Friday, May 2, 2014

We Need Diverse Books

We do.

Some fantabulous authors have created the We Need Diverse Books push. If you haven't seen it on tumblr or Twitter (#weneeddiversebooks), please check it out.

It's affirming how many people understand, know and believe this.

It's also horribly depressing that we need to have a push at all.

Books = power.
Books reflect society - as it is, as it might be.
Books let us walk a few steps in the lives of another.
Books give us hope for a better future.
Books spread knowledge, hope, love and understanding.
Books let everyone have a voice.

Diversity = power.
Diversity is normal.
Diversity is interesting.
Diversity makes life fascinating and brings so much joy.
Diversity is strength.
Diversity is us.

Give the thread a look. Add in your thoughts.

So why do you think we need diverse books?

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

We need diverse books because our schools, cities, and countries are diverse. Children need to read about characters that are both the same and different from them.

Jemi Fraser said...

Medeia - absolutely! :)

Kelly Polark said...

Medeia said it perfectly.

I do find more diversity in picture books than YA and MG. One of my picture books is about a multiracial family, and I am proud to say that we read many diverse books in our Early Childhood classroom. But diversity is much harder to find for the older readers.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

I just came back from an indie bookstore with a bag of new books. I asked the bookseller to help me find diverse YA and MG books by authors I didn't know. She was great. I also picked up some I did know. I'm quite excited!

Jemi Fraser said...

Kelly - yes, she did! You're so right - those picture books are awesome!

Tricia - that's awesome! I love filling my class library with books reflecting as many kinds of people as I can!

Unknown said...

Because we are all different (thank goodness!) and being 'different' is good. After all, who wants to be beige? Not me, that's for sure.

I'm eclectic and proud of it :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Wendy - exactly! :)

Dianne K. Salerni said...

I hope this movement spurs publishers into recognizing that spurning books because of gender, race, religion or any other factor diminishes us all. It belittles us by making assumptions about what we will or will not read.

Mason Canyon said...

I think Medeia said it perfectly. Without diversity there is no challenge.

mshatch said...

In addition to what everyone else has said diverse books help us all open our eyes and our minds to the differences that make us all unique and special because we don't live in a 'beige' world, we live in a world full of different colors, strange sounds and amazing pictures we won't see unless we open our eyes and look beyond the box we live in.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Diversity is the spice of life. HOW BORING life would be if EVERYTHING was the same....

Different cultures are FASCINATING and we can learn so much from them...Relatively we are still a very YOUNG country...

Jemi Fraser said...

Dianne - totally agree!

Mason - yes!

Marcy - exactly! Diversity is beauty!

Michael - so true! We've got an amazing future waiting for all of us!

Deniz Bevan said...

"Books let us walk a few steps in the lives of another."
Exactly. We learn things from books, and the more diverse they are, the more we can learn of the world and of life.

Jemi Fraser said...

Deniz - so very true!

klahanie said...

Hi human, Jemi,

Books that celebrate the diversity that should be shared, gets my vote.

Pawsitive wishes,

Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Penny - I totally agree! Everyone/dog should be celebrated! :)

Dawn Simon said...

I agree, and I love the comments here! Medeia said what I was thinking (but she probably said it more eloquently than I would have)!

Jemi Fraser said...

Dawn - I love it all too! :)

cleemckenzie said...

I chimed in on this last week. I so agree.*

Kelly Steel said...

Agreed!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lee & Kelly - we do make a great team! Together we WILL change the world for the better :)

Julie Dao said...

AMEN to everything! Sometimes I wonder why this is even a problem anymore. Our world is so diverse, and diversifying even more by the day. Why then is it so difficult to reflect this in books? I hope that things are changing for the better. Movements like this give me hope!

Jemi Fraser said...

Julie - I hope the same. It's incredibly frustrating when I can't find books that reflect all the kids I teach!

Shelley Sly said...

I was thrilled to see that #WeNeedDiverseBooks became as huge as it did! (Though, like what Julie said, I'm disappointed that this is even a problem.) I really enjoy reading about characters of all backgrounds and abilities.

Crystal Collier said...

I do like different books, but I'm a total chicken when it comes to trying new things. Crazy, right? Well, I'll read anything, or at least the first couple chapters, but with the time commitment I want to be sure it's going to be worth the cost. At any rate, I LOVE reading stories placed in different cultures, countries or time periods. Books really should be about opening our eyes.

nutschell said...

Here! Here! Love that this movement is out there, and that it exploded. Diverse Books are necessary in order to open readers' eyes to other cultures.


Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Jemi Fraser said...

Shelley - me too! It would be no fun reading about myself - much more fun to read about someone else!

Crystal - that's definitely a factor. I've justified my craving for new books by buying a billion or so over the years for my classroom! :)

Nutschell - they are most definitely necessary! So glad it happened too :)

LD Masterson said...

Life is diverse. Books need to reflect life. All of it.

Romance Reader said...

Diversity is unity so yes we do need diverse books!

Jemi Fraser said...

Linda - exactly!

RR - totally agree! :)

Beth said...

I think it's important that kids (and teens, and adults) be able to read about people that reflect who they are. And on the flip side, I love sinking into a story about someone who is quite different from me.

Jemi Fraser said...

Beth - so true! I love having all kinds of experiences in my books! :)

Carol Kilgore said...

We need diverse books for as many reasons as there are readers, writers, and causes in this world.

Jemi Fraser said...

Carol - yes!

Michelle Wallace said...

We need diverse books to cater for the innumerable widespread and diverse realities, which differ from one individual to the next, across the globe, taking into account the fact that we all come from different backgrounds with different needs/expectations/beliefs/cultures/values/lifestyles etc.

Jemi Fraser said...

Michelle - beautifully said! :)

DMS said...

I think we need diverse books so we can see what life is like for other people and so that we can spotlight different cultures and people. I have learned so much from books about other cultures and they are a wonderful reminder that our world is made up of a variety of different people. :)
~Jess

Jemi Fraser said...

Jess - so true! I love discovering new people and new cultures too! :)

Kelly Steel said...

Diversity is power-yes!

Jemi Fraser said...

Kelly - agreed! :)