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Culture March 30, 2020
It's okay, you're not alone.
Have you ever felt as if no one understood you? As if you were the only person in the room who carried a certain background? There are more people like yourself out there and these women authors are giving voices to a wide range of diverse communities through influential books for young adults.
These YA novels reinforce social problems that society encounters daily. Readers connect with the characters and their situations because of similar experiences. If you are battling obstacles, just know that you are not alone.
These cultural novels for young adults are just a handful of what amazing content is out there. Take a look at some powerful stories that show how diverse the world is.
In a fun and delicious story, Goo creates a world in which a teenage prankster takes one prank too far and is sentenced to spend the summer on her father’s food truck with her archenemy.
There are a few books for young adults with a woman of color as the main character; yet it still relates to readers through their goals, interests, and humor. Authors write extraordinary words that stay with us until after the story is done.
This novel presents inspirational lines such as, “You can always control how hard you fight” which is a powerful example of Goo’s magical storytelling.
Before it was established as a 2019 feature film, Angie Thomas wrote this novel about a character stuck between two worlds. When a terrible death occurs, national news hit. The story follows along what it means to be black in America.
Thomas relates this book for young adults as a means to show the issues the nation is facing through the eyes of the kids who are living the reality. This is a powerful story that has reached extraordinary heights thanks to Thomas’ well-written message and characters.
Everyone has a dream. Everyone has a beginning. In Acevedo’s novel, a teen mom must break the barrier between motherhood and dream hood by finding the balance needed to pursue her passion.
Young moms carry a negative stigma, but Acevedo reminds readers that you are a person first. What you create for yourself is up to you because you hold your own destiny. Whether you hold a set role in your life, chasing after your dreams should not have to be a restriction. This novel by a woman of color emphasizes that a female has the choice, the power, the strength to achieve dreams no one thought possible.
After the nation voted, Adeyemi’s novel for young adults was chosen as Jimmy Fallon’s summer book read in 2018. She entertained readers with a story that draws on the trouble of cultural and racial divisions.
In the fictional world of Orisha, a young Maji is thrust into the war between magic and influence. When the Majis are targeted, the king’s aides take power over the community and eliminate the people. Adeyemi built an imaginary world with the same feelings she has about our own reality. Women of color today witness their people suffer all the time. This book enforces the courage a person can have to change the world they’re living in.
Not the typical Shakespearian love triangle. Adbi Nazemian brought readers into the age of 1989 during the disastrous AIDS epidemic. The Iranian new student dates an inspiring fashion designer but holds on to a deep secret. When the photographer best friend outs the new student, he needs to come to terms with who he is without hurting his girlfriend in the process.
Nazemian ties together connections through the different meanings of love. A riveting book for young adults who ever felt lost, scared and concealed. Filmmakers Marti Noxon and Jessica Rhoades quote, “It’s a wonderful romance that’s also a call to activism, which is no small feat.” As of early June, they had announced that they optioned the rights to the film.
Strive for what you believe to be true. This is what Menon illustrates in her novel about a young Indian girl who has been told that love will not find her because of the way she looks. The universe disagrees when the family of an Indian boy arranges for the two to date. A romance ensues that neither side would have ever guessed. What you possess on the inside is more powerful than the image people see you as. Menon introduced Indian teens facing teenage problems that resonate with readers of all ages.
Love has a funny way of showing itself. In Mae Safi’s third novel, she introduces two empowering teens who are creatively forced to work with one another despite the embarrassing past that divides them. A wonderful book for young adults that encompasses hate and love through the viewpoints of both characters.
Books for young adults such as this one empowers others to look at themselves in another light to give things a second chance. Voice actress and author Althea Kontis calls it, “dense, wonderful and fulfilling — an enemies-to-lovers story that stands out all on its own.”
Believe in something so strongly for the world to rumble. Misa Sugiura shapes the aftermath of internment camps through the modern story of a young girl fighting to keep a flower shop open and struggling to meet her parent’s expectations.
This novel for YA readers introduces a character active in saving her family’s identity despite a presence that has been negatively challenging her community. A story on spirit, encouragement, and warmheartedness that link people together. Readers are inspired by Sugiura’s storytelling and introducing, “the different kinds of things that build who we are and how they come into our lives.”
Forest debuts with a charming novel of a road trip and a dream pursuit. A young dancer goes through extraordinary lengths to attend an audition despite the rules set by her mother. Luckily, she doesn’t go at it alone. A neighbor weaves his way into joining the trip down the east coast in search of an adventure. Forest brings to life a story about dance and romance. Reading books for young adults like this reminds readers that dreams are not limited.
Books for young adults should introduce the beauty of humanity. This story by Ali depicts two worlds colliding. As the only Muslim student in school, a misunderstood teen believes it is her fault that her friends are under investigation based on her beliefs. In an effort to start new, she visits an aunt overseas; but the friendship she creates with a boy gives them both a chance to understand who they are. Ali beautifully designs a story in which one person’s life path does not have to categorize them into a box.
The weight of your life is only heavy if one thing changes the balance. Nina Moreno describes the difficulty it is to be a teen preparing for the future while trying to please her family and accept her cultural background. That is, until she meets a strange boy who reminds her to breathe and go with the flow.
Moreno stylishly creates a world that introduces readers to dealing with family pressures from the perspective of the main character. This book for young adults is definitely a go-to for readers who feel the future closing in and in need of a pause.
Having beliefs can tear groups apart, but by speaking up you can help build those bridges instead of burning them. Ahmed strategically wrote a story in which an Indian-American teen stands up to the Islamophobia and takes control of the future she wants to see. In a tale of division and fear, one girl takes on the demons to show the world that the hate is not necessary because we are all human. Ahmed purposely designed a story for people who have experienced hate because of the color of their skin. She wanted to remind readers that they are loved, which adds an impactful story to books for young adults.
Success comes from oneself, but placing someone into a category does not mean they belong. Renee Watson wrote a book for young adults on race, privilege, and trust. The story centers on a young teen who made it to a prestigious private school, but she is the only black student around. When she is invited to join a mentorship, she notices that it is to help young black girls find their potential outside of their so-called, “bad neighborhoods.” The teen believes she can do better but the more she attends the mentorship, the more she realizes that she can help make a difference she never thought could happen. Watson introduces a strong female lead with problems that every girl faces when they are set on making a powerful future for themselves.
Pleasing your parents cannot determine who you are going to be if you are not comfortable with it. This novel follows a college freshman whose career path as a doctor is probably the worse thing she could ever do because of her germaphobia. But how does she tell her parents that the goals they set for her are not the same as the ones she has for herself?
Gloria Chao relates this book for young adults through a common problem students face when trying to determine what kind of career they want to get into. Books for young adults that display college students’ hopes and fears remind readers that they are not the only ones with adjusting to adult life.
Does being a certain race dictate you to a specific future? Erika Sanchez outlines what it means to be a perfect Mexican daughter through the eyes of the not-so-perfect main character. In a series of discoveries, one family begins to understand that there might have never been a perfect Mexican daughter. Reading this book for young adults aims to remind others that you do not have to follow what everyone else says; being yourself is the key to acceptance.
Books are special for their descriptive imagery and influential messages. It allows for people around the world to hold onto words that connect them emotionally. WOC stories give readers a chance to relate outside of their immediate world. No matter the background readers have, voices are being heard and stories are being told. There is no more hiding. WOC authors are empowering representation onto mainstream media through compelling words and truthful narratives.
