Other folks who identify as genderqueer may have experiences totally different from Toni’s ― as is the case with labels for gender across the board.

And to your second question, I loved writing these characters. Loved, loved, loved it. There’s always a fear element to writing anything, of course, but I tried to be as authentic as possible in the writing of this story and these characters, and creating What We Left Behind was above all a joyful experience.

You said on your blog Toni and Gretchen are "two of my favorite fictional people ever”. What do you love most about them and what does their story mean to you?

Toni and Gretchen have been with me for a long, long time. They started out as secondary characters in the very first book I wrote, back when I was first teaching myself how to do this whole novel thing. That book wasn’t very good and it will never leave my hard drive, but Toni and Gretchen were my favorite things about it, so I wound up writing another book where they were front and center. And now I’m incredibly thrilled that their story is entering the world. Both of them feel so real to me I sometimes forget I made them up.

From my knowledge, What We Left Behind will feature one of the first genderqueer characters in YA. Along with that, I’ve heard the book will also include a diverse cast who identity somewhere on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Are you excited about the conversations that your book will encourage? What do hope readers take away from it?

I’m always happy for my writing to spark conversations! At its heart, What We Left Behind is a story about coming of age ― about figuring out your place in the world and in relation to the people you love, and about how that place changes as you grow and change as an individual. So that’s what I hope readers will take away.

I’m not a writer myself, but I would like to think each book you write would teach you something along the way. What did you learn in the process of writing What We Left Behind?

Because What We Left Behind is told in alternating chapters between Toni and Gretchen ― it’s the only book I’ve written in that format ― I had to carefully balance my plot and structure in a new way. It really forced me to look closely at exactly what had to happen when, to make sure I was keeping a fair balance between the two points of view and that the story was moving along at the right pace. It was a challenge, but it definitely taught me some useful lessons about structure.

As someone who is passionate about writing diverse books (particularly LGBTQIA+), what advice do you have for those wanting to write diversely, but are afraid to incase of getting it wrong?

If you’re writing about characters whose experiences are different from your own, your first step is going to be research, research, research. I think a lot of writers who worry about getting things wrong are at the very beginning of the writing process ― conceptualizing a story ― and if they’re too afraid, they might not ever get further than that. But research is an essential part of conceptualizing, no matter what you’re writing about. So my advice is to start there, so you can learn what you need to know before you can dive into the writing itself.

What was the path to publication like for you? Any tips or advice for LGBTQIA+ writers that you wish you’d been privy to back then? (Maybe about what finding an agent was like, and any tips for the process? Or general helpfulness.)

I followed the standard process of querying literary agents when I was first starting out. With the first book I queried (that was the one I mentioned above, featuring Toni and Gretchen as side characters), I didn’t wind up getting representation. But I got a lot of very encouraging rejection emails (for real, those are a thing!). So the very first query I sent for my next book was to the agent who had sent me the most encouraging rejection the first time around. He’s also the one I wound up signing with, and he still represents me today. He’s awesome, and I feel so lucky that he sent me that encouraging rejection years ago! As for LGBTQIA+ writers who are at the beginning of the query process, every YA agent out there seems eager to represent more books with queer characters, so my advice is to put it all out there ― be direct in your query about your characters’ orientations and identities.

And last but not least, recommend us a diverse book (or two!) you think we all need to read and why. I think we can all agree that readers can never have enough good recommendations!

Two books that I read recently and that made me think a lot ― in very different ways ― are George by Alex Gino and The Unintentional Time Traveler by Everett Maroon. Both books have a lot to say about gender identity, but George is for a younger audience and made me weep with joy, and The Unintentional Time Traveler is for an older crowd and is a fascinatingly twisty sci-fi tale.



Author bio:
Robin Talley, author of Lies We Tell Ourselves (September 2014) and What We Left Behind (October 2015), grew up in Roanoke, Virginia. A Lambda Literary Fellow, Robin now lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife, plus an antisocial cat and a goofy hound dog. When Robin’s not writing, she’s often planning communication strategies at organizations fighting for equal rights and social justice. You can find her on the web at www.robintalley.com or on Twitter at @robin_talley. 

Review: The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
August 27th, 2015 · Walker Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 352

What if you aren’t the Chosen One?

The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable. 

Patrick Ness. What is there to say, apart from the fact that he is one very beloved, popular YA author among readers? Practically everyone loves him and I've only ever heard incredible things about his books, yet this was my first time reading him. It took me a while, huh? First things first: I can see why he causes such a hype. I LOVED The Rest of Us Just Live Here.

I first became intrigued about TROUJLH after my friend Jess read it and was telling me about it at a blogger meet-up. It sounded great, but I officially knew I needed this in my life after I jumped onto Goodreads a few days later and got a major Buffy vibe from the reviews. (As you most probably know by now, BtVS is my favourite.) Because then that got me thinking - what would have high school been like for those teens not off saving the world? Patrick Ness shows us in his latest. But it also delivers SO much more and blew my expectations out of the water.

In case you didn’t know, this book is incredibly diverse and it is WONDERFUL. It was so great to read and see so many diverse characters on the page. Plus, they were written with care and sensitivity, which is just as important as writing them in the first place. Big thumbs up.

And the charterers? Fabulous! I loved Mikey and from page one, his voice jumped off the page. The secondary characters - Mel, Jared and Henna - were just as great and I loved how fleshed out they were. Ness makes his characters easy to love and that is no small feat. The last time I cared about characters this much was when I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which I read earlier in the year. It's not every day you come to care so much about a bunch of characters, but when you do, it's such a special thing. I closed the book with a heavy heart, knowing I'd miss them. If that’s not well written characters, I don’t know what is.

Another thing I I loved about this book was how supportive Mikey’s friends and sisters were. They all cared about each other so much and it was a delight to read about such strong, positive relationships and people who will be there for others no matter what. This is what we need to see more of in YA. It was seriously so endearing and lovely and heartfelt and wonderful and special that it made me tear up multiple times. (That is a lot of ands and adjectives, but it was an original sentence I wrote when I was taking notes and I still stand by it so! *takes deep breathe*)

The Rest of Us Just Live Here is an incredible, original story and one that is beautifully diverse. If you want true-to-life characters, writing that stands out and a book that’ll steal your heart, this is for you! I hope you love it as much as I did.

Have you read this or do you plan to? What's your favourite Patrick Ness book? Now that I've read him, I can't wait to read more! Last but certainly not least: Have you ever watched Buffy and if you have, are you a super fan like I am?

Dive Into Diversity: How Diverse Are Your Shelves? (Bookshop Ed.)

A few months back I did an experiment called, How Diverse Are Your Shelves? It was eye-opening, a lot of fun and not only did you enjoy it, but it got you guys thinking, which was great to see. So for September's post, I decided to do it again, except this time, in a different environment - the bookshop! So here's take two, How Diverse Are Your Shelves? Bookshop edition!

The (estimated) facts:

- Four aisles of shelves equates to a LOT of books. My guess is 900 - 1000 titles in the YA section.
- After browsing the shelves, I found 27 books that counted as diverse (QUILTBAG, POC, authors of colour, nerodiversity, ect). I could only go off of books I knew, so this is an extremely rough estimate and I’m sure I missed at least another half of books that would have counted. Especially since fantasy, dystopian and paranormal aren’t my go-to genres. Add another ~30 books for any I missed and I think that would be about right.
- From a rough estimate, I calculate 6.25 % diverse titles.

Diverse titles I found browsing...

Now, you might be wondering... well, that's seem like a great selection of diverse titles there! And it is. But keep in perspective I searched for them through all these shelves:

Bookshelves in question...

Was I surprised by the results?

Yes, I didn’t actually think they’d have the selection and amount that they did of diverse books. Percentage-wise, it’s still really low, but I was glad to walk in there and be able to find diverse titles. The non-diverse titles obviously outweighed the diverse titles, but that’s to be expected. After all, you have to look at what’s being published and what’s already out there.

What did I learn?

If we want to be able to go into a bookshop and see diversity on the shelves, we need be showing interest and buying diverse titles in-store. This makes sense and is something I already knew, but it's a great reminder!

Overall thoughts:

Very different to the first time I did this experiment with my own shelves, in that I couldn’t be as precise and a lot was calculated guess work. Great to see bookshops stocking diverse titles!

I hope you enjoyed this experiment like you did the last one! So tell me: how diverse are your bookshops? Do you make a point to buy diverse titles in-store? Lastly, have you had any interesting conversations to the staff about books and diversity? I'll leave it there and let you take over in the comments... Don't forget to link up your reviews for this month!

Dive Into Diversity: Cover Chat

Just as all people deserve to read books and see themselves on the page, it’s also important for them to see themselves on covers. So today I'd like to chat covers - starting with authors who have taken matters (and covers) into their own hands, along with sharing favourites. Because who doesn't love a cover well done?

Authors who write diverse stories are also determined and passionate about their covers representing authentically. Take Dahlia Adler’s recent f/f Under the Lights, for example. If you’ve read the cover reveal post you’ll see how hard it was in trying to bring this cover to life. As Dahlia said: "So, two girls, who are clearly into each other, one of whom is Asian-American. Surely there’s an endless abundance of stock photos of that, right?” But thankfully with Maggie Hall’s (author and designer) help, as you can see, they got there in the end!

Another cover I want to mention is a recent cover reveal for More Than Fashion by Elizabeth Briggs. In case you didn’t notice from the cover, it’s NA ;) After unsuccessfully browsing stock sites trying to find an interracial couple, the author decided to take matters into her own hands and put on a custom photo shoot, which you can read about here.

While these were both successful covers, most authors don’t get much say in their covers, if any, and lot of it comes down to publishers and their choosing. The good thing I discovered after searching and putting a tweet out for others to have their say, was that I didn’t get much negative feedback (i.e.: whitewashing), apart from Nicole pointing out Immortal Rules original cover. But that’s not to say there hasn't been disappointment and white-washing in the past because I’m sure there has been.

All I can hope is that we’re becoming a more diverse, rich book community and covers will accommodate that. 2015 has been a pretty fantastic year of diversity and I hope this is just the beginning of many, many more wonderful diverse titles to come, along with that many, many more badass diverse covers!

As for my favourites? The Last Leaves Falling (US version) is my not only one of my favourite diverse covers, but one of my favourites in general. Oh, how I love it! It's stunning and eye-catching and it's so damn perfect for this book. And if I haven't read this yet, PLEASE DO. I haven't been able to review this yet, it's a bit too close and personal for me to put into words, but this book is so incredible and brilliant.

Dumplin is just downright fabulous. Her stance is bold and awesome and I have a feeling I'm going to love this book! Such a simple yet wonderful cover, don't you think?

I've been a fan of the Lies We Tell Ourselves since I first laid eyes on it. I love how it's a yearbook.

So now it's your turn to chat - sound off in the comments and tell me which diverse covers you love! Also, what would you like to see more of on covers? What's missing? As always, link up your diverse reviews below. I look forward to seeing what you've been reading!

Dive Into Diversity: Favourites of 2015 (so far!)

Hello there! If you're reading this, sorry for my absence, I've been in a slump and just haven't been able to bring myself to read or blog or do much of anything. Hopefully this feeling passes soon because it sucks. But on to better and brighter things, todays Dive Into Diversity post! Having been away, this post was rather last minute, but contains something all us book lovers love doing: chatting about books we've loved! And here today, I've gathered two lovely ladies to share their favourite diverse reads of the year (so far)!

My favorite diverse book I've read this year is TRUST THE FOCUS by Megan Erickson. It's a male/male romance about two best friends on a post-college road trip. One is out, but the other isn't. I loved watching Justin's growth! Seeing him find his courage. Seeing him and Landry find their way to each other. Justin is from a conservative family, which I identified with. Even though TRUST THE FOCUS is New Adult (with some sexiness added in), I feel like YA readers who love contemporaries with themes of self-discovery would love this book. -- Molli Moran, YA author of As You Turn Away

The Wrath and the Dawn is a mesmerizing and compelling debut written by Renee Ahdieh that is loosely based on the Arabic folk story, A Thousand and One Nights. In a genre that so often tends to follow a very specific mold, it was extremely refreshing to read a fantasy that incorporated a culture I had no real prior exposure to, so effortlessly. The details about the food, the clothing, and the language only made the story that more richer and fascinating. Shahrzad  was a fantastic endearing heroine. Feisty, sarcastic, and clever she brought a spark to the story that was complimented by Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan whom I adored. Together, they were amazing. The ultimate royal power couple, their scenes together were filed with undeniable chemistry and an addicting romance. Overall, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is hands down one of my favorites of 2015 and a refreshing fantasy read that offers readers a look into a captivating culture. -- Kaina @ These Flying Pages

As for my pick? I think you know my favourite diverse book of the year, which is no other than Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I push this book so hard and I mean, I've even created a fan tee - it doesn't get more dedicated than that.

But to spread the book love, I'm going to go with None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio. If you haven't read this, you should. It's a brilliant, eye-opening book that sheds light on intersex, a topic that doesn't get talked about nearly enough and I hope that changes soon. This was my first intersex book, but I thought the author handled the subject matter with such care and respect and I definitely recommend it!

I love how diverse our list turned out to be - a gay love story, a book about intersex and a fantasy with a POC main character. I'd love to hear YOUR favourite diverse title of the year and why we need to read it. And if you're a challenge participant, don't forget to link up below! Happy reading!

Dive Into Diversity: How Diverse Are Your Shelves? Experiment

For today's post, I wanted to do a little bookish experiment. Basically, I wanted to examine my shelf with a critical eye and see how diverse they really are. After all, if we want more diversity, we have to support it, right? The results were certainly interesting...

The facts: 
- All up, I have 191 books. (This is only counting books I keep on my shelf. I also have others in cupboards that I’m finished with, on loan, ect.)
- After sorting through, I found 31 books that counted as diverse, including QUILTBAG, POC, authors of colour, nerodiversity, ect. I went off what I knew and Goodreads, so it’s a rough estimate, give or take a few.
- So to sum up, my shelves are 1/6 diverse.

Now for some picture evidence...

Now, the first picture is my shelf with any diverse titles removed. And the second drastic picture, where-did-all-the-books? go are the diverse titles I own:

Quite an eye-opener, huh?

Was I surprised by the results?
Yes, but also, sadly, no.
No, because you have to counter in the diverse books available/published vs. all the other books. That is, the latter dominates.
Yes, because I thought my shelves were more diverse than they are. So to see photos and numbers showing otherwise was quite a realisation.

What did I learn?
Well, my shelves are definitely not as diverse as I’d like them to be. I wouldn’t say I make a special note to buy them, but I’m learning it’s very important to do so. Because the bottom line is: If we buy and borrow and request them, publishers will print them, libraries will have them and bookshops will sell them. It’s as simple as that.

So…what did you think of my little experiment? 
How diverse do you think your shelves really are?

Amongst the Shelves Interview - Dive Into Diversity

Hello there! I hope you’ve been reading some great books lately. I just finished Far From You and look forward to sharing a review with you guys. But you should know I really enjoyed it! I know I haven’t been around of late (hello, book slump), but I have something special for you guys today. Last month I got in contact with Lauren, a library worker for an interview on diversity and today I get to share it with you all! I hope you enjoy. 

From being a reader and working in a library, what’s your thoughts on diversity and the WNDB campaign?

For me personally I have spent most of my working life with books – either in the bookstore or at the library where I currently work. I greatly admire the motivation behind the WNDB campaign and it is something of great importance for discussion but I think it means something else/more to me.

 We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities*, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. Our mission is to promote or amplify diversification efforts and increase visibility for diverse books and authors, with a goal of empowering a wide range of readers in the process.

While I admire and support the aim of the WNDB campaign above, my interpretation of diversity means so much more. At the library, we have a responsibility to represent the needs/demands/interests of our local community. It is not only the responsibility of a public library to be a source of information and resources but to make sure they are relevant and most importantly, accessible. So from the point of view of a library, diversity also means materials produced in a variety of languages that reflect the various nationalities of the community. Not only must the languages reflect our clientele, but they must also be accessible to a variety of reading levels – English as a second language, beginner readers – and abilities – large print, audio, Braille – and I think that these can sometimes be areas where there is great potential to fail our goals.

We as a library are as affected by availability as a purchaser. We must ensure that we have a wide variety of large print books, of audio, and of books printed in a variety of languages and the smaller the client base the more difficult and more expensive it becomes to source such material. Balancing the demand for a particular genre or format from your clientele and what publishers are willing to provide can be quite difficult.

As I am a storyteller (and also because they are just awesome) I read a lot of picture books. I am very conscious of the content of these books. While I tend to select books that are full of crazy adventures involving aliens, monsters, pirates, Santa Clause and IMAGINATION, I am very keen to make sure those books include books with both boys and girls and books that are not reduced to gender stereotypes. My favourite books will have as many girls wrestling dragons as there are boys doing craft. But my ideal picture book would be one that isn’t tokenistic and doesn’t draw attention to its diversity. The greatest picture books are the ones that just ARE. That show kids of all nationalities that have varied interests, that have varied talents and abilities and that represent the different dynamics and makeups of a family unit without declaring loudly and proudly ‘I AM THE ISSUES BOOK! LOOK AT ME, BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT ABOUT ISSUES!’

"I also want to know that those books are well written and are about something more than ticking a box in an attempt to be politically or culturally aware.”

 Having worked in books for years, when did you first notice the lack of diversity? 

I think having my own blog and getting involved in all the social media was probably what made me question what I’d read and taken for granted. Probably the first big wakeup call would have been the scandal surrounding the casting of Rue in The Hunger Games. I hadn’t read the books until after the movie, but I remember being so fascinated by the unfolding drama surrounding people insisting Rue was a little white girl. The next was probably that the scifi book by Beth Revis had had the cover rereleased with a much less ethnically diverse couple than were represented in the story. 

We Need Diverse Books campaign is US-based, but hopefully spreading all around the world. Since then, have you noticed a difference in books being loaned or in readers requests?

I’m not sure that social awareness has been of great concern to our borrowers. In terms of the youth of our library, I’m usually so delighted when they DO borrow that what they borrow doesn’t really matter. As far as I can recall, I have not received a complaint about a lack of diversity in the content of our collections. As I said, social awareness hasn’t really cropped up in the conversations I overhear from the teens that come to the library. Perhaps, sadly, rather than make a complaint or request, such borrowers would simply stop using our services. 

One of the most common requests would be for books in other languages which I do count as a request for diversity and we cater to those requests by ordering material from the State Library in the language of their choice. The more we have promoted this service, the more awareness our borrowers have and we are certainly seeing more, not less, of these requests. 

"the concept of diversity will be so commonplace it won’t NEED mentioning."

For readers wanting to do their bit to support diversity in books, what can they be doing personally/in conjunction with their library?  

If people think that a certain section of the community or of a collection is being underrepresented or excluded, definitely raise that with the staff. A member can always put in requests for particular titles or collections and the library in question should do their best to fill that gap or purchase appropriate titles to the best of their budget ability. The aim of anyone working in a library is (hopefully) to promote knowledge and information, to be accessible and to make sure what’s in the collection is being put to good use.

If they find a particular book they think deals fantastically with a particular subject – PROMOTE IT – tell the staff, tell them they do a great job in selecting material, ask your teachers to include it as part of a reading list or on the syllabus, tell the staff how it relates to an HSC topic, check to see whether the subject headings appropriately reflect what the book is about, tell your friends to borrow the book, ask the staff if you can write a review of it somewhere. Libraries routinely look at what’s being borrowed as a measure of success, if a book has a lot of loans, we’ll buy more from that author or buy more copies for the other branches or make sure we buy more books like it. 

And last but not least, do you have a diverse book recommendation for us? 

I think one that I haven’t seen get much attention from bloggers is Ambelin Kwaymullina’s The Tribe series which is set in a post-Apocalyptic Australia and features an Indigenous girl as the main character and draws much of its strength and from the Dreamtime lore. It is a dystopian novel with a government determined to weed out those with powers and has the fear of the ‘Other’ story that has been so big the last few years but I found this story to be such a refreshing new take on the genre.

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