Diversity in YA




If you’ve been around the blog for a while, then you know I tend to sneak in some random gifs, from Lee Min Ho to Disney and back. To me these out of place funny little animations add a hint of a smile and a slice of life. 


I live in and go to school in a very diverse city. There are kids from all over the world. You name it, we probably have it. This means that I’ve grown very accustomed to seeing different cultures and different appearances. They are my normal. 

This might actually be one of the reasons as to why I’m so fascinated by the aspect of traveling. I see these people, they have completely different backgrounds than me but they are still just like me in many ways. It makes me crave to see how they were raised. I want to visit their countries of origin. But as usual, the age of poverty strikes and I’m left to read about them instead. So I search for books set in China/Russia/France…. Do I find them? Yes, but rarely.

This is a growing trend I’ve noticed with YA. There is a wide variety of books set in North America and by that I mean America. There aren’t as many set in Canada at all. I would love to read about a paranormal romance set in Toronto, or a summer read set in Nova Scotia. Still there are a few. There are also some books set in Paris, Tokyo, Russia, London and Germany if you like historical fiction. But how about the rest of the world?


Even authors who aren’t from the US, somehow tend to write about the US. The US is obviously a fantastic country with so many scenic and interesting places for authors to set their books. But as the world becomes more open for me to explore, I start to wish that the books I read would also. 

Going back to my diverse surroundings, diversity isn’t that common in YA. There definitely is the occasional person of colour or asian ethnicity but most of the time these things are mentioned in passing. For example, I had no idea that Tobias/Four from Divergent wasn't white. Apparently he has an “olive skin tone” which doesn’t say much and was probably why I didn’t register it.

Then there are characters like Rose Hathaway (Vampire Academy) who knows her origins and flaunts it. She is proud of her mother's Scottish and father's Turkish descent. Good for her. I want more Rose Hathaway's.

I also know that Park from Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell is Korean, which makes me very happy. This may be partly influenced by the fact that I’m in the midst of a Korean obsession... Anywho... I found it interesting that Ms. Rowell was asked by fans why Park was Korean. It goes back to the lack of characters like Park, so when they appear people are shocked. Here is Rainbow Rowell’s reply.


Diversity is great. It promotes acceptance and love and is an important factor in achieving world peace, since the root of conflict is prejudice and miseducation. Books are powerful tools; they introduce us to opinions, places and people. Maybe you’ve never heard of a certain person, place or thing. I know I’m not the most educated person out there, but we can learn.  

Lets put aside learning for a bit, it’s the holidays after all. Happy Holidays! 

We made that phrase to accommodate for all the different celebrations occurring at this time of year. Why? Because the Earth is filled with people who have some different but equally amazing cultures. So if not for world peace and k-pop lovers then why not in the spirit of the holidays, bring some diversity to YA?

-MARI

16 comments:

  1. I'M OBSESSED WITH KOREAN STUFF TOO!!!!!!! I'm in the midst of watching The Heirs at the moment and haven't seen the ep from which you got with first gif but I'm looking forward to it ;) The last one with Lee Min Ho is my faveee ever, I love that one :D Ahh so excited to have found a fellow K-pop lover :D

    Going back to your post, I totally agree with you!! I get so excited when I see books set in another country because almost all YA books are set in the US :/ I particularly like it when they're set in oriental countries or feature someone oriental. I'm always on the look out for books set in different surroundings so if you've got any recommendations, please let me know!! :)

    Laura @ What's Hot?

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    1. YAY! I've been lonely here haha. I hope I didn't spoil you on the Heirs and you continue enjoying it :)

      At this point I've seen a few books set in asia, but nothing that tickled my fancy. There is Ink, Dreaming Anastasia, Tokyo Heist but I've heard mixed reviews on all of them. A safe bet would be the Eon duology, which I recommend!

      -Mari

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  2. Great post, and I agree. I LOVE reading about different cultures in YA but there aren't a lot. I still think my favorite is Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard. Though the main characters are white (it's a backpacking story), I think she captured the countries of Guatemala and Belize brilliantly. There aren't a lot of YA books that are set outside of the US. And some that are are pretty stereotypical. I actually turn more to adult fiction to get my cultural fix, which is fine but I'd like to read more of it in YA too.

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    1. I've been meaning to read Wanderlove, it sounds perfect and has been well received.

      I've actually gone searching for books translated from other languages to get a more authentic feel, but I've been unsuccessful so far. I think I'll go looking in the adult section.

      -Mari

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  3. Great post! I completely agree -- want reading to widen my horizons and show me new places, people different from me, new ideas, etc.
    Happy New Year!
    Jen @ YA Romantics

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    1. Exactly. That's what makes reading fun. At some point we get sick of the usual story, set in the usual places and want more from our books.

      -Mari

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  4. I agree that there is sometimes a lack of diversity. I love reading about other cultures and how that influences the characters. I don't think I can expect many books that play in my country, but it would be great to show that we aren't only dancing around a mill with cheese and tulips in our hands :p Because sometimes when there are other cultures, I have the idea they make them so clichéd.

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    1. That's a good point, I think that's one of the problems that's kept me from reading books like Tokyo Heist. I would really like to see books become more international. They don't necessarily have to be written by english speaking authors, but much like movies and dramas, it would be awesome if we could also find books written by people from different countries.

      -Mari

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  5. Add our votes to the chorus of people clamoring for more diversity in YA!

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    1. We shall be heard! I think diversifying YA will increase it's impact and popularity as well.

      -Mari

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  6. What a great post! I've always loved books that were set in different places with all sort of different cultures! That's why I think books like Ink or The City of a Thousand Dolls, or The Revenants series set in Paris, all those that sound like they know what they're talking about and present you with something other than cliches. Sometimes the cliches are very true, though!
    More diversity is a great idea, not everyone can physically travel to other places to broaden their mind, but books can be even better to do that!

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    1. I agree. Even if I had the money to go to all the places I wanted, I don't think I would have the time so books would be a great solution. I'm also always on the look out for books set in different places, so I'll add those to my list!

      -Mari

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  7. I agree with this. Though I never thought about most of the books taking place in America but I did think about the ethnicity of characters. Wizard of Earthsea is a great example. If I remember correctly the characters are African American and in the movie everyone is white. Katniss I think is also "olive skinned" in the book. But clearly in the movies she is white. Great post!!

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    1. Interesting that you mentioned the portrayal of diverse characters in books to movies. I've noticed that sometimes, but I think they are now making an effort to accommodate for the more obviously diverse like Magnus from City of Bones. There is always room for improvement though.

      -Mari

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  8. Yes to this. Also, BIG YES to the use of kdrama gifs. :) I actually watch more Asian television than American at this point. Actually, I'm just finishing up the jdrama for Nodame Cantabile and it's been interesting to watch a lack of diversity go the other way. There are some characters that are supposed to be white, but are obviously Asian. Random. Anyway, in my opinion, barring historicals, there really should be very few books that are lacking in diversity. Also, MORE SETTINGS, PLEASE.

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    1. Yay kdramas! Haha same here at this point they appeal to me more. Also I love the lengths and lack of seasonal breaks. I've never heard of that one, but I know what you're saying. I wonder if that might be due to the low budgets that asian tv usually has and the lack of qualifying white actors, but I could be wrong.

      -Mari

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What do you think?