Do you consider yourself a diverse reader? Now more than ever becoming a well-read reader involves being able to diversify your reading and support authors from BIPOC and marginalized communities to amplify these voices and experiences to promote equality and inclusion. If you’re new or returning to reading it may seem daunting to understand the importance of diversifying your reading and making a conscious effort to do so. Let’s talk about why this is important and how you can go about becoming a diverse reader.
Why You Should Diversify Your Reading
Diversifying your reading is crucial when it comes to personal growth and development. It helps you to understand the necessity of representation, the importance of empathy, and the acknowledgment of your personal bias.
Representation Matters
Historically, BIPOC and marginalized communities are underrepresented or even worse misrepresented in favor of conforming to harmful stereotypes and tropes of people within these communities especially when they’re written from the white gaze and viewpoint.
However, seeking out books written by BIPOC and marginalized people as they put into words their lived experiences regarding issues such as systemic racism, classism, sexism, ableism, ageism, homophobia, and prejudices regarding socioeconomic status. These issues have a major impact on the quality of life by impacting one’s ability to find gainful employment, access to quality education, disparities in healthcare, proper housing, and criminal justice.
Through BIPOC and marginalized authors, we’re able to understand how these systemic issues truly impact daily life and one’s ability to move forward and achieve better for themselves. Becoming educated and aware of these challenges faced by those in these communities can encourage you to stand up and support these people in these communities to help work towards equality for all.
The Importance of Empathy and Perspective
Reading diversely also helps you to flex your empathy muscles. Learning how circumstances are for others and the roadblocks they face to a better life can shift your perspective giving you better insight. You’re better able to understand another person’s lived experience and recognize dangerous stereotypes, mindsets, ideologies, and systems created to oppress these people.
Acknowledge Your Bias
Many of us have an implicit bias or unconscious preference or aversion towards certain groups of people. Embracing diverse books and authors can help you identify and unpack your bias. Many don’t understand that micro-aggressions are birthed from implicit bias and impact how they interact with literature, art, entertainment, and content creators. What stereotypes, patterns of behavior, beliefs, thoughts, or actions have you taken against others who are different than you? What were the core reasons behind why you acted or believed this way?
How To Diversify Your Reading
Becoming a diverse reader won’t happen overnight. It takes time and dedication to continually choose to support BIPOC and marginalized authors and creators. Becoming intentional, exploring various genres, engaging with creators on social media and bookish communities, supporting diverse authors, and advocating for publishing diversity.
Be Intentional
Choosing to become a diverse reader is an action that you must be intentional about implementing. To start you could set a goal to read a specific number of books from a diverse author each month. There are a variety of wonderful reading lists and reading challenges available online where you can get ideas for books to add to your diverse reading list.
Explore Different Genres
There’s often a misconception that most BIPOC and marginalized authors primarily write Historical Fiction, Memoirs, or Literary Fiction. And while there are amazing stories by BIPOC authors in these genres there are so many authors writing excellent literature in other genres as well.
Look for BIPOC and marginalized authors in Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Mystery/Thriller, Horror, and other genres. Trying out different genres allows you to see the variety and diversity that exists within these communities. You’ll better understand how these groups are not a monolith and have varied and nuanced experiences depending on their upbringing, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, religion, education, sexuality, location, personality, and other identifiers that make up a person’s core identity.
Also, each author has a different writing style, purpose, and intention for their works. Perhaps some authors focus on the racial diaspora of their race, or systemic issues impacting their community. Every author is different and every story is unique. Exploring these different voices and approaches to storytelling is a great way to increase diversity in your reading.
Engage with BIPOC Creators in the Bookish Community
As you’re working to diversify your reading it’s important to stay in the know about books from diverse authors. The best way to do so is to follow and engage with BIPOC and marginalized bookish content creators who focus on promoting diverse authors. This way you can build a diverse reading list making it easier to include as they recommend and discuss books by diverse authors.
Another added benefit of participating in these spaces is becoming involved in these communities by joining diverse book clubs, reading discussions, and reading challenges. Not only will you diversify your reading but you diversify your relationships and connections with people from BIPOC and marginalized communities. Furthering the goal of equality and inclusion.
Read Authentically Diverse Voices
Avoid falling into the trap of reading stories about BIPOC and marginalized communities from those who primarily focus on stereotypes or damaging tropes regarding people of these communities. These stories can be damaging and are often written for predominantly white audiences and fail to take into account the true experiences of people from these communities.
Instead read from authors that authentically and truthfully represent the issues, experiences, and stories of people from these communities. Steer clear of the “single story” trap and engage with multiple authors and genres from different cultural contexts. This helps you to avoid oversimplified portrayals and can see the diversity, nuance, and intersectionality that exists within these communities.
Tips for Growing As A Diverse Reader
In addition to actionable steps to take in diversifying your reading, you can build habits surrounding supporting diversity in bookish, literary, and publishing spaces. Helping to increase the availability of such diverse works and promoting equality and inclusion.
Eagerly Support Diversity in the Bookish Community
My favorite way to support diversity is by starting in your community. Research local BIPOC-owned indie bookstores in your area and purchase books from their establishments. These bookshops are intentional about supporting BIPOC and marginalized authors and stories and are a great way to immerse yourself in these types of literature. Another benefit is they can introduce you to local diverse authors and artists that are a part of your community and you can support their growth and advancement.
Additionally, supporting diverse authors by purchasing their books, participating in book signings, author events, and subscribing to their emails to get information regarding events is another terrific way to support these authors.
Support BIPOC and marginalized bookish content creators. Follow, subscribe, and engage with their content. Join their communities and support their Patreon, memberships and join their mailing list.
Join diverse book clubs either online or in person. Become engaged in discussions regarding the themes and topics that are highlighted in diverse books.
Don’t forget to show love to BIPOC and marginalized indie authors! Engage with their content and become members of their communities. Look into ways to purchase their books and show support for them on the platforms they utilize to sell their content.
Advocate for Diversity in Publishing
Educate yourself regarding how the publishing industry works and how their marketing and promotional efforts can often leave BIPOC and marginalized authors underrepresented and excluded from prime marketing and promotional efforts due to the belief BIPOC books don’t sell or there’s no audience for their stories.
Support initiatives seeking to change this narrative in the publishing industry by donating and supporting efforts to amplify these underrepresented voices. If you see your favorite BIPOC author not getting equal promotion or marketing in your bookshop speak out. Let the manager know that the lack of marketing is unacceptable and they need to do better in supporting these authors, readers, and communities by being inclusive and making these books more accessible.
Be Open and Receptive to Criticism
No one’s perfect. We all make mistakes and can fall prey to cognitive dissonance. However, the key factor in embracing diversity and working through bias is the willingness to be open to feedback on how you can grow and evolve.
Engage with the perspectives and lived experiences of those from BIPOC and marginalized communities. If there are cultural ideas, concepts, themes, or topics explored in a book educate yourself. Be willing to research and learn more about these areas and not rely on your own understanding or lived experience.
Be patient with yourself as you’re unpacking your bias and expanding your worldview. This takes work and effort and won’t happen overnight. Be ok with this process being a lifelong journey and take it step by step.
I hope you’re inspired and fired up to pursue diversity when it comes to reading and expanding your worldview. Share in the comments below how you’re going to work on diversifying your reading!
