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OMG! I really love this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic. Diversity in books have always been a well-debated subject in the publishing industry because admit it or not, most of the books that are sold in the international market usually feature Caucasian characters. While there's nothing bad about that, it gets tiring after reading more than a hundred books featuring characters of the same race. And to be honest, it makes me ask myself whether other races are not good enough to be included in these books. Of course, diversity is not just about race but it's also about disabilities, gender preferences, religion, etc. If we're not reading about Caucasian characters, we're also reading about individuals that are perfect and are positively stereotyped. Fortunately, the reading community these days have become more aware and sensitive about what the world is all about. And that they're voicing out that stories in written form should not just be about be about the overly perfect blond and blue-eyed girl romancing a muscular Caucasian boy. With this said, there's no way I'm going to let this week's Top Ten Tuesday pass without me participating in it.
I am quite fearful, however, that I may not be able to give this week's TTT topic justice with the list that I have come up with because I haven't read nearly enough diverse books in my reading career. Blame the picky side of my personality. It just so happened that most of the books that I chose to read (if the premise does not appeal to me then I'm not going to consider reading the book) are not diverse enough. But anyway, please be assured I have tried my very best to keep the list below as interesting as possible.
1. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling- I know, I'm already boring you with all these constant Harry Potter promotions but bear with me, okay? The three protagonists might be all Caucasians but the supporting cast are wonderfully diverse. Harry Potter is actually the series that opened my eyes that diversity is not only important when we're talking about wildlife, but it's also important when we're reading books. It's the series that made me ask myself as to why the other books don't feature other races and people with different gender preferences in their stories?
2. The Cuckoo's Calling by J.K. Rowling- I can't make this obvious enough but I'm a big Rowling fan, alright? Lula Landry, one of the major characters of this book, is a person of color. 'Nuff said.
3. Eon Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman- Though I maybe late in the party, I am still so glad that I was able to pick up Eon Dragoneye Reborn. The whole world is heavily infused with Chinese and Japanese Mythology that I was completely blown away as soon as I was halfway through the book. I should also mention that aside from the rich mythology that Alison Goodman was able to spin, the protagonist is a cripple who, instead of spending her days moping and cursing the world for being unfair, chose to change her life for the better.
4. The Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan- This is another series that I totally love due to a lot of reasons. First is that, Greek mythology has always been a fascinating subject. And second is that, Rick Riordan is such a funny storyteller that navigating Greek mythology was conveniently easy. And lastly, there's an LGBT character here and two of the protagonists are persons of color.
5. The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler- OMG! The Summer of Chasing Mermaids is one of the most heartfelt contemporary stories I've read. You can totally judge it by that beautiful cover. I also have to add that it's inspired from The Little Mermaid which, FYI, is my all-time favorite Disney story. So you can imagine my delight when I was reading the whole story. The female protagonist is not only a person of color but is also mute. But even with her disability, her voice was really distinct and by the end of the story, I truly sympathized with her plight.
6. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden- Is there a need to explain?
7. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer- Set in futuristic China, The Lunar Chronicles features a diverse cast of characters and is by far my favorite fairy tale retelling
8. A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George RR Martin- Okay, I am really running out of ideas here but I just checked whether dwarfism is considered a handicap and it is, according to ADA of the US and DDA of the UK. So yeah, I'm going to have to include ASOIF here because of Tyrion Lannister.
9. The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness- The Crane Wife is my first Patrick Ness book and while it didn't make into my favorite books shelf, it certainly created an impression on me. It has one of the most hauntingly beautiful prose I've read and the Japanese-folk tale it was inspired from was interesting.
10. The Maze Runner by James Dashner- If you've seen the first movie, you know what I'm talking about. XD
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