Diversity is so important. In books, tv, movies etc. It's important that people can see themselves reflected in media, to know they are not alone. I came across this and think it's a wonderful idea! I can't promise in the future i'll be able to do one every single week, but i'm certainly going to do it as often as I can!
A Diverse book you have read and enjoyed:
Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz
The Goodreads Blurb
"Etta is tired of dealing with all of the labels and categories that seem so important to everyone else in her small Nebraska hometown.
Everywhere she turns, someone feels she's too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet, her first passion; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere— until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Both girls are auditioning for Brentwood, a prestigious New York theater academy that is so not Nebraska. Bianca seems like Etta’s salvation, but how can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself?
The latest powerful, original novel from Hannah Moskowitz is the story about living in and outside communities and stereotypes, and defining your own identity."
My Thoughts
I read this in December of 2015. The first book i've ever read with a bisexual character like me. The Main Character, Etta, is a black bisexual girl recovering from an eating disorder and in love with ballet. I identified so much with Etta being bisexual. She is unapologetic about it. I couldn't stop crying throughout the entire book. It's the book I needed back when I was 13 and realized i'm bisexual...but couldn't be ok with it because of how I was raised to believe not straight = wrong and against God.
It took so many years for me to be ok with who I am, let alone proud. It also tackles the fact that a lot of biphobia comes from within the LGBT+ community. The place where we finally think we'll belong, only to realize we aren't straight enough for straight people and aren't gay enough for gay people.
Obviously there are many wonderful people out there, I am not talking about everyone. I have felt growing up that I didn't belong anywhere, for more reasons than one but just talking about bisexuality here. Everywhere I turned I was told to "pick a side", but I couldn't. And of course then came the bisexual stereotypes thrown at me, none of which made any sense to me (and they still don't). This book will forever hold a place in my heart. It would have ment everything to me as a teenager, and i'm glad it exists (and other books too) now.
Hannah Moskowitz is also bisexual and has talked about having an eating disorder in the past. Her twitter is @hannahmosk.
Check it out on Goodreads!
Diverse book on your TBR:
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
The Goodreads Blurb
"When BFFs Charlie, Taylor and Jamie go to SupaCon, they know it’s going to be a blast. What they don’t expect is for it to change their lives forever.
Charlie likes to stand out. SupaCon is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star, Reese Ryan. When Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.
While Charlie dodges questions about her personal life, Taylor starts asking questions about her own.
Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about the Queen Firestone SupaFan Contest, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe."
My Thoughts
I know this involves a bisexual character, Charlie, as well as one, Taylor, with autism spectrum disorder and anxiety being the main characters. Charlie is also the daughter of Chinese immigrants. I don't know a whole lot about it otherwise (and honestly I don't need to to want to read it!) other than it involves some con called SupaCon and fandom. All signs point to sign me up!
Jen Wilde is also Bisexual and Austistic. Twitter is @jenmariewilde.
Check it out on Goodreads!
Diverse book that has not yet been released:
How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake
The Goodreads Blurb
"All seventeen year-old Grace Glasser wants is her own life. A normal life in which she sleeps in the same bed for longer than three months and doesn't have to scrounge for spare change to make sure the electric bill is paid. Emotionally trapped by her unreliable mother, Maggie, and the tiny cape on which she lives, she focuses on her best friend, her upcoming audition for a top music school in New York, and surviving Maggie’s latest boyfriend—who happens to be Grace’s own ex-boyfriend’s father.
Her attempts to lay low until she graduates are disrupted when she meets Eva, a girl with her own share of ghosts she’s trying to outrun. Grief-stricken and lonely, Eva pulls Grace into midnight adventures and feelings Grace never planned on. When Eva tells Grace she likes girls, both of their worlds open up. But, united by loss, Eva also shares a connection with Maggie. As Grace's mother spirals downward, both girls must figure out how to love and how to move on."
My Thoughts
From looking through some ARC reviews of people I trust I see that the main character is bisexual and that the love interest is biracial and gay. It's also described as sex-positive. I am looking forward to getting my hands on this! It is expected to be published May 2nd, 2017.
Ashley Herring Blake is also bisexual. Twitter is @RebeccaPodos.
Check it out on Goodreads!
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