DIVERSITY IN BOOKS

Hey everyone! Here are some thoughts on diversity in books :)

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Charity:

[missmadyreads]

A book doesn't get any extra points for me if it's diverse. Yes diversity is awesome to have but I'm going to rate a diverse book just like I would rate any other book. This topic has come up the past few years and I always like hearing different opinions on it. You brought out some good points!

[ASJames]

Yes Elliot!!
Completely agree! I think diversity in books is a great thing but it always makes me cringe a little when people make that the deciding factor in giving a book a good rating. It feels almost a little patronising to me.

[bookellenic]

That is a really good point, I often hear in reviews that are not that positive "well at least there is a lot of diversity in it" and my first thought is: that doesn't make it any better, in fact the representation might actually have been deliberate because as you said this is on trend right now... The check list you mentioned can do more harm than good in my opinion, because there is just a very slim chance many diverse characters will be accurately or even sufficiently represented in a book without overlooking all the other elements such as plot, world building etc... Long story short: diversity doesn't automatically make a book better and lack of diversity doesn't eliminate the book completely (though we have to acknowledge one would have to try in order not to include any kind of marginalised character in a book, it would just be inaccurate and unrealiatic)

[GEORGIOARCADE]

Elliot you speaking the truth today girl lol 😁. What an excellent topic not only to learn from you, but to explain in depth that diversity shouldn't stop anyone from being honest about their personal feelings of story. Providing that they have facts of that story & are respectful about it. A persons race or gender doesn't deter or sway my opinion of a book, movie, or game. I care more about their character (personality/motives) more. We read stories cuz we like the plot, the intrigue, the character traits. Looks only makes maybe 30% of that to me. Elliot I admire your bravery to cover topics like these cuz you speak from the heart & you are very knowledgeable as doing research. I feel we need more people like you in this world not just online. I wish you & everyone lovely Happy Booking reading days until we meet again 💜📖☕

[Celise]

AGREED that diversity doesn't = quality writing. AGREED that it makes it very hard to review books when they're crap but they have diverse characters. I love reading books with influences from other cultures, with characters who are LGBT (being a member of this community myself), and POC, but it doesn't make it 5 stars automatically for me. On a sidenote I also don't think that creating flaws in characters who are poc or lgbt is automatically misrepresentation. I hate getting crap for liking the representation in a book when someone else thinks it's "problematic". You have no idea who I am! Maybe I feel represented!

At the same time though there are a TON of non-diverse books that are also crappy and still get published. I think the market does need to be a bit more saturated with diverse books, though not from white straight authors who think it's trendy. (Though white straight authors can sometimes still do it really well, in which case, please do)

[murakamireads]

girl. YES. PREACH. 👏👏👏👏 You said so many things I've been thinking about this topic for SO LONG. I've thought the whole "diversity bingo" thing has been such a stupid thing going around booktube or people who are literally like "I'm ONLY gonna read diverse books" like ??? this community makes no sense sometimes.

[Severian]

I don't get some people. If I think a book's not good then it's not good in my opinion. I don't have to praise it because it's got gay people or black people. It's just that the book itself is not good. So simple. It really bugs me when people expect me to praise a book because it's diverse. You praise the book because it's got a good story and all the elements of the book come together to create a complete and enjoyable experience for the reader, creating a meaningful effect for said reader. Diverse worlds are great but not at the expense of a good story.

[alaa-]

YES! a booktuber who speaks the truth 👏🏻

[GirsandSilversgirl]

If I'm being honest, sometimes it feels like authors are only writing really strong women in fantasy, being both physically and emotionally strong rather than ever trying to show vulnerability, which is strange because I also see a lot of men be the same thing. Personally, I like to see men and women who struggle with emotional control and written from life. Specifically in YA i don't see capable women who also can be a little demure and kind of struggle to be who they want to be. I haven't read enough of other stories in the terms of diversity, but I feel that if you are writing a story inspired by or even completely based on a culture or a mythology that isn't your own that you need to do your research, because in order to really get to know a culture, you should probably know the myths. I absolutely agree with your argument about people not being boxes to tick or a fad that everyone wants to jump in on and it'll pass in five years.

[charitywritesbooks]

Yes I Agree when I read a book with a black person and its not done well I'd rather for them not have the black person in it. As an author I also felt the pressure to make my book diverse for the lgbt... because even if the book is good booktubers still complain that those characters weren't in there... so they take a star away ugh IF A BOOK IS GOOD ITS GOOD

[CarolMarieReads]

Totally agree! A book can be great without diversity. I think that’s how people should express their feelings-“this is a great book but it could use more diversity”. The publishing companies will publish anything with a lot of diversity to make money even if the book is not good.
Honestly I normally forget what the characters’ skin color is because I’m too busy connecting to them as a person/character because I’m not actually looking at them. That might be weird.
Someone’s sexuality and skin color doesn’t define who they are.

[yapdog]

People mistake a diversity checklist for actual diversity and quality. Diversity isn't pasting in skin color, sexual orientation, disabilities, environments, etc.. Diversity is about accurate representation of diverse life experiences. That's it.

[jessicamitchell]

I agree wholeheartedly with your thoughts! So nice to see someone say it!

[frggy_pngun]

I have been binge watching you videos since found you! Love your content! I also live in AZ! Keep up the great work

[yapdog]

In my novel, some of my beta readers had difficulty identifying with my protagonist from the very first page, one reader saying that he doesn't seem very realistic. However, other readers felt he was all too realistic -- LOL! The divide? Race/life experience. Most young and/or Black people can understand the line: _"This some bullshit!"_ But if it's outside of your experience, that line doesn't make any sense, whatsoever. It took me a bit to come to terms with that amid some suggestions that I "tone down" his manner of speaking. However, I've made the decision that he is who he is; his life experiences dictate his dialogue and actions. Can't please err'body ;^)

[riakm]

I think we largely agree, so I do not have anything to add. I look forward to your next video!

[safinan]

Hi from uk 🇬🇧!! Happy reading to everyone!!! 📖📚

[jinawickedwoman]

Exactly! I completely agree with you! I love when you do these types of videos. You are on point and I appreciate that you bring these points to light.

It's about quality and not about checklists and trends

[fares]

Yes, I completely agree, it's gotten to the point where people are afraid to give low ratings for said books even tho they didn't enjoy them at all and that's just sad.
Just a while ago my friend was attacked bc she said that she likes one cover more than the other, the cover had a person of color and so some people interpreted that as hating an entire race, why are we so hasty to say people are racists?
As a poc myself (tho I live in a place where I'm a majority) I don't usually look for books that mention my culture, I just want to read a book with a good plot and characters that I can relate to whatever their race or believes might be, but I have to say the few times a character has a name, or is of the same race or culture, I get so excited, It's just so good to feel that someone knows you exist. I mean I got excited when a book mentioned a town in a different country more than a 1000 miles away 😂

Awesome video and thank you for talking about this, have a geat day.

[selenematheson]

This was very well spoken. I have to say in my youth I did give books a higher rating regardless if they were good or not solely because I just wanted more books with diversity published. I am a lot more critical in general about the books I know read and review. I love seeing diversity represented in literature but even more so when the characters are well developed and the plot is interesting and exciting. Thank you for this video.