I'm currently halfway through Inheritance by Malinda Lo [if you haven't read this duology, fix that please!] and it's surfaced a lot of my thoughts and feelings on diversity in books yet again.
The main female protagonist in this story, Reese, is thought to be straight by most but is struggling with her bisexuality while being white and publicly dating David who is Asian American. This is where my thoughts went crazy. I'm not going to touch on her sexuality in this post but that will probably get another post because there's great conversations about this being had in this book as well. Anyways about a chapter ago in my reading, Reese went to a party with David and was disconcerted and slightly uncomfortable when she noticed how she was one of the few white people there amidst all of his Asian friends.
I literally put the book down because it's amazing how important this scene is because it shows how different social situations are for white people and people of color. All I notice and feel is my otherness when I arrive in a social setting like a party because in most situations, I am one of the only people of color in the room. Since I have lighter skin I might be able to "blend in" [a term which has many negative connotations within itself because it implies that anything else is other/wrong], but as soon as an opinion is needed on something of Hispanic/Latino culture or etc, I am the one they turn to, in most cases. The assumptions that come with that is something else completely. SO MANY LAYERS to this y'all, I could go on, incoherently, forever.
So when Reese commented on how that was the first time she was able to put herself in someone else's shoes, I just was weirdly relieved because it's like 'yes, someone gets it' but then there are these negative thoughts that came with that relief. Negative because I'm still identifying with one of the first times this white girl is realizing how different the world is outside the bubble she grew up in, while people of color live in that difference and discomfort every day.
The reason for this post is to once again highlight and scream from the mountaintops how important diversity is in literature!
Reese is in a weird situation in this brilliant sci-fi world Malinda has crafted but she is still privileged there's no doubt about that. Her upbringing allowed her to be blind to the injustices surrounding her until all the crazy alien things started happening. Her enlightenment on the deeper issues at hand began when she read comments online about David's race, something she had never had thought about. *whisper shoutssss*: privilege! She never had to think about that, worry about it and I think that showing her reaction to something as simple as a her otherness at a party was a refreshing thing to read in a book. People of color are used to it to the point where it's a joke between us but having it be flipped on it's head shows the paradox [is that the right word to use here?]
This reaction that thereby spurred this post is indicative of the larger problem at hand. I shouldn't be screaming "hallelujah!" when I can identify with a character in a book, it should be something that is more commonplace and why it is important this conversation, while maddening at times, continues. The world needs diverse books because each reader's background and complex worldview needs to be represented.
