Diverse Books Existed Before 2020 | A Discussion

Hey ya'll! This is a discussion I feel like I should have had a long time ago. Diverse books did not start releasing in 2020 and I wish that people would stop treating diversity like it's a new phenomenon.Diverse books existed long before 2020. Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments down below.
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[@erwillow2095]

Great points! An observation I’ve made is that the only diverse books that get any shine are the bestsellers. I’d like to see more midlist diverse books uplifted.

[@caitlinlucyhenderson8417]

This is a big issue. I remember an article from a couple years back that analyzed racial bias in publishing statistically, and the midlist was where publishers' bias was most blatant. White midlist authors were given 2nd and 3rd chances that were rarely for authors of colour.

[@rudetuesday]

I'm middle-aged, and grew up in a community with Black librarians and Black writers who pointed me towards stories that featured characters that looked and sounded like my neighbors, family, and friends. There's such a rich body of stories available. I will always recommend reaching out to libraries, especially those situated inside given communities. There are often curated collections, and people who grew up in the cultures with the heritages that hold stories waiting for us to read and listen. Many of these collections are not fully available electronically. The broader internet has a way of flattening cultural heritages, because a small percentage of the lore is online. There's also an increasing problem of link-rot/broken links/dead online archives, and a lack of trained archivists to build and maintain archives. It's a multi-pronged issue.

[@aliciaadams6396]

I sometimes miss the books that were written before the publishing push for diversity. I would love to hear how others feel about how diverse media has changed since it has become mainstream. While representation is great, I feel we have lost something that I can’t really put to words. Another example of this loss for me is the difference in black movies and sitcoms before the Obama era.

[@Assata-wg3sw]

It’s about leaning into whiteness and what makes "them" feel comfortable with blackness.

[@paperbacksandplanners]

You mean diversity existed before white booktubers paid attention?.. shocked 😅 Amazing discussion as always ❤

[@JoshsBookishVoyage]

Great discussion. Booktube is extremely fueled by the capitalistic structure of publishing, which pushes a specific set of books that are new and fresh. Older and smaller books don't get the attention they deserve for that reason. Then you add in all the extra obstacles in place for books by black authors and that problem is magnified.

[@Infinimata]

The accessibility issue is a big one for me, because many of the diverse authors I want to stump for have their bibliographies only spottily represented. E.g., Ousmane Sembene has exactly one book available digitally (although at least it's one of his best known and most discussed), but the others are either print-only or used (and good luck finding a copy). That makes it hard to recommend digging into that particular author's catalog when there's just so little of it to be had readily, so I have to stick with the few books that can be had at all. It's frustrating.

[@charliescozycorner]

My absolute favourite diverse book written before 2020 is 100% kindred by Octavia Butler, such a short book with so much raw emotion that left me feeling hollow for weeks after. I love this discussion. Post 2020 - I really enjoy R.f Kuang, everything I’ve read from her I’ve absolutely LOVED

[@tyghe_bright]

This is a real problem for older works. They don't get put into digital form, until maybe they become public domain.

[@AntoineBandele]

I want to shout this title from the rooftops.

[@metalgearsenshi]

This 👏🏽is 👏🏽why 👏🏽I👏🏽 love 👏🏽your 👏🏽channel 👏🏽😩 The Hate U Give is not the only book on police brutality. It's like in the workplace where you get this one generic inclusivity training and the material does not change for years. How are we improving on our understandings of and compassion for diversity when we limit our own resources? You cannot expand by bouncing around in the same area. Can you see a little more by revisiting something? Yes. But it's not about that. It's about the constant reach for whats easy (popular) to reach for. Which goes back to media influence and how whatever title gets the big blow up, in some shape or form, it's going to become the "standard" or the "go-to resource" on a subject.

[@TheMaryweather]

"How are we improving on our understandings of and compassion for diversity when we limit our own resources?" That is the key it🗝

[@TheMaryweather]

It can feel like Black fiction has to be at point of almost saying we have none of x genre book (ex: romance) so that publishing/people can see value in the work that an author is putting out. Its value is solely in being the only one. It can be a bit disheartening to have the impression given that every time a certain book is put out it is the first ever. There is a dissonance between what is actually out in the world in terms of Black fiction and what people perceive is out there. The example I would give is when Children of Blood and Bone came out there was this vibe that it was the first and only Black ya fantasy that has came out. I remember finding that odd because it was not the first ever or even that year. It felt like the same thing happened with Legendborn. It is like a cycle of erasure constantly.

[@t.a.summers]

I'm glad you are doing this video because as someone who grew up with Virginia Hamilton and Walter Dean Myers (may they rest well), and seeing not as many names I grew up with who are still here, doing their thing and the work, it's a little frustrating to see some erasure happening in the industry because of publishing and accessibility.

[@t.a.summers]

I talk about how Hamilton's Justice Cycle was a big influence on me personally and it began in the 70s. And is part of YA history. I want to revisit that series because I rarely hear people talk about it now.

[@lisahoward1754]

❤ I agree with you

[@dreamhobbit]

That is frustrating. I agree with what you’re saying. There are so many authors who have come before that should get their flowers.

[@learningcurrensie9570]

I greatly appreciate the content! Coming from a diverse background it's astonishing to see how small minded the collective agenda pushes us to be. You can't recommend people to be humane and be openminded to someone else's experience especially when most are caught up in their own or a narrative society deems to be the most accepted. Keep these conversations coming! In a world that talks about breaking generational curses we need to see the treasures from those who came before us in the honorable light that allows us the leverages in today's time.

[@virginiaweir-hj1rt]

We have similar problems in the UK. The majority of staff in publishing houses are privately educated. Pupils from private schools have distorted ideas of state school educations, often believing poor/black/Asian people don't read whereas often "diverse" literature doesn't resonate with minorities, leading to less books featuring BLAME characters.

[@CatApocalypse]

Definitely would love backlist authors and books to get more recognition. And those from around the world. There's a lot of big books and classics, especially from the global south, that we don't really hear about, at least in the US.

[@Readatrix]

Great topic! In solidarity, I'm looking through what I've read in the last couple years that predates 2020. My list doesn't scratch the surface, and I had to stop so I wouldn't be here forever, and even if I were here forever, it wouldn't scratch the surface. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro, published in 1989. There's really no diversity on the page, but the author is of Japanese heritage, and I loved the themes of the book. Private Arrangements, Sherry Thomas, 2008. Victorian romance. Author is from China originally. Also a very white story. Dated, imo, concerning issues of consent. The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin, 1963. Non-fiction. I listened to the audiobook, but I need to get a print copy. So amazing. Killer lines and passages I need to stare at, reflect on, and underline. The Vegetarian, Han Kang, 2007. Translated, Korean setting. Literary fiction, but also significant body horror. Breasts and Eggs, Mieko Kawakami, 2008. Translated. Set in Japan. This has stuck with me in ways I can't explain. Asexual rep. The story is about a woman's quest for motherhood, knowing she doesn't want a romantic or sexual relationship, although this is not front and center so much as hinted at in the beginning. I have no desire to be a mother, and I still cried multiple times. Life as a Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything in Between, Amrou Al-Kadhi, 2019. The author is British-Iraqi, and queer/NB, and the book is largely about their adoration of a mother who struggles to understand them. Minor Detail, Adania Shibli, 2017. A Palestinian author. This is novella length, but super powerful. The ending is a gut punch. Giovanni's Room, James Baldwin, 1956. I think the author was amazing, but this didn't hit for me, probably because of the language towards presumably trans characters. Even though the author is Black, the main character is a white man. Set in Paris. Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler, 1993. Yes, damn, yes. Dystopian. Mooncakes, Suzanne Walker with Wendy Xu (illustator), 2019. Graphic novel. Witches and werewolves. Queer rep. Deaf rep. Chinese rep. (The illustrator, Wendy Xu, is also a poet.) There There by Tommy Orange, 2018. I think this is pretty well known. Tommy Orange is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. The book has a lots of characters who are all headed toward a powwow where there will be a shooting. The sequel recently came out to, among other things, handle some cliffhangers and take us further into the past at the future with one of the families. Long Division, Kiese Laymon, 2013. I think I technically read the newer edition with the preferred layout from the author. LOL, this one is hard to explain! The author is a Black man from Mississippi. Going Down Home with Daddy, Kelly Starling Lyons with Daniel Minter (Illustrator), 2019. Childrens lit. A story about families, traditions, and passed-down stories. Featuring a Black family, and written by a Black author. Hair Love, Matthew A. Cherry, 2019. Black author. Picture book with gorgeous illustrations. Moon of the Crusted Snow, Waubgeshig Rice, 2018. The writer is Anishinaabe. Super low-key and slow-burn horror with themes of how the influence of white people consistently moves Indigenous communities closer to extinction. An elder in the book, in the middle of this apocalypse, states this is not their first apocalypse. The sequel just came out and I'm excited to read it. Know My Name by Chanel Miller, 2019. Chanel Miller, of Chinese heritage on her mother's side was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner. She is an amazing author. Right now, I'm ready a middle grade graphic novel by her and having a great time. She has a very bright and promising future. Her assailant at last check is slithering around Ohio and using his middle name. The House You Pass on the Way, Jacqueline Woodson, 2019 and Black Girl Dreaming, 2014. The author is queer and Black and writes beautiful prose. (And Poetry.) Some other authors with books I've enjoyed predating 2020 are Kelly Yang (middle grade, Chinese American). Beverly Jenkins, because C'mon! Victor Lavalle, horror, Black author. Stephen Graham Jones, Blackfeet nation, horror. Sherri Winston, Middle Grade author, a Black woman. Akwaeke Emezi, a Black scifi and horror author -- feel silly typing this, because I think most people are familiar. Zora Neale Huston. So many more.

[@ohladysamantha]

You're so right about this, as always. Walter Dean Meyers was so impactful! I definitely read one of his books in high school. There definitely needs to be a focus on lifting up older titles and things that are not best sellers because there are gems out there from all backgrounds!

[@Merdragoon]

I have noticed this myself. I figured the reason why you kept saying "Read more Diversely" was to encourage people to read more. I didn't really veiw it as "Oh it's because 2020 is the first year we're finally getting diverse books". But this put your origonal statements in a different perspective of everything. I knew personally I had to read more diversely but I was planning to do that on my own not because of 2020, but because I just wanted to and I knew I missed quite a few that were written in the past. But... I was wondering why the diversity conversation was being brought up *now* in other areas. I even ran into another booktuber bringing up the Diversity conversation though in a different angle than you went in (She's started in 2018, Myocore if you're curious at looking at her stuff) and I couldn't help but think about that one thing as to why now? You pretty much answered that question with this video so it has me wanting to make sure I recommend more books in the future to people that are diverse but written before 2020. (Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones was one I suggested to my friend's niece as she loves horror, and I wanted to recommend a horror book that was more disverse in conversation as he's native american. That one was written in 2017 and it sounds so good! Also put his 2023 book on my TBR called "The Only Good Indians" after I heard the review by Reads with Rachel.) Another one that I really wanted to read before this conversation was A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar (Written in 2012), and Monday's not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson (2018), And I have plans to eventually all of N.K. Jemisin's work even before 2020 (I loved Fifth Season and will plan on returning to the rest of that trilogy), and want to read Angela Davis: An Autobiography (1974), Are Prisons Obsolete? (Angela Davis 2003), And Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement (Angela Davis 2015), and One of the first ones I yoinked into my TBR when I started to watch Reads with Rachel was Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (2018). Though I do need to go back to adding more of my TBR of older works in general because I'm noticing I have a lot in the 2020 to 2023 range.... >_> I haven't been paying much attention to publishing dates it seems and I thought some of what is on my TBR were older than 2020. Whoops. (I'm not saying that's bad persay, but I want to make sure I'm able to pick them up from my Library as I'm trying not to constantly buying new books as I have so many at this rate thanks to Stuff your Kindle Days xD;;; But yeah I seriously thought Monday's not Coming was a 90s book. That woud explain why I never read it in high school. As it wasn't out yet when I was in school. It wasn't even out when I was in college as I graduated in 2016! But yeah, point is, I was planning on reading anything and everything that caught my intreast weather it was old or new. But for now I may want to hold off in adding more to my tbr as... the 332 books in it is murdering the loading on my Storygraph while I'm scrolling through it.)

[@caitlinlucyhenderson8417]

I absolutely loved A Stranger in Olondria and I never see people talking about it!

[@AsiaLoren816]

Yes! Love Mildred D Taylor. The Logan family series was amazing! My favorite childhood series.

[@donnamg.416]

Sharon Bell Mathis, Rosa Guy, Alice Childress, Eloise Greenfield, Lucille Clifton....just sharing more❤

[@lisahoward1754]

❤❤Thank you for sharing I agree with you I will always give my Black 🖤 Authors their flowers.

[@rainydayz7866]

I'm glad you said it. It's in every form of entertainment. Movies, video games, comics, etc. And it's not saying they can't do better, because they can. All I really want is more diverse stories. It doesn't have to be 1 story with a character from every race, gender, creed, etc. But rather diverse stories . I hope I made myself clear. But I think the more diversity we have in the decision making the more diverse stories we get.

[@bhsprinkle]

All books deserve appreciation & love. I noticed too that we see the same exact books a million times over. I do what I can to help authors get seen as best as possible. I review or reshare as needed. Unfortunately a lot of authors don't get seen. I'm financially unable to buy a lot of books. Rare if I can. I do try to ARC or Review Read or there's libraries. Other means to help out. I actually recently sought out Latina & Black author & reader tags so I could find them easier. I'm so excited because a fellow Puerto Rican sent me their book. Authors are fighting for visibility because publishers aren't meeting them halfway.

[@poodlemuffin]

Alexandre Dumas, as an author if not for representation in his works. Definitely before 2020.

[@TheMaryweather]

Georges by Alexandre Dumas is rarely talked about.

[@marybeery1764]

Thank you! Just found you. Teaching kindergarten back in the day I usually had to purchase many diverse copies for my personal library. Great tribute to the early authors.

[@themusicsnob]

Super relevant and important discussion topic and I appreciate you talking about these things. I feel like this conversation also interconnects with ideas in Elaine Castillo’s nonfiction book How to Read Now. I feel like you might enjoy that book and I don’t hear it discussed very much.

[@caitlinlucyhenderson8417]

I was lucky enough to have been introduced to the concept of reading diversely about 10 years ago. Reading diversely really isn't new. I have to shout out Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord, for pointing me in the right direction back then, and The Devourers by Indra Das, for patiently waiting 9 years on my TBR until I started it today.

[@FablestoneSeries]

I have diversity in my books. One of my main character's 2 mom's is African American. And of course there are others. But I always feel like there is a line I need to be sure not to cross. I don't want to culturally appropriate or even just write about a POV I know little about. I had a Native American character I eventually had to cut for this reason. I realized I was mixing tribal belief systems of the mi'kmaq and the cherokee so I had to pull the plug on that whole storyline. It couldn't be salvaged. I just had to promise myself to do better next time.

[@andeeharry]

Thanks for sharing, it is good to hear about the others and a shame they don't get mentioned. That's the thing, there are thousands of books out there and only a few names ever get mentioned. It is a shame that others get ignored, and as we talk about this, KZbin shows an advert for a Film Atlas where A.I has taken over the world, Terminator Style....not not KZbin

[@tyghe_bright]

Earlier this year, I read Of One Blood; Or, the Hidden Self by Pauline E. Hopkins It was originally published as a serial novel in 1902. It's by a Black woman, about Black and muti-racial people. It includes discrimination in the U.S., Black culture in New Orleans, and discovery of ancient Black cultures. Diversity isn't new. I mean, I was struggling to find a romance novel I like--and found one in Beverly Jenkins' Indigo, published in 1996 about people who were part of the underground railroad. Again, Diversity isn't new. Man, think about Blaxploitation in the 70s. It wasn't just in movies. There were great pulp novels, too. 1901, Booker T. Washington's Up from Slavery was published in 1901 and W. E. B. Du Bois's The Souls of Black Folk in 1903. ZNH's Their Eyes Were Watching God in 1937. Regarding books by or for Black kids--they were definitely rare until the 70s, when there started to be a conscious effort to change that... and yeah, there's still not nearly as many as there should be but you are so right. Not recognizing what came before 2000 is an insult to all those who worked to allow what we have now. And it also limits what books kids (and adults) see--because they aren't even looking for older books. Diversity is NOT new.

[@andeeharry]

Insteaf of pushing people towards something, we need to talk about those who came before and not just because of Black History Month either...these authors worked hard to get somewhere to help pave away something....they need to be noticed, recognised, talked about and mentioned. I am glad you did a video on this. I always wondered about them. i only know of Mallorie Blackman and Constance Briscoe (even thought it has been found that she lied), but still. They are the two I know of that I have on my shelf

[@chocolateoreo6489]

❤❤❤

[@CallMeTippy]

This 100%, the books may have been not as readily available in some genres but they were definitely there, always have and always will read Black books written by Black authors.

[@rubyanddelilahandnani]

Can you make a Favorite books of all time video? Or a Books I would sell my soul to read again for the first time. I just want to know the books you would save in a fire 😄 I need to come back to this video later so I can watch it in its entirety.

[@pageswithpostelwait9720]

❤

[@brendonsgirl21]

I appreciate having more black authors get noticed. As an black person, I find myself defaulting characters in my head as white. Not that there's anything wrong with White POVs, it just not the only thing I want to read. I have a favorite book from my childhood ('92 baby) called In My Momma's Kitchen by Jerdine Nolen ('99). It showed me the different ways a space could be used to build relationships with people. From getting your hair done to sneaking midnight snacks with someone. That stuck with me even until now and it's something I'd like to emulate in my own life. I used to write stories myself but do to unfortunate circumstances I really haven't written a paragraph since 2010. I hope to find my voice again someday.

[@ChattieTheMadChatter]

💜📚

[@LittlePiscesReading]

I hadn't given it much thought myself. I'd heard authors make similar comments and didn't even think to question it. I'm not sure why. Especially because I do look back for authors pre-20th century. I guess this just needs to be a lesson in not taking things at face value for me.

[@louc.6735]

Honestly a new mission focused bookstore opened in my area, and it's a little depressing that it only carries very New books. Toni Morrison is my favorite author, but you can't find her at that store. It's not like Toni Morrison is that obscure!

[@TheMaryweather]

pre-2010 Black ya fiction authors: Rosa Guy, Tracy West, and Lenora Adams.

[@lusalma5404]

I do think the diversity and accessibility is easier with digital and self pub. I do wish there were more library 'conglomerates' Right now I am in Hennepin County in MN which is the most populated county in MN and the second by income. I grew up outstate in Southern Minnesota and the library system there basically included all of Southeastern MN which allowed a broader investment in what books the system could obtain. I think that is a decent system to help get more books and more diverse books into the system.

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@FablestoneSeries]

So I came here to see if you'd have anything to say about Seven Shoulders.

[@literarylady1125]

Where is the black romance channel? I am looking for a particular video from the page.

[@virginiaweir-hj1rt]

Because the white people in leading publishing houses think Black people don't have long term romantic relationships. They're stuck on the many-children-with different fathers on welfare living in social housing trope.

[@andeeharry]

It sure did. Diversity existed in books and formatted elements since 1967 and because it has risen fourfold in the last three years, it is becoming more noticable since people talking about it.

[@scorpiothesaint]

Even before '67!

[@heabooktubes]

Guess I never watched this one? 😅

[@heyimsasa]

it's not that diverse books suddenly became a thing--it's that people are finally searching for and reading outside of their limited scope. it's awful that it took tragedies like the pandemic, black people getting brutalized and murdered, anti-asian rhetoric, and even what's going on in palestine today for people to support non-white works, myself included. don't beat yourself up about it. it's important to recognize it in ourselves, correct it, and do better which you've done because you're a monumental voice on booktube and we appreciate everything you do ❤❤