The #OwnVoices hashtag began on September 6 and, if you were in the book community, it might have been all you saw on Twitter for a few hours.
, to recommend kidlit about diverse characters written by authors from that same diverse group.
— Corinne Duyvis ()
Started by Otherbound author Corinne Duyvis, the hashtag focuses on recommending titles about marginalized groups of people by authors in those groups.
While there were Tweets and calls for books outside of the YA community – calls that were responded to with eager and helpful recommendations – a good chunk of the recommendations in the #OwnVoices tag were YA books. After all, the YA community has made it clear they want diverse titles – and diverse titles from those of that background are even better.
Take a peek at some of the YA #OwnVoices recommendations!
MORE HAPPY THAN NOT by has awesome intersectionality. Latino MC tries to use memory alteration to forget he’s gay. — Ava Jae ()
NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED by is the freaking greatest bi anthem in book form YA could ask for.
— Dahlia Adler ()
Heidi Heilig’s 2016 THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE, mixed race (“hapa haouli”) heroine w/ bipolar dad on a time-traveling pirate ship ? — Melissa Albert ()
‘s ASH, a queer retelling of Cinderella, was one of the first stories to tell me fairy tales were for queer people too. — Marieke Nijkamp ()
Just out last week: HONOR GIRL by , a lovely graphic memoir about discovering your sexual identity at summer camp — Malinda Lo ()
If you haven’t read POINTE by it’s an amazing contemporary about ballet, sexuality, race and is a fantastic read. — Liz Anderson ()
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by about a queer girl coming of age in early 90s Montana — such a wonderful mirror — Malinda Lo ()
SECRET KEEPER by – a Bengali girl is forbidden from wearing shorts, playing sports, & following her dreams.
— Stella Ngai ()
A couple of amazing reads: THE SUMMER PRINCE by Alaya Dawn Johnson, HOTEL AT THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford — Jeanne Ryan ()
Not sure I can rave enough about everything and anything writes including YAQUI DELGADO
— Aisha Saeed ()
is powerful & provocative & brilliant & so important in & ‘s All American Boys. — Ellen Oh () September 6, 2015
ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE was my first gay YA. So powerful, and an all-time fave.
— Shelly ()
Rachel M. Wilson’s DON’T TOUCH — about a teen girl struggling to keep her OCD hidden from her friends and crush. — Corinne Duyvis ()
What #OwnVoices books do you recommend? Sound off in the comments below!
1 Comment
Great recs up there! I also so, so highly recommend Anna-Marie McLemore’s THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS, which has a Latina heroine and is just gorgeous magical realism; Aisha Saeed’s WRITTEN IN THE STARS, which is such a great high-stakes, high-tension read about a Pakistani girl whose parents are trying to force her into an arranged marriage; and Sara Farizan’s IF YOU COULD BE MINE, which is a great f/f YA that takes place in Iran and showcases the culture there, and what it means to be gay/bi there, vs. being trans.