Top Ten Tuesday | Celebrating Diversity

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish in which you give ten answers to the topic for the week. To find a list of upcoming topics, go here. This week’s topic is “Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters″. This can include books that feature minority/religious minority, socioeconomic diversity, disabled MC, neurotypical character, LGBTQ, etc.

The following list includes a mixture of diverse books I have read (#1-5) and diverse books I haven’t read but that I want to (#6-10). All pictures link to Goodreads.

---

Books I Have Read

1. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

The main character in this book, Simon, is a gay teenager who hasn’t yet come out to his friends and family, even though he knows they will be very accepting. The story centers around Simon and the boy he’s in an online relationship with, Blue. Simon and Blue attend the same high school but since they’re both using fictitious names, neither knows who the other person is. This is an excellent book that deals with serious topics in a lighthearted and entertaining way. If you enjoy Oreos and Harry Potter references, this book is most likely for you.

2. The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles series retells different fairy tales in a futuristic world where things like cyborgs, androids, and people that live on the moon exist. The series features a whole slew of characters that come from all over the world with completely different upbringings and ethnicities. There are characters from China, France, United States, and the moon.

3. The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

The Heroes of Olympus series is the spin-off/continuation of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It combines Greek and Roman mythology to tell the story of several different demigods (the children of humans/gods) and their adventures. The series also features very diverse characters: Leo who is Mexican-American, Frank who is Chinese-Canadian, Hazel who is African-American, Reyna who is Puerto Rican, and Nico who is Italian-American. There is also some LBGTQ+ representation, but that’s all I’ll say because of spoilers.

4. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

This historical fiction novel is about Sarah, a young African American girl who is attending a previously all white high school. She has to work on a class project with Linda, a girl who makes sure Sarah knows how much she doesn’t think she should be there. However, through the course of the novel, the two girls discover that they’re not so different after all. They both begin to fall for each other in a time where being gay wasn’t tolerated at all.

5. The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan

The Raging Quiet centers around Marnie, a newcomer in a tiny village, and Raver, a young man whom everyone thinks is a madman. Marnie discovers that there isn’t anything wrong with him; he just cannot hear. The pair learn how to communicate through hand gestures and Raver gets to hold a conversation with someone for the first time in his life. However, their fellow villagers don’t understand and think there is witchcraft going on. This is a fantastic and gripping story about how two people can form a deep connection without verbalization.

Books I Haven’t Read

6. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Synopsis: Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

7. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Synopsis: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

8. 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger

Synopsis: In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, India now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, making women an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of marrying off their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women who form the country of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife. Sudasa doesn’t want to be a wife, and Kiran, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. Sudasa’s family wants nothing more than for their daughter to do the right thing and pick a husband who will keep her comfortable—and caged. Kiran’s family wants him to escape by failing the tests. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Kiran thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing.

9. Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Synopsis: Two young people are forced to make a stand in this thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society. Sephy is a Cross — a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought — a “colourless” member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood, but that’s as far as it can go. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum — a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together?

10. Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

Synopsis: Max Walker is a golden boy. Attractive, intelligent, and athletic, he’s the perfect son, the perfect friend, and the perfect crush for the girls in his school. He’s even really nice to his little brother. Karen, Max’s mother, is determined to maintain the façade of effortless excellence she has constructed through the years, but now that the boys are getting older, she worries that the façade might soon begin to crumble. Adding to the tension, her husband Steve has chosen this moment to stand for election to Parliament. The spotlight of the media is about to encircle their lives. The Walkers are hiding something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is intersex. (Click the picture for the full synopsis)

---

What are your favorite diverse books? Let me know down below or link me to your TTT post!