So I recently read Happy Families by Tanita Davis and I really enjoyed it. It was a quick and enjoyable read that placed a focus on individuals that rarely receive a voice in YA Lit – People of Color and LGBTQ individuals. Aside from work by Sherman Alexie, people of color are rarely the main characters of books, or even supporting characters. In terms of the LGBTQ community, there has been in increase in representation in YA lit but, as shown in books like Boy Meets Boy  readers are not always provided with “realistic”, for lack of a better word, narratives of individuals

So why is there such a low number of mainstream YA literature both by and about people of color? Maybe I am just not searching in the right places but it appears to me that mainstream YA Lit is very…well…white, heterosexual, and cisgender. It makes me question how YA that are POC or LGBTQ are supposed to navigate and relate to the protagonists. Personally, I rarely had opportunities to read about young Latinos experience growing up unless I decided to pick up a memoir. Tanita Davis’ work was so refreshing because it places POC into the conversation. In learning more about Davis’ life and work I was fortunate to come across sites like the Brown Bookshelf. I hope to look for more sites that provide lists of novels by POC as well as LGBTQ authors. RECOMMENDATIONS HAPPILY ACCEPTED.