Welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday! Today’s topic is all about our favorite diverse characters. What is a diverse character? Any character who is of a different race than white, is LGBTQIA+, minority religion, has a mental or physical disability, etc. So here’s my five:
5. Lara Jean from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Lara Jean, though frustrating, was still just a teenage girl trying to keep her traditional family values in place and alive throughout the story while also dealing with a lot of things on her own. I love that there is mention of her Korean heritage throughout the duology and how it is represented.
4. Eleanor from Eleanor and Park
Why did I pick her? Because she’s a heavy set girl, aka she’s fat. How many fat girls do you see in YA? Not enough. So I had to pick her because not only does she have an extremely difficult home life, but she’s also a girl that can represent large girls, and I was so happy to read about a girl who is heavy set because, well, I am, too. Plus I just love her personality.
3. Shahrzad from The Wrath and the Dawn
Even though I have a really hard time pronouncing her name, I love how Shahrzad is written and how she represents a whole slew of people. She is also strong, stubborn, and independent, which I think is important to show girls.
2. Simon from Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Well, you know, he’s hilarious and I love him to bits, plus he’s gay, which is even better. I don’t know why that makes it better, but it does. I just love this book and I love Simon and I just love everything about it.
1 . Jubliee Chase from This Shattered World
A kickass black girl who is the captain of her section of the army? Yes please. She’s fierce, smart, strong, brave, and just an overall amazing character. I really loved her and I want more from her.
So there you have it! Five of my top favorite diverse characters. Who are some of yours? Let me know!
I like how you chose to mention Eleanor instead of Park for this week’s topic! Not that Park isn’t an amazing character and one of the first ones that comes to mind when you think about this week’s topic, but I think it’s also important to mention the plus-size representation provided by Eleanor.
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For sure! Big girls need representation, too!
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