A few diverse book recommendations
When Crazy Rich Asians came out in theaters, it was eye-opening for me to realize that there hadn’t been any feature films with a completely Asian and Asian-American cast in 25 years. I loved the book trilogy as well, and the success of the film reminded me that so many of the books-to-movies that get all of the press feature primarily (if not completely) white characters. And so: one of the things that I’ve been trying to do more lately is read more books by diverse authors: basically, support more writers who aren’t white women from middle-class families who have a very similar background and perspective as me. It’s been enlightening, enjoyable and often educational to read stories of populations and experiences that I’m not as familiar with. 
Below are a few of the books that I really loved and highly recommend. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and so: I would really love additional recommendations in the comments! In particular, I’d love to read more books by Latina, Middle Eastern and African authors. I’m also going to try and keep this Goodreads list updated as I discover and read more to recommend.
“In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a “what if” can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.”
A case of mistaken identify instantly changes the lives of a pair of newlyweds in the American South. Powerfully written, with a story structure that makes you finish a chapter and think…just one more! Warning: tears may be shed.
An undocumented Chinese immigrant disappears, leaving her child to wait and wonder.
Each chapter follows a different (distant) descendent of a captured Asante women. Covering several hundred years, each chapter (and character) stands on its own but also connects back to others.
It tells the story of a young Nigerian woman who moves to the United States to go the university, tracing her life and connections in both countries. It was also such an interesting look into the African experience in this country, which is wildly different than African-American. I also love Half of a Yellow Sun and We Should All Be Feminists by the same author. And if you don’t want to read that last one, just listen to this TED talk!
Named one of the New York Times best books of 2017, it follows an African-American family in Mississippi through varied perspectives.
Set in the early days of the 2008 recession, it’s an impossible-to-put-down story of marriage, immigration, race and the drawbacks of the American Dream.
The winner of Goodreads Readers Choice Award in fiction in 2017, it’s a novel that explores the power of secrets and the ferocious pull of motherhood.
Just Mercy: A Story of Justine and Redemption
“A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice.”
A four-generation saga of a poor Korean immigrant family living in Japan: an incredibly compelling story, but also a peek into the racial prejudice that dominates in other countries and cultures.
A web of guilt and love and responsibility lay at the heart of this novel of the challenges facing Mexicans immigrants in America. The sign of a good book: I actually left this on a bus when I was about 3/4 of a way through and I couldn’t stop thinking about what might have happened. I bought another copy!
I read this depiction of a Chinese peasant farmer’s journey in high school, and this 1932 Pulitzer Prize winner (and Oprah Book Club pick) still holds up.
A non-fiction account that explores the system of mass incarceration in the United States and its far-reaching consequences.
Follows the lives of four friends in New York City from college to middle age, with character development and twists and turns that you can’t anticipate.
