One of my bookish goals for 2017 (and just life in general, really) was to read diversely. In a bid to make sure I covered a range of different topics and made tangible progress towards this, I put together one of those ‘bingo’ style challenges, with various criteria I wanted to meet at least once by the end of the year. Having completed the chart, I thought I’d do a little update post, hopefully passing on some recommendations of diverse books for anyone on the lookout for some.
I will start, however, by pointing out that this challenge was in no way intended as a means for me to pat myself on the back and think, ‘look at me, aren’t I inclusive?’. We can never read diversely enough when it comes to the likes of representation and own voice literature; it’s something we can all stand to constantly consume more of. I always knew there were some boxes I’d likely tick several times over (as has been the case), and so the challenge was simply my way of being a little more conscientious of my own reading, and a means to compile a little list of diverse reads to share now.
For the boxes I’ve already ticked several times over, I’ve chosen my favourite relevant book to recommend, and for each book listed, I’ve linked my Goodreads review in case you want to know more about it.
My diversity bingo chart and the books I picked for each challenge in the corresponding position.
Read a novel with an LGBT+ main character: Trumpet by Jackie Kay
Read a book with a disabled protagonist: Little Nothing by Marisa Silver
Read a poetry collection by a non-white poet: Citizen by Claudia Rankine
Read a book about terrorism or hate crime: Jo Cox: More in Common by Brendan Cox
Read a poetry collection with LGBT+ themes: Physical by Andrew McMillan
Read a translated book: Revenge by Yoko Ogawa
Read a graphic novel by a woman: The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg (also features LGBT+ characters and themes)
Read a book by a transgender author: The Gender Games by Juno Dawson
Read a classic written by a woman: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Read a non-fiction book about mental health: Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (discusses addiction and bipolar disorder)
Read a non-fiction book that explores sexuality: Branded by the Pink Triangle by Ken Setterington
Read a novel by a non-white author: Shelter by Jung Yun
Read a book by a Muslim author: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Read a book about refugees: After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross
Read a novel with a native protagonist (Inuit, etc.): Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Read a non-fiction book about gender: Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O-Toole
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Have you read any of the books mentioned? What are some of your favourite books that would meet these criteria?
This is such a great challenge to set yourself, congrats on completing it! I think I’ve only read two of these but a bunch are about to go on my TBR.
Thanks! It was the first time I’d done something like this so it feels nice to have finished it in plenty of time. I’ll still always be on the lookout for diverse reads though; I definitely want it to be an ongoing thing.
What a wonderful challenge, I’ll definitely have to try it out in 2018. I’ve heard amazing things about all of these, but have yet to read them 😔 Kudos on completing the challenge! 😊
Thank you! I look forward to hearing how you get on and what great reads you uncover if you decide to do it 😊
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