#Diveristy in Books

[cupofteajones]

Let's Get Back To The Power of Books & Reading

At first, this post was going to be about the banning of TikTok in the United States and how, even with the ban, the book community that was created on the platform, BookTok, would always exist but just to evolve into something different. I am not on TikTok and even though the ban has been lifted, I still have no intention of signing up for the app. Not only was I not interested in signing up for…

[danielleurbansblog]

Review: Maybe Colours

Synopsis: Maybe Colours is a beautifully illustrated picture book with simple poetic text that encourages an understanding of the importance of equality and diversity using colour as a theme. ♥ Encourages children to express their experience and feelings ✓ Perfect gift for anyone that loves poetry and art. ★ Many teachers/schools have used the book as a template. Children can write their own…

[thecinematicbandicoot]

The Last of Us (Season one) - A continuous outbreak of incredible adaptations

CINEMATIC BANDICOOT REVIEWS - The Last of Us (Season one) #TheLastofUs #VideoGames #HBOMax #TheLastofUsHBO #PedroPascal #BellaRamsey #TheLastofUsFinale #LastofUsHBO #LastofUsSeasonFinale #LastofUs2 #JoelMiller #Cordyceps #PostApocalyptic #AshleyJohnson

By Jose Anguiano – Cinematic Bandicoot March 13th, 2023 Despite the repetitive headlines from entertainment journalists, the 2010’s broke the video game adaptation curse. While not all adaptations are great, a majority of them are either critical hits like Netflix’s “Castlevania” or make enough money to justify a sequel like “Uncharted”. In fact, “Sonic the Hedgehog” accomplished both. HBO…

[bookwyrminspiration]

hello i brought up the terrible cultural representstion in keeper to my parents and they said it was probably the publisher pushing for it. dyou have any thoughts? you seemed like the best person to ask about this

I don't know if I'm the best person, but I can certain share some thoughts about it. I'm assuming by cultural representation you're referring to the lack of diverse characters--and subpar representation/inclusion of the few characters who are diverse? (this is a bit long, so warning)

While I doubt it was the only thing, it is likely publishing affected the diversity; this was a book pitched and sold in the early 2010s in an industry dominated by white women--I found an article from 2016 saying about 79% of publishing staff are white. The same survey in 2019 found 76% were white, so while I can't find one more recent at the moment, it's safe to say it's still a very white-dominated industry.

Keeper is published by Simon & Schuster, and I found a few various sources talking about them, but nothing significant enough to override what I've already cited (which applies to them as well). You can check out this site citing a few employee statistics about them, if you're curious.

If you look through the people Shannon thanks in the acknowledgments of her books--Like Laura Rennert, Lara Perkins, Taryn Fagerness, etc.--the people she's working with and surrounded by appear to be predominantly white women (though I didn't look up every single name, and I'm specifically focusing on book 1 right now), and the thing about agents and editors and all the like is that they'll be much more incentivized to work with/sell/buy a book that they connect to emotionally, which in this case is white stories.

The same applies to authors, which I think is another aspect of the supbar diveristy. Shannon's--as far as I know--an abled allocishet non-hispanic white American woman. Authors like to write stories they connect to and see themselves in (which isn't inherently a bad thing), and for her that means stories with straight, cis, abled white characters and heavy American influence. And this story is scouted and enjoyed by white agents/editors/publishers/etc. (I don't know enough about them to truly discuss their identities, I'm coming to conclusions based on suggestive evidence, but may be wrong).

I can't tell you what's going on in their heads, but it's entirely possible that the lack of diversity wasn't a conscious choice, but rather something that none of them prioritized or noticed. Publishers appear to have some sort of diversity "quota" as well, not going beyond it. This opinion piece briefly mentions it amongst the rest of its discussion, how white publishers at Simon & Schuster questioned whether they needed to bid to publish a black author when they already had another. This is, however, one anecdotal instance and may not be representative. My point in including it is to be aware of what the scene may be and how, even though Shannon is white and therefore more likely to be published, a story with increased diversity may not be seen as necessary or be pushed for. Instead, the diversity in their company can come from other authors. So unless Shannon makes that conscious effort herself, she won't be punished for the lack.

That all discusses this from the perspective of including diversity. There's also the matter of the diversity that is there, which has been dissected and commented on by people far more knowledgeable than me. The two are related, and there are likely similar causes.

Once again, Shannon doesn't have the personal experience or knowledge of the various characters/backgrounds she includes. And her editors/publishers likely don't either, which may explain in part what we see in the books. I don't know whether keeper has sensitivity readers or not, but if there aren't any that could also contribute.

Improvements have been made with time--there are more characters of color than when we started--but that doesn't make these improvements without fault. So I think she is making an effort, but it's falling short. And if the prior observation about how they can meet their diversity quota with other authors continues here, there may not be significant push from her publishers/editors etc. to truly focus on quality diverse representation. They're committed to her story at this point and won't stop her, but they don't need her to do much, perhaps? And Shannon has, to an extent, backed herself into a corner because so much of her story was established without diversity early on, and there's only so much she can add later--we see now how the cast is started to get very crowded and complicated with all its additions, and her focus is on Sophie regardless.

There's a lot going on and I'm only touching the tip of the iceberg--and I am not an expert or professional of any kind, so take my observations and hypotheses with a grain of salt--but based on what i know, publishers likely do play a factor. But Shannon herself plays a role as well; the fact of the matter is the story she wrote isn't very diverse. And it was appealing to certain publishers, because the industry is abled straight white woman dominated. So there is a lack of representation, and the representation there feeds into stereotypes and generally isn't good.

No one cause can be blamed, but instead the intersection of various reasons contribute to the diversity issues--that's my conclusion, but don't just take it from me. Think about it for yourself and listen to others as well. I don't quite know where I'm going with all this, but hopefully some of this satisfies your questioning

If not or if anyone would like to discuss it further--including correcting me on anything I may have missed or insensitively said--my inbox is always open.

[detective-shirogane124]

Y'all like vampires and werewolves in a dark modern setting?

Ya like diveristy, mad scientists, sassy sword wielding female protagonists, and sad middle-aged father figures who can't catch a break?

Read my roomates book. Trust me bro.

I hate to be this guy but I need help.

My car just decided to take a shit, which basically executes my current income entirely. I'm not asking for like...donations or anything. I wrote a whole book and I'd rather ask for you guys to check that out so at least there's like...something you'd get from helping out.

That said, if you can't afford it that's more than fine, please just reblog this so I can get some traction.

Link to the book is here, thank you for anything.

[tardigraded20]

[newx-menfan]

Now for some shameless self promotion time.... Check out a petition for Marvel to give the New X-Men a new ongoing title at ➡️https://www.change.org/p/marvel-bring-back-the-new-x-men The goal is 500 signatures!!

[diversitynowinc]

Diverse Literature: The People Shall Continue An indigenous view of the story of North America, with text by Acoma Pueblo scholar and poet Simon J. Ortiz, and illustrations by Shawnee, Ojibwe and Dakota artist Sharol Graves, The People Shall Continue begins with Creation, as understood by a variety of Native American peoples, introduces the diversity of cultures to be found on the continent, and then chronicles the coming of European conquerors and settlers, and the long and (mostly) unsuccessful struggle of the indigenous peoples to maintain their lands and independence.

[kndrules]

What are some tips for drawing plus size characters? I’m currently trying to practice drawing them more and would just like some advice, cuz I really like your art style!

I’m wanting to take any form of advice that I can because I don’t want to (I guess I’ll say) draw them incorrectly. Er, for better words, I just wanna draw them as best I can.

You get what I’m trying to say 😅

Hey! I'm sorry I didn't get to this sooner!

I'm super glad that you're making this effort, it's great to hear! My biggest piece of advice is practice figure drawing of fat models, there's a great resource for fat reference images at https://www.fatphotoref.com/ (You need a password for this site, and you'll need to DM @fugitiverabbit on twitter for the password, idk how active she is on tumblr).

I would also highly recommend this art book about fat and skin folds by Michel Lauricella: https://pdfcoffee.com/michel-lauricella-morpho-fat-and-skin-foldspdf-pdf-free.html (I've never downloaded from this site so proceed with caution and get the pdf elsewhere if you need to)

Another huge thing for me when I was learning (And I'm still learning) how to draw fat bodies was talking to my fat friends about it. They could tell me things like "a lot of fat people dont have visible collar bones and it's weird when thin people draw fat people with them" or "thin people always forget that theres a layer of fat underneith the stomach too"- things that you might not think about on your own. They know their own bodies. but also, know your friends and whether or not they'd be comfortable talking about that. These conversations happened organically for me.

I'm not good at art advice myself, but here's a couple things I think are important:

- The flesh connects at joints, so there won't be much fat on joints, but rather fat will hang off of them like this:

- Like I stated earlier, there is a layer of fat under the stomach, at the pubic area, though remember there's a huge amount of variety in people's bodies

- I still need to study hands more, but remember that hands can be fat too. They'll be less bony, and knuckles look more like dimples. Wrists will crease.

- Advice that really helped me understand how to draw double chins is that the actual chin will not move (sounds obvious but yknow). If you need to draw a basic face guideline first, you can locate the chin and that can help with drawing the rest of the face around it (idk this helped me, anyway)

- Some people have visible necks and some people don't. There is also a roll of fat on the back of the head/neck

There is SO much diveristy of fat bodies, you should be able to design dozens of fat characters who all look distinct on build alone. Reference is really the best- use fatphotoref for sure, it's good to learn how the body moves in different poses and positions.

And, as a disclaimer, if I've said anything that's not entirely correct, or if something is worded maybe not great, pleaaase let me know. I was very skinny my entire life until super recently, and I'm still small chubby at most, so I can't speak for this experience directly.

[petalsmooth]

SO which members of the cast have bothered acknowledging the actresses playing the Pussycat’s? I don’t really bother following most accounts but briefly went to Asha and Hayley’s instagrams. Noticed Robin, Erinn and of course Cole promoted Asha’s book and I did see Locklyn of all people in the comments.

You know....because the stans says the cast is oh so welcoming and their favorites roll out the welcome wagons for everyone. Also, the people jumping on BLM when got hype last summer promoting how RD needed more diveristy but now disappeared once they are on set?

[rotzaprachim]

No!No!No!NO!NOOO! to swedish booker! Thats literally so Cursed IM FUCKING DYING. DO WE LOOK FRENCH? DOES MY CULTURE EVEN REMOTELY RESEMBLE THE ONE IN FRANCE? (I mean yeah i does, but theres a Difference, Please) LIKE IMAGINE. IMAGINE A SWEDISH BOOKER. ITS SO WRONG I CANT EVEN- (part 1/2, im kinda on a roll here)

full context this is in response to the people who literally can’t wrap their heads around yusuf being maghrebi even though a) that’s one of the few hard canon facts about his character and b) marwan kenzari is so it was like. a joke. about how white people are allowed hyper specific origin places (helloooo we have specific home towns of genova and marseilles for nicky and booker) where as people of color are viewed as monoliths and have their cultures stripped of individuality and diveristy 

THAT BEING SAID BECAUSE IT WAS A JOKE BUT A JOKE WITH CONTEXT anyway swedansknorderlandse booker is Correct Canon what is booker doing but ice hockey and getting lost in IKEA??? buying aquavit from the  Systembolaget and drinking it STRAIGHT with some nice raw herring and an orange t shirt for Koningsday which everyone celebrates in Oslo? literally matthias schoenaerts even looks like joel kinnamon in a certain light and i’m pretty sure he’s swedish. the book at the start of the old guard was a  Jo Nesbø aka the world’s most famous french author 

[balkinbuddies]

Gwendolyn Brooks and Jan Spivey Gilchrist's WE ARE SHINING is among the 2018 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People

We are pleased to report that WE ARE SHINING (HarperCollins), penned by the late poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, Gwendolyn Brooks and illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award-winner, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, is among the 2018 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People in the K-2 category.

Jan Spivey Gilchrist has a good deal of experience speaking to many different types of audiences and is available for presentations to home schooling groups, conferences, festivals and children in school settings. For descriptions of her programs and other details, visit Balkin Buddies or give us a call. We’re always happy to help.

[meherya]

The lack of common sense people have saying that a fascist manipulative man is a moc

If you gremlins read the books, the way he treats the underaged shu girl (Alina) and her companion (a REAL moc) is indicative of how white men in power treat poc, ESPECIALLY poor poc... but I forgot some of you are illiterate 😞

There's diversity with nuance (such as Mal being a moc) and then there's just pulling shit out of your ass and claiming "diveristy"

[ambientwriting]

It’s really difficult to find good YA series with LGBT+ protagonists AND a dystopian setting, so I’ve decided to write my own 👍

To garner a bit of support behind it & build a small readership I’ve decided to make a URL jar project.

I’ll write the urls of people who reblog this post & pop them in the jar. The idea is that by the time the book is hopefully published I’ll be able to personally let each of you know (& maybe offer some bonus preview chapters/content eyyy). Also, I’ll pull one url from the jar & base a character on the winner (you can choose their name, appearance, etc.) ❤️

[cowboyjen68]

Do you have any advice on finding other fellow lgbtq+ people in small towns/more remote areas? I’ve been finding it quite difficult to just find other people who share that same aspect of life who don’t also live 100+ miles away.

I have been in your muck boots my friend.  When I moved here to Newhall, population 350, plus two miles from town,... I immediately started using the local businesses even though gas and milkl were . more expensive.  I bought at the feed store, even though Cedar Rapids chain stores were cheaper.. I went to “town” once a week at least.  Said Hello, learned names and even sat with the farmers at morning coffee at the gas station.  I asked them questions like about drainage and about the soil type I had.. I let them share their knowledge and it made them like me... I was interested in their ideas... and I really was.  

Next asked around.. who was elderly and needed help? Volunteering opportunities...Animal shelters tend to be staffed by lesbians.. they just are.. I dont make the rules.  If you help an elder person clean their kitchen or a storage shed, you will get stories, free stuff and a wealth on information and gossip.. They know where the gay people are! 

The easiest way.. join the local Democrats.. Just go to their meetings.. they will know LGBT people and at the very least they will be thrilled to have you.. Rural dems struggle with diveristy so anytime a gay person joins... membership GOLD baby... gold!!  

Make your own community.. Get on Facebook. start a page or reach out and just say..you want to have a county lgbt gathering... start a PFLAG, casual dinner.. etc... You will get some straight people offering to join and help.. let them... they are invested and can be your ally in building a local group,  NO gay person in a rural county could resist a gathering at Bob’s Coffee shop with other gay people.. they have to go and see what is up.. 

It takes courage and a bit of work.. it is what I have done.. I saw a fractured community and worked my ass off to build it to a giant successful thing.. And even though I have stepped away from that entity is has allowed me the connections and experience to start outreach to the schools and community centers in the rural counties..  

You don’t need to have a parade.. just a meeting room for a book club at the library or a small cafe with good coffee and apple pie for breakfast. Start there. 

[canallynwrite]

for the book ask! 3, 27, & 36!

[3] WHAT BOOK ARE YOU PLANNING TO READ NEXT?

well, first off i gotta finish my current books (aka six of crows and given to the sea) before reading anything else. however, i do plan to read the rest of the grisha verse, the throne of glass series, and some of marie lu’s books (possibly), as well as doing some research for my wip. (i have an entire pile of books on ancient greece/greek mythology just waiting to be read!)

[27] IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT MAINSTREAM LITERATURE WHAT WOULD IT BE? (I.E. MORE DIVERISTY, BETTER WRITING, BETTER PLOT.)

more wlw, please! there are definitely some out there but i won’t rest until we actually get some more rlly good, mainstream books with proper rep. aside from that, though, i guess i’d like better written characters. most ya protagonists don’t move me at all, and then there’s a sizable portion that i outright HATE so it’s kinda hard to properly get through the books. i’ve only read a few books with protagonists i actually like recently (the false prince, six of crows, greenglass house) and fewer yet have made me emotional (’this is where it ends’ really came after me with that ending, tho. i still mourn for tomas). 

[36] NAME A BOOK YOU CONSIDER TO BE TERRIBLE OVERRATED.

anything by sarah j. maas! the first time i tried to read her the throne of glass series, i barely got a fourth of the way in before celaena’s conceited, annoying attitude got to me (pray tell, WHEN does she do any actual assassining? the majority of the book is her fantasizing about how she could totally kill this one guy in .02 seconds but SHE NEVER DOES IT. the rest of it is her failing to be competent, with a side-dish of a girl hate. i don’t get nehemia either, though she’s leagues better than celaena. idk, she just didn’t seem to have the temperament for being a diplomat or whatever it was she was doing. however, her character made a lot more sense than celaena’s and she actually has reasons i can get behind). i went back at finished it on an ebook, and the ending was completely dull. did anyone ever doubt that celaena would live? honestly! tbh, i would have preferred it if celaena did die from kaltain’s poison (what kinda cool-ass plot might that have opened up!?) and that whole deus ex machina fight with elena helping and nehemia preforming magic right IN THE FRONT WHERE EVERYONE COULD SEE (like her cloak would cover up that bullshit, pffft). i just,,,, it was a ride that i hated. kaltain also didn’t deserve that ending, mark my goddamn words. i’m almost done with the assassin’s blade, and i’ll admit the plot is much better and she actually does assassin-y things, but i still don’t like celaena’s character (so annoying and arrogant and contradictory), and, maybe i’m the only one to think this, but celaena and sam’s relationship doesn’t make any sense to me. what, despite her being an absolute jerk and openly antagonistic to him he falls in ‘love’ with her and then after one mission and one summer apart he can confess to her and suddenly she loves him too and he’d beat up arobynn for her??? what chemistry was there? i didn’t see it! sure he gave her music, but they grew up hating each other??? idk, i just didn’t get the hype. the only characters i liked in tab were ansel (because basically her entire character is fit for me to love, i mean: charismatic, friendly-but-manipulative red haired girl with cool armor and a tragic backstory fighting for revenge against the people that killed her family but having to struggle with her dark side and the body count she’s beginning to leave behind???? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP FOR THAT), and captain rolfe. rolfe won my heart in like two seconds with his “i’m the world’s greatest pirate, and i’m afraid of a great number of people. that’s how i’ve managed to stay alive for so long” line because that is some GREAT logic and it makes me so fucking mad that celaena doesn’t have it! honestly, the way she talks about the pirates in comparison to arobynn’s “educated, and oh so refined” assassins makes me so angry. it doesn’t matter how smart you are, celaena, y’all do almost the exact same kinda job as rolfe! the hypocrisy is astounding, imo. everything else in it focuses on sam and celaena, which, tbh, i can’t stand. i don’t understand why they got together in the first place, and the way celaena fantasizes about killing lysandra before they do makes me want to scream.i’m like, halfway through the crown of midnight, but i absolutely hate it. the only way i’ll finish it is if i get a ebook on my phone or smth. the only reason i’m keeping tab on my shelf is because i absolutely love the chapters that rolfe and ansel are in.

as for the acotar series, i tried to read the first book, and got like halfway through before i just stopped reading it. it was so boring??? there was nothing notable about feyre or tamlin (lucien was somewhat interesting tho?), and literally nothing interesting happened in the plot except romance, and it wasn’t even good romance imo. i think something was about to happen at the point i stopped reading at, but tbh i just don’t care enough to continue on. the characters were boring and i’ve heard enough bad things about the future romance *cough* rhysand *cough* to make me keep away.

like, i just don’t get the hype around her books! all of the conflict is just there to make the story look pretty and provide a backdrop for wish-fulfillment white-feminist-y fae porn. when you think about it, the characters barely every have proper reasoning behind their actions behind what would make them look “cool” and “badass”. i’m just,,, so tired,,, of them. 

and this has been a really long post, and for that i am sorry, but i have a lot of feelings about sjm and her books.