Recently, a campaign to promote diversity in the world of books gained significant momentum. Why is this needed? Well, on a subconscious level maybe you’ve noticed it; most of the mainstream, top selling fiction is written by white people and the characters within are largely white. Given the world we live in, and the fact that good fiction should relate to its audience, that seems odd.

I have given this dilemma a great deal of thought and I think it stems from the ancient writerly adage, “write what you know.” A larger number of contemporary writers are a tad on the pallid side, through no fault of their own. Heck, my blond haired, blue-eyed countenance falls into that bucket as well (though some might say there are other factors that favor my being counted a part of an under-represented demographic). And, if one looks back into humanities literary cannon, neutral tones both on and off the pages abound.

#WeNeedDiverseBooks, while largely targeted at children’s and YA books, hopes to correct this through consciousness raising, awareness and outreach to all levels of the traditional publishing establishment. To learn more about their mission and their impact go here.

Now, I do not write towards children or YA, at least not intentionally. Nevertheless, it is my strong feeling that the diversity of the world within which we live is vastly, no, grotesquely under represented. Adult fiction, both genre and literary, needs to raise its head from the keyboard and take a look around. The world is not all buff white men looking longingly into the wind with their hairless bare abs and pecks all puffed out and shiny.

In my book, The Social Event, the world is not without diversity. Kim, the protagonist, is of mixed race, neither of which is Caucasian. Likewise, there is an African-American, a Muslim, a Native American, a Bengali and more. And yes, there are Caucasian characters in significant roles as well. I did not set out to write a book that contained a checklist of religious and ethnic variety. Rather, I set out to write a book that at least made an attempt to reflect, realistically, the depth and richness of the society within which we live. Besides, I found my characters became far more interesting when they were not like me.

Not like me. With a modicum of poking around, you will find that it is easier than you think to be not like me. That is a beef of my own that I will not bore you with. But yes, people like me are also woefully under represented on and off the pages in the publishing world. And when we are written into a story, the character traits are predictable: angry, depressed individuals that need or rely on the assistance of others in order to be more able. But I digress (and risk sounding like the stereotype I just described).

My point is this: we do need more diversity in the book world. The way this happens it twofold: readers and writers. Readers need to show their thirst for books that reflect a diverse world, for books that add color and character to the literary human landscape. Writers need to get out of their comfort zones and do the diligence necessary to flesh out real and relatable characters that are not stereotypes of LGBTQIA, people of color, those impacted by their gender, those with disabilities, in addition to ethnic, cultural, or religious minorities and others. It is not that hard.

So as much as you can, support diversity within the books you read and support diversity as represented by those authors that can bring forth a perspective that is different from your own. You will truly find it interesting and worthwhile.