A BookishRealm Discussion: Diverse Books That Make You Uncomfortable ~ BookishRealm

Lately I've been having a few thoughts on my mind and quite a few that I'm unable to get rid of. I noticed that a great bit of the booktube and blogger community has begun pushing themselves to read more diverse books. However, what I have also begun to notice is that some people are wanting to read diverse books that fit into neat little packages. Books that don't make you feel uncomfortable and ask you to see the world through a different lens, but ones that just tell a good story with a diverse cast with diverse issues. Don't get me wrong, these book are moving mountains in terms of getting people to read outside of what they would normally read; however, I have been seeing quite a few people turn down their noses at books that have made them seemingly "uncomfortable."

This is probably what has led me to my thoughts. I don't necessarily have answers to my own questions, but I want to know how everyone else views this situation. Should we read diverse books that make us feel uncomfortable? Should we focus on really learning about the narratives of characters that live these "uncomfortable" day to day experiences. I think that the answer should be yes. I'm not here to force anyone to read any book that they don't want to; however, I think that we as a community should strive to give these books greater acknowledgement than they have been given. Diversity isn't something that is wrapped into a neat little package for us to devour. It can be ugly, it can be uncomfortable, and it can be disheartening to read about the reality of other individuals compared to your own life. However, all of these stories need to be heard and I'm here to be an advocate for them.

If you want to give some insight to this topic please let me know in the comments below. Should we advocate for people to at least try to read diverse books that aren't put into perfect little boxes?

Please remember in reading this that I am not trying to force anyone to read any book they don't want. I just want people to understand that diverse books that make you feel uncomfortable are just as important as those that don't. They teach you about experiences that may have never been a part of your reality.

Here are a few books that I recommend for those interested in reading diverse books that may make you feel uncomfortable: