By MyChalia Sanfilippo
Reading is a favorite pastime for so many. There are a lot of reasons why reading is so enjoyable and so important to people. Whether it be that they enjoy the stories or find it relaxing. One aspect of reading that is so significant is finding a part of the book to relate to. Though, that isn’t so easy for many people. People that identify with any number of minority groups have a hard time finding books with characters that are like them, whether it be POC, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, etc. Below is a list of five books with diverse characters.
1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is about Starr Carter, a young black female balancing living between two worlds. She lives in the poor neighborhood of Garden Heights, yet goes to a predominately white suburban prep school. One night after a party, Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her unarmed friend, Khalil, by a police officer. What follows is Starr learning who she is in the face of a national issue.
The Hate U Give is absolutely amazing. I love the characters and the dynamic between the characters. Starr, the protagonist, is so relatable, she is sassy and sarcastic while being so honest and innocent. You truly see her growth throughout the novel as she questions the power of her voice. Angie Thomas’s writing is beautiful and she approaches tough topics well. Thomas does a great job discussing racial tensions and police brutality. She doesn’t use her book as a means to preach against the police because she says as a whole the police aren’t bad, but the system excuses the officers like 115, the officer who killed Khalil. Many times Thomas makes it a point to say that Starr doesn’t hate all police officers, only the ones that exploit their power. Also, Thomas is very genuine with her descriptions of Garden Heights and the violence, poverty, and gang activity within the neighborhood. There is no stone unturned and the story is absolutely (and unfortunately) believable.
*The Hate U Give will be a major motion picture coming to theaters October 19
2. Simon vs the Homo Sapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Simon vs the Homo Sapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli is about Simon Spier, a closeted gay high school junior. Upon finding another closeted gay student under the alias, Blue, through the school’s gossip blog, Simon begins a chain of anonymous emails. When Simon’s secret emails are discovered, his sexuality is threatened to be revealed. He’s blackmailed into being the wingman of the class clown, Martin, to keep his secret. The emails between Simon and Blue quickly become flirtatious and now Simon, who normally shies away from drama, is caught in the middle.
This book is such a fun and lighthearted read. I love Simon so much. He’s really awkward and quirky; you just can’t help but fall in love with him. What’s really great about this book is seeing Simon’s self-growth and how he learns to become so comfortable with being himself. He not only learns about himself, but those around him, and becomes a better friend.
One really important thing about this book is the healthy and supportive relationships portrayed. Often in today’s society, when someone comes out they don’t receive the full support of their friends and/or family. It’s great to portray a loving and supportive network to young people to show that it does happen, so that young people are more comfortable coming out and being themselves. Also, a really great point that Simon makes is “Why is straight the default?” Which just shows how important it is to portray these stories to show that straight isn’t the default and allow people the comfortable space to come out and be who they are. This is just a great story of a young boy coming out and experiencing his first love.
*Love, Simon is a major motion picture based on the novel
*Love, Simon was the first film by a major Hollywood studio to portray a gay teenage romance
3. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy is about self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson, who was dubbed with the nickname “Dumplin” by her former beauty queen mother. Will exudes confidence despite not fitting society’s expectation of an ideal body. When Will starts working at a local fast food chain, finds herself attracted to Private School Bo, and is surprised that he finds her attractive as well. In a new relationship, Will expects to find more self-assurance, yet seems to lack her normal confidence. To gain back her self-confidence she does the most horrifying thing ever: join the Miss Clover City Beauty Pageant.
What’s unique about this book is that often stories about overweight characters focus on the character being hyper-aware of their weight and thus being self-conscious. The stories often continue with the overweight character then going on a “miraculous” weight loss journey and losing all feelings of insecurity. Will gives herself the name of fat girl. She isn’t completely confident in her body, which just makes her more relatable. It’s great to see a powerful character that can also be vulnerable. What is also great is how Will chose to enter the beauty pageant to challenge traditional beauty standards. There were many other girls who don’t fit the traditional standards of beauty that entered the pageant as well, which is great to see as it shows that everyone is beautiful regardless of who they are or what they look like.
4. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is about Maddy Whittier an 18-year-old girl confined to the walls of her home. Maddy suffers from a rare disease called SCID, where anything in the outside environment can make her incredibly sick due to her impacted immune system. One day a boy name Olly Bright moves in next door. The two instantly have a connection. Throughout the book, the relationship between the two characters grows as they learn more about each other and risk everything to be together.
There are many diverse aspects to this novel. Firstly, the way the novel is structured. The story is told through pictures, texts, and other various media. This makes reading the book interesting as you get a different perspective of the story than you would normally get. You see the individualized post it’s from Maddy’s nurse and the back and forth text chats between Maddy and Olly. Besides the format, Maddy is a biracial (African American/Japanese) woman with a disability. Many characters in novels are able-bodied individuals, so having a character with a disease that affects their daily life reflects the lives of those with disabilities despite SCID being a rare disease. Maddy gives a unique perspective of a young girl that has never left her home. She gets to experience the world for the first time and experiences her first love. It’s great to see Maddy grow and become an independent person as she experiences more of the world.
*Everything, Everything currently has a movie based off the book
5. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is about Charlie, a young boy starting his freshman year. Despite taking place in the 80s or 90s, the book is relatable to teens across generations. The book is told through letters Charlie writes to an unnamed friend. Charlie tells stories of his freshman year of high school where he gains and loses friends, improves relationships with family, tries drugs and alcohol, and overall, goes through life.
Perks of Being a Wallflower has a lot of representation of mental health. Although it’s not obvious to either Charlie nor the reader at the beginning, Charlie has PTSD as well as anxiety. Charlie suffers from flashbacks of his past. As the book progresses and Charlie goes through different experiences with his friends, the flashbacks and his anxiety fluctuate. The novel really shows what it’s like to have a mental illness and how a good support system really helps someone cope. When Charlie’s relationships with his friends and family are the strongest, the flashbacks happen the least. It’s when he goes through a rough patch towards the end, where the worst parts of his mental health are revealed. This book is really well written and gives a unique perspective on mental illness. You get a first-hand look at someone who is suffering from a mental illness without it being the driving force of their story.
Also, despite Charlie’s mental health being a big part of the story, there is something to relate to for everyone. There are so many characters with relatable qualities: Patrick loves someone who can’t openly love him back or Charlie’s sister, who has such a tough exterior but learns to be vulnerable with Charlie when she knows she can’t handle everything on her own. Each characters’ story creates a point for someone to relate to the story. Perks of Being a Wallflower is a unique story with so many important aspects.
This is definitely not an exhaustive list. There are so many more books with diverse perspectives that have been published and there are so many more that are coming. Diversity is never going to be a one and done thing. There will always be more stories to tell and more perspectives to show. It’s important to create a more inclusive community in what we read and it’s important to share the books that already embrace the world’s diversity.
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