By Willow Symonds
Staff Writer
Diversify Your Bookshelf introduces readers to books written from marginalized perspectives, including racial minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, disabled people, and more. These books come in all genres and targeted age groups, so there’s something for everyone.
Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert (2017)
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary; LGBTQ+
Suzette travels home from boarding school to help her stepbrother, Lionel, with his newly diagnosed bipolar disorder. While she only expects to run into old friends and family, she meets someone new: Raphaela, the free-spirited girl her brother is in love with, yet Raphaela seems detrimental to his mental health. As Suzette spends more time with this girl, she also falls for her… at the expense of her friendship with Lionel, especially when Suzette must save him from himself. “Little & Lion” won the 2018 Stonewall Book Award, a prize for LGBTQ+ fiction, due to its diverse range of characters and a strong emotional journey.
The Haunting of Hojii Hotak and Other Stories by Jamil Jan Kochai (2022)
Genre: Short Story Collection; Literary
An American university student, larger-than-life Ricky Daddy, starves himself to protest Israeli violence in Palestine and becomes an international sensation. Two U.S. doctors try to help a war-torn Afghanistan, even when their son disappears and they receive a grizzly gift. A spy watches the Hotak family, specifically the elderly matriarch, but soon realizes what goes on in their household is more depressing than the assignment suggested. “The Haunting of Hojii Hotak and Other Stories” explores Afghan people’s lives in the modern day, both in Afghanistan and America – sometimes with humor, sometimes with tragedy, and always with insight and honesty.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (2022)
Genre: Urban Fantasy; Romance
Like most witches, Mika Moon was orphaned at a young age and raised by strangers. Unlike most witches, her mother and grandmother were also witches, powerful leaders in India. Now though, as a 31-year-old living in England, she must hide her magic in everyday life, even when running her witch-themed YouTube channel. Mika’s small online presence draws the attention of Nowhere House’s eccentric caretakers, who employ her to teach magic to the three young witches unable to leave the property. The Nowhere residents take a liking to Mika – except for the middle girl and Jamie, the home librarian who has his own reasons to not trust her. “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” charms readers with a lovable found family and fun magical mayhem.
