It’s no secret that diversity in reading is an important value at Book Riot. We write about it so often, in fact, that we’ve noticed that the same questions come up again and again from our readers in the comment sections of those posts. I, along with Riot Contributing Editors Swapna and Preeti, are going to answer those questions in a series of posts coming out over the next few weeks, so anyone who has asked these questions (to us or just to yourselves) can get a straight answer. Just search the “readdiverseFAQ” tag on the site to find every post in the series. Let’s get started:
1. Why Is Reading Diversely Important, Anyway?
Preeti: When I was 9 or 10 years old, I desperately wanted to be a blonde girl named Tiffany. Mostly because I thought being brown was weird and being white was normal. I was the only brown kid in my class, the only one who ate weird food and hey, was it true Indian people ate monkey brains – you see where this story is going.
Seeing yourself reflected on the page imparts an important understanding of your role in society. If someone gets no representation, or if it is only negative, what does that say to that person? Your people don’t matter enough to be written about as the fully realized character that you think you are. You are not important.
“Ok,” someone might say, “So those people can read books about themselves, but what does that have to do with me?” Well, a lack of diversity in books and television is harmful to everyone. Reading about cultures, races, and sexuality outside of your own breeds empathy and respect. It expands your world view. And honestly, who wants to keep reading books about people like you by people like you? Doesn’t it get repetitive? Don’t you want a new and different perspective?
And speaking pragmatically, more people reading diversely means more diverse books being published. That’s just how the world works. If you support diversity in a big way, then so will publishers. >>READ MORE
