We Really Do Need Diverse Books!

Growing up, I read a lot of books. A LOT of books! I read everything I could get my hands on, from the local library, to my family's bookshelves, to books I borrowed from relatives. While I was growing up, however, the books I read didn't give me characters I could really relate to. There were few - if any - Black or Brown girls, or Gullah girls, or Cherokee girls, let alone all of these combined. Yes, there were Scottish girls in historical novels, but few contemporary ones. And definitely not Black girls with Scottish roots, like me.

We learn to interact with the world, to form relationships, to belong to our peer groups, through the media we are exposed to at a young age, as well as through person-to-person interactions. When your chosen media - in my case books - don't offer you peers to relate, there is something missing from our understanding of the world.

Today I have the opportunity to write the stories I wanted to read when I was growing up. My stories feature diverse characters navigating an often difficult and confusing world, and - hopefully! - finding a way through. I don't want any child to grow up isolated and alone, unable to connect with people like themselves, in all of the diverse beauty that this melting pot of a country offers. So I will always support #WeNeedDiverseBooks, and write the books I wish had been there for me.