Diversity in Young Adult Lit
Young adult books can provide what Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop coined as "mirrors, windows, and sliding-glass doors." This simply means that readers need not only to see themselves in books, but they need to see new people, cultures, and traditions in what they read.
"When there are enough books available that act as both mirrors and windows for all our children, they will see that we can celebrate both our differences and our similarities, because together they are what makes us all human."
- Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop
While YA lit is becoming increasingly more diverse, there is always room to grow. Author of the award-winning novel The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas began writing books that featured young people like her and neighborhoods like hers because there simply weren't any books for today's young people of color.
Young adult books range from romance to fantasy, contemporary to sci-fi, and anything else in between. It is up to us as readers to read, share, and promote excellent YA books that share perspectives and experiences of all people.
Read More about Diversity in YA Books:
https://bookriot.com/diversity-in-childrens-and-young-adult-literature/
https://bookriot.com/tag/diverse-books/
https://coloursofus.com/the-50-best-multicultural-young-adult-books-of-2020/
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/book-lists/resources/diverse-young-adult-book-list.html
References:
Mirrors, windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. Book Harvest. (2021). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://bookharvest.org/mirrors-windows-and-sliding-glass-doors
Mosley, T., & Hagan, A. (2021, October 13). Ya authors Angie Thomas and Tomi Adeyemi on speaking their truth and writing for young people. YA authors Angie Thomas and Tomi Adeyemi on speaking their truth and writing for young people | Here & Now. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/10/13/angie-thomas-tomi-adeyemi