Welcome to #DiversityBingo2017! If this is the first time you’re hearing about it, make sure to check out Hailey’s awesome announcement video, in which she explains the purpose of this kick-ass TBR challenge and provides links to all the wonderful people who helped to create it.
In short, this bingo sheet is a fantastic way to add more diverse books to your 2017 TBR, to spread awareness in the reading community about some truly marvelous titles and authors, and to encourage authors and readers to continue to make diversity a priority.
So, the goal: find and read a book that can apply to each of the boxes listed in the image below:
And, if you feel so inclined to help spread the word, please take the time to write a review, a blog post, tweet about each book using #diversitybingo2017, or even talk to friends, family members and fellow book club members about what you’ve been reading and why.
Did you, like a lot of readers we’ve heard from, want to participate but were having trouble finding titles for all the boxes? We’ve got you covered! In this post, we’re going to list several books that can be read and applied toward them, with an emphasis on books that can be applied toward multiple boxes, so that if you already have one box filled out but desperately want to read a specific title, you can do so, and apply it to a box that you haven’t yet checked off.
Not sure what “Own Voices” means? Or you think one of the books listed could apply to a category we didn’t mention? Spot a discrepancy in the list? Is one of the titles somehow problematic? Feel free to post a comment. This is a judgement free zone, and we’d like the list to be as accurate as possible.
You can also head over to Goodreads for even more recs on the #diversitybingo2017 list that I created.
*Click on the book covers to learn more about each title*
Romance with a trans MC
Title & author: Bad Boy by Elliot Wake
Category & genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Other bingo boxes this could apply to: MC With an Under-Represented Body, Own Voices
Title & author: When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: MC of color in SFF, LGBTQIA+ MC of color
Title & author: If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: A Boy Called Cin by Cecil Wilde
Category & genre: Fiction, Romance
Title & author: Spy Stuff by Matthew J. Metzger
Category & genre: Young Adult, Romance
Non-Binary MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz
Category & genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Title & author: A + E 4ever by I. Merey
Category & genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
SFF w Disabled MC
Title & author: Chameleon Moon by RoAnna Sylver
Category & genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Title & author: The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Category & genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Category & genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Title & author: Dangerous by Shannon Hale
Category & genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Practicing Jewish MC
Title & author: Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Category & genre: Historical Fiction
Title & author: Playing with Matches by Suri Rosen
Category & genre: Young Adult Romance
Title & author: Flying Without a Net by E.M. Ben Shaul
Category & genre: Adult Fiction, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: The Second Mango by Shira Glassman
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Bisexual MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Never Mind The Goldbergs by Matthue Roth
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Indian MC (OwnVoices)
Title & author: One Last Song by S.K. Falls
Category & genre: Young Adult Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on Cover, MC w an Invisible Disability, Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Category & genre: Young Adult, Romantic Comedy
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on Cover, Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on Cover, Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: Priya in Heels by Ayesha Patel
Category & genre: New Adult, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Displaced MC
Title & author: Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
Category & genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Title & author: Lost Girl Found by Laura DeLuca and Leah Bassoff
Category & genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on Cover, Non-Western Real World Setting
Title & author: The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Category & genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on Cover, Non-Western Real World Setting, Book by Author of Color, Black MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: The Good Braider by Terry Farish
Category & genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on Cover, Non-Western Real World Setting
Title & author: A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on Cover, Non-Western Real World Setting, Own Voices, Diverse Non Fiction
MC w an Under-represented Body
Title & author: Future Perfect by Jen Larsen
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Title & author: Glutton for Pleasure by Alisha Rai
Category & genre: Adult Fiction, Erotica
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on Cover, Book by Author of Color, Indian MC (Own Voices), Own Voices
Title & author: Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Title & author: The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Title & author: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
Category & genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Neuro Diverse MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis
Category & genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Twirling Naked in the Streets and No One Noticed: Growing Up With Undiagnosed Autism by Jeannie Davide-Rivera
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Diverse Non Fiction
Title & author: Nothing is Right by Michael Scott Monje Jr.
Category & genre: Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s by John Elder Robinson
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Diverse Non Fiction
Retelling w MC Belonging to LGBTQIA+
Title & author: As I Descended by Robin Talley
Category & genre: Young Adult, Retelling
Title & author: Peter Darling by Austin Chant
Category & genre: Adult Fiction, Romance/Retelling
Other boxes this could apply to: Romance with a Trans MC
Title & author: The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tale
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: Ash by Malinda Lo
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tale
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: Marian by Ella Lyons
Category & genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Bisexual MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Note Worthy by Riley Redgate
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices
Title & author: Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices
Title & author: Black Iris by Elliot Wake (previously Leah Raeder)
Category & genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices
Title & author: Far From You by Tess Sharpe
Category & genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices
MC w an Invisible Disability
Title & author: 10 Things I Can See from Here by Carrie Mac
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Title & author: Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color
Title & author: A History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: Pansexual MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: The Shattering by Karen Healey
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Forever Changes by Brendan Halpin
Category & genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
MC w Anaphylactic Allergy
Title & author: Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl by Sandra Beasley
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices
Title & author: My Year of Epic Rock by Andrea Pyros
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Title & author: Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Title & author: The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss
Category & genre: Fiction, Contemporary
Title & author: The Big Book of Post-Collapse Fun by Rachel Sharp
Category & genre: Fiction, Science Fiction
MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the cover, Book by Author of Color, Own Voices, Black MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by author of color
Title & author: The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Title & author: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
Category & genre: Fantasy, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color
Title & author: Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope
Category & genre: Fantasy, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Black MC (Own Voice), PoC on Cover, Own Voices
Latinx MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the cover, book by author of color, own voices
Title & author: Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover, Book by Author of Color, Own Voices, LGBTQIA+ MC of Color
Title & author: The Living by Matt de la Pena
Category & genre: Young Adult, Adventure
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color
Title & author: Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
Category & genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez
Category & genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Free Choice
Title & author: Over You by Amy Reed
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Bisexual MC (Own Voices), Own Voices
Title & author: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Category & genre: Fiction, Science Fiction
Title & author: Dreadnought by April Daniels
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voice
Title & author: Beast by Brie Spangler
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tale
Other boxes this could apply to: Retelling w MC Belonging to LGBTQIA+, Romance With a Trans MC
Title & author: None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Non-Western Real World Setting
Title & author: The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices, Arab MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Bombay Blues by Tanuja Desai Hidier
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices, Indian MC (Own Voices), PoC on the Cover
Title & author: The Green Bicycle by Haifaa al Mansour
Category & genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices, PoC on the Cover, West Asian Settings, Arab MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Waiting by Ha Jin
Category & genre: Fiction, Historical
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
Category & genre: Fiction, Historical
Own Voices
Title & author: The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
Category & genre: Fiction, Historical
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover, Book by Author of Color, MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina
Category & genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Latinx (Own Voices)
Title & author: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Category & genre: Fiction, Classics
Other boxes this could apply to: Black MC (Own Voices), Book by Author of Color
Title & author: Night by Elie Wiesel
Category & genre: Non Fiction, History
Other boxes this could apply to: Displaced MC, Practicing Jewish MC, Immigrant or Refugee MC
Title & author: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
MC w Chronic Pain
Title & author: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Title & author: Cam Girl by Elliot Wake (previously Lead Raeder)
Category & genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Title & author: Second Position by Katherine Locke
Category & genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: MC With an Invisible Disability
Title & author: The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen
Category & genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: MC in a Wheelchair
West Asian Setting
Title & author: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tale
Other boxes this could apply to: MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Moon at Nine by Deborah Ellis
Category & genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover, LGBTQIA+ MC of Color
Title & author: Ronit & Jamil by Pamela L. Laskin
Category & genre: Young Adult, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover, Non-Western Real World Setting
Title & author: Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
Category & genre: Historical, Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Non-Western Real World Setting, Arab MC (Own Voices), Book by Author of Color
Arab MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Diverse Non Fiction, Own Voice, Book by Author of Color, West Asian Setting
Title & author: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Category & genre: Young Adult, Retelling
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voice, Book by Author of Color, West Asian Setting, MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal
Category & genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voice, MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Non-Western Real World Setting, West Asian Setting, LGBTQIA+ MC of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: The Servant by Fatima Sharafeddine
Category & genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Non-Western Real World Setting, West Asian Setting, Own Voices
MC w Wheelchair
Title & author: The Season of You & Me by Robin Constantine
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Title & author: The Last Leaves Falling by Fox Benwell
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Title & author: Push Girl by Chelsie Hill and Jessica Love
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Title & author: Embattled Hearts by J.M. Madden
Category & genre: Adult Fiction, Romance
Book by Author of Color
Title & author: Even if the Sky Falls by Mia Garcia
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Title & author: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Category & genre: Fiction, Science Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Black MC (Own Voice), PoC on the Cover
Title & author: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Category & genre: Non Fiction (Poetry), Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Black MC (Own Voice), PoC on the Cover
Title & author: The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
Category & genre: Short Stories, Fantasy
Title & author: Huntress by Malinda Lo
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover, LGBTQIA+ MC of Color, MC of Color in SFF
Biracial MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn
Category & genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices
Title & author: Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices
Title & author: The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow
Category & genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices
Title & author: The Color of Water by James McBride
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices, Black MC (Own Voices), Diverse Non Fiction, PoC on the Cover
Title & author: Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices, Black MC (Own Voices), Diverse Non Fiction, PoC on the Cover
Pansexual MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: The Melody of You and Me by M. Hollis
Category & genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: Out on Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler
Category & genre: New Adult, Romance
Title & author: First and First by Santino Hassell
Category & genre: Adult Fiction, Romance
***I NEED RECS FOR THIS CATEGORY***
I’ve done quite a bit of research on this one, folks, and it’s the ONLY one I’m struggling to find multiple books for. I’ve scrolled through endless GR lists with the term “pansexual” only to find it’s mostly MFM erotica written predominantly by cis-het white women (oh, the irony). The titles that stood out from the crowd led to more research, namely internet stalking authors to see whether their books are in own voice. I feel like a creep. Anyone know of any awesome pansexual own voice list that I missed? Or know of a title that applies? HAAAAALP.
Black MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Pointe by Brandy Colbert
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover, Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover, Book by Author of Color, Own Voices
Title & author: Love is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson
Category & genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices, MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Christina C. Jones
Category & genre: Adult Fiction, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices,
Title & author: Purple Hibiscus by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
Category & genre: Fiction, Historical
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices, PoC on the Cover
MC on the ACE Spectrum (Own Voices)
Title & author: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Category & genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: Fourth World by Lyssa Chiavari
Category & genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, PoC on the Cover, LGBTQIA+ MC of Color, MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Stranger by Rachel Manija Brown
Category & genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: LGBTQIA+ MC of Color, MC of Color in SFF
Title & author: Coffee Cake by Michaela Grey
Category & genre: Adult Fiction, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voice
LGBTQIA+ MC of Color
Title & author: Juliet Takes a Breath, by Gabby Rivera
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Latinx MC (own voices), Book by Author of Color, PoC on the Cover
Title & author: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Latinx MC (own voices), Book by Author of Color
Title & author: Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
Category & genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover, Book by Author of Color, Own Voices, LGBTQIA+ MC of Color
Visually Impaired MC
Title & author: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Title & author: Run by Kody Keplinger
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Bisexual MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Category & genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Title & author: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Category & genre: Fiction, Historical
Other boxes this could apply to: Displaced MC
Title & author: The Arrangement by Mary Balogh
Category & genre: Fiction, Historical Romance
Book Set in Central America
Title & author: Wanderlove, by Kirsten Hubbard
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Title & author: Colibri by Ann Cameron
Category & genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover
Title & author: Caminar by Skila Brown
Category & genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Title & author: Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal by Margarita Engle
Category & genre: Poetry, Historical Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: PoC on the Cover
Title & author: Without Borders by Amanda Heger
Category & genre: New Adult, Romance
Contemporary World Arranged Marriage
Title & author: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Category & genre: Fiction, Historical
Other boxes this could apply to: Arab MC (own voices)
Title & author: Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani
Category & genre: Young Adult, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Indian MC (Own Voices), Own Voices
Title & author: Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
Category & genre: Young Adult, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color, Own Voices, Arab MC (Own Voices), PoC on the Cover
Title & author: The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi
Category & genre: Fiction, Historical
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Arab MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: (Un)arranged Marriage by Bali Rai
Category & genre: Young Adult, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Indian MC (Own Voices), Book by Author of Color
Indigenous MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Category & genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Own voices
Title & author: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: Songs That Sound Like Blood by Jared Thomas
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: Rez Runaway by Melanie Florence
Category & genre: Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Title & author: Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac
Category & genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
Diverse Non-Fiction
Title & author: Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Feminism
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by author of color
Title & author: First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by Author of Color
Title & author: Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager
Category & genre: Non Fiction, History
Title & author: Rad Women Worldwide by Kate Schatz and Miriam Klein Stahl
Category & genre: Non Fiction, History
Title & author: Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices
PoC on the Cover
Title & author: That Potent Alchemy by Tess Bowery
Category & genre: Adult Fiction, Historical Romance
Title & author: The Missing by Melanie Florence
Category & genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Other boxes this could apply to: Indigenous MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: LGBTQIA+ MC of Color
Title & author: The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon
Category & genre: New Adult, Romance
Title & author: Daybreak Rising by Kiran Oliver
Category & genre: New Adult, Fantasy
Other boxes this could apply to: MC of color in SFF
D/deaf/Hard of Hearing
Title & author: You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Title & author: Read My Lips by Teri Brown
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Title & author: The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk
Category & genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Title & author: Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Immigrant or Refugee MC
Title & author: Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by author of color
Title & author: American Street by Ibi Zoboi
Category & genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Book by author of color, Black MC (own voice), PoC on Cover
Title & author: Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye
Category & genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Other boxes this could apply to: West Asian Setting, Non-Western (Real World) Setting, Arab MC (Own Voices), Own Voices
Title & author: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Category & genre: Fiction, Contemporary
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Indian MC (Own Voices), Book by Author of Color
Hijabi MC (Own Voices)
Title & author: She Wore Red Trainers by Na’ima B. Robert
Category & genre: Young Adult, Romance
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Book by Author of Color
Title & author: Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Diverse Non Fiction, Book by Author of Color
Title & author: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Category & genre: Non Fiction, Autobiography
Other boxes this could apply to: Own Voices, Diverse Non Fiction, Book by Author of Color
***Special shoutout to Dahlia, Anna, Palindrom310, Catherine, Hackmops, Rainbowheart, and all the other wonderful people who spent time helping me build this list!
Goodreads doesn’t let you add your own books, but OUT ON GOOD BEHAVIOR has a pansexual MC, and so does FIRST AND FIRST by Santino Hassell; I’ll add the latter to the list now. Also, just a heads-up that SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN and EVERY DAY aren’t #ownvoices, and GOLDEN BOY is an intersex MC, not non-binary (and not #ownvoices either, I don’t think). I’m adding more books to the GR list to hopefully help, though!
Thank you so much, Dahlia! I’ve already removed symptoms of being human, but we’re having cache issues with the site right now, so the fix isn’t showing up. UGH. I’ll change the others today, and add your recs.
Glad to help and other good choices in this list. I have the doubt if the Mark Haddon book is really an own voices one?
Thank you! I couldn’t find anything conclusive that it wasn’t, but saw a reviewer say that it was? I’d rather not risk it though, so it’s off the list.
Great recs, I’m so happy to see “Five Flavors of Dumb” on your list! I’d like to also recommend “Home of the Brave” by Katherine Applegate for refugee story. It’s a Middle Grades book, but a beautiful verse fiction story. I have worked with refugee students in the past and it’s a story that rang true to them. The mix of old vs. new life, the trauma and loss of the past, plus the struggle for identity – beautifully told and accessible for the GR 4-8 audience.
Awesome! Thank you so much for the rec! I’ll add it to the list today.