The importance of Diverse Books

I remember as a young girl my love for books. I read one in particular more than three times. It is the only fiction I ever actually reread. It was the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. 

I don’t know what magnetic hold poor orphaned Oliver Twist had on me or how I related to the parish boy who had such mishaps in life. The book resonated with me and I fell in love with books and stories with characters that were nothing like me, but who I still related with.

 I read urban books of hard street life, like those written by Donald Goines and urban classics like True to the Game, Dutch, and the Coldest Winter Ever. These books paint the reality of a harsh life and the mistakes that often have these characters spiraling out of control. 

I believe it’s important that children see themselves in the parts of the hero’s, the doctors, the teachers, the athletes and all the men and women portrayed in these stories; those characters who push through their personal flaws and circumstances and save the day in the end. 

We need more diverse books to understand different cultures, religions and beliefs. I can easily say Khaled Hosseini is one of my favorite authors, his way of majestically telling a story while painting a picture of a beautiful countries beliefs and customs while conveying a downfall of a nation due to warfare.

 Kite Runner and his novels to follow are easily some of the best diverse literatures, and it is just the start. 

I have read books by all types of authors and never find it hard to praise someone’s astonishing work. Although these days I find myself looking for influence and art through a more diverse background and a more cultural view point...

And I can say I’m never disappointed. 

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