With a new year on its way, I’m renewing my commitment to reading diverse books. Here’s one of the reading challenges that I’ll be tackling. The goal is to fill all of the squares on the board by reading a book that corresponds to the square. You can show your participation and track other people’s progress with the hashtag #diversitybingo2017 on Twitter. Aside from being a year-long challenge as opposed to a month-long one like #DiversityDecBingo, #DiversityBingo2017 encourages reading #ownvoices books (books where the author shares the same marginalization[s] as the main character).

Although not all of the squares are marked as #ownvoices, I’m striving to read #ownvoices for as many as possible. Below is the board, plus my picks for my bingo TBR and some suggestions for people who are looking for books to read. For books that are being released in 2017 and have set release dates, I have put the [U.S.] release month/date in parentheses. Books listed under categories that aren’t designated as #ownvoices on the board will be labeled with #ownvoices where applicable. For books that I’ve reviewed, I’ve linked my review.

In the case where I couldn’t find [m]any #ownvoices books, I’ve included some non-#ownvoices books that I’ve done my best to curate based on recommendations and reviews by people who belong to the community/identity represented.

If I am mistaken about any book being #ownvoices or you have seen (from your own reading or from reviews calling out) problematic representation in any of these books,  or you have more detailed info on any MC’s ethnic background (I tried to be as specific as possible based on the information I could find), or any other errors, please let me know so I can correct and update my list! Thanks!

I did my best to include books across different genres, media, and target age group, so hopefully there’s something for everyone here. If you are looking for more places to find books for the challenge, I recommend checking out the links on my Resources page.

Hope you join the challenge, and happy reading! 🙂

Key: MC=Main Character, YA=Young Adult, MG=Middle Grade, NA=New Adult, SFF=Science Fiction/Fantasy, F/F=female/female, M/M=male/male)

Romance with a Trans MC

• My Pick: Dreadnought by April Daniels (#ownvoices) – YA, SFF, trans girl MC
• Other Books:
  • If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, trans girl MC
  • a+e 4ever by Ilike Merey (#ownvoices) – YA, graphic novel, contemporary, genderqueer MC
  • Spy Stuff by Matthew J. Metzger – YA, contemporary, trans boy MC, M/M romance
  • Not Your Villain (Sequel to Not Your Sidekick) by C.B. Lee (out in July 2017) – YA, SFF, trans boy MC
  • Pantomime by Laura Lam – YA, fantasy, intersex+genderfluid+bisexual MC

Non-Binary MC (own voices)

• My Pick: Born Both: An Intersex Life by Hida Viloria – Memoir of an intersex and genderfluid Latinx American activist
• Other Books:
  • First Spring Grass Fire by Rae Spoon – memoir
  • Roving Pack by Sassafras Lowrey – YA, contemporary
  • Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz – YA, SFF

SFF with Disabled MC

• My Pick: Accessing the Future edited by Djibril Al-Ayad and Kathryn Allan (features a number of #ownvoices stories) – anthology of short fiction
• Other Books:
  • On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis (#ownvoices) – YA, near future thriller, autistic MC
  • Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – YA, fantasy, MC mith chronic pain (#ownvoices) and PTSD, MC with an addiction
  • The Unintentional Time Traveler by Everett Maroon (#ownvoices) – YA, sci-fi, MC has epilepsy and is also queer/trans
  • Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis – YA, fantasy, Latinx amputee MC
  • The Real Boy by Anne Ursu – MG, fantasy, autistic MC

Practicing Jewish MC

• My Pick: Hush by Eishes Chayil (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary
• Other Books:
  • The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary-ish
  • Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust by Leanne Lieberman (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary
  • The Second Mango by Shira Glassman (#ownvoices) – NA, fantasy, F/F romance
  • The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah by Nora Raleigh Baskin (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary
  • My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman (Note: character is Indian and Jewish, author is Jewish and married to an Indian man) – MG, contemporary

Indian MC (own voices)

• My Pick: Soulmated by Shaila Patel – YA, fantasy, Indian American MC
• Other Books:
  • Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana – YA, sci-fi/speculative fiction, biracial white/Indian American MC
  • Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia – YA, contemporary, Indian American MC
  • Child of Spring by Farhana Zia – MG, contemporary, Indian MC
  • Ticket to India by N.H. Senzai – MG, contemporary, Muslim Pakistani/Indian American MC
  • Queen of Dreams by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – adult, literary fiction, contemporary, magical realism, Indian (Hindu) American
  • Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger – YA, contemporary, Punjabi Sikh American MC

Displaced MC

• My Pick: In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner (#ownvoices) – historical fiction, Cambodian MC
• Other Books:
  • The Stone Goddess by Minfong Ho (note: MC is a different ethnicity than the author but the author has experienced displacement) – MG/YA, historical fiction, Cambodian (Khmer) American MC
  • The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen (#ownvoices) – Adult, historical fiction, Vietnamese MC
  • Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai – MG, contemporary, Afghan (Pashtun) American MC
  • Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee – MG/YA, historical fiction, Chinese American MC
  • The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana (out on July 18th) – YA, fantasy, based on Indian folklore

MC with an Underrepresented Body

• My Pick: Fat Girl On a Plane by Kathy deVos (#ownvoices; 2017 release) – YA, contemporary
• Other Books:
  • Tris’s Book (Circle of Magic #2) by Tamora Pierce (#ownvoices) – MG/YA, fantasy
  • Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary
  • If the Dress Fits by Carla de Guzman – NA, romance, contemporary, Filipina MC
  • The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (out on April 11th) – YA, contemporary
  • First Test (and the rest of the Protector of the Small quartet) by Tamora Pierce – MG/YA, fantasy, the MC isn’t fat but she is very tall (5’11″at the end of the series) and broad/stocky/well-muscled and is teased about her body quite a bit

Neurodiverse MC (own voices)

• My Pick: Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde – YA, contemporary
• Other Books:
  • On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis – YA, sci-fi/near future thriller
  • Rogue by Lyn Miller-Lachmann – MG, contemporary
  • The State of Grace by Rachel Lucas – YA, contemporary

Retelling with MC Belonging to LGBTQIA+

• My Pick: The Little Homo Sapiens Scientist by S.L. Huang (#ownvoices) – SFF, The Little Mermaid retelling with F/F pairing
• Other Books:
  • Ash by Malinda Lo (#ownvoices) – YA, fantasy, Cinderella retelling with bisexual MC and F/F pairing
  • Braided by Elora Bishop (#ownvoices) – YA, fantasy, lesbian Rapunzel retelling
  • Walking on Knives by Maya Chhabra (#ownvoices; 2017 release) – Fantasy, romance, The Little Mjustermaid retelling with F/F pairing
  • The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) – YA, fantasy, retelling of The Snow Queen, F/F romance

Bisexual MC (own voices)

• My Pick: 27 Hours by Tristina Wright (out on Oct. 3rd) – YA, sci-fi, queer characters galore
• Other Books:
  • Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis – YA, fantasy, F/F romance
  • Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde – YA, contemporary, Chinese American MC, interracial F/F romance
  • Out on Good Behavior  by Dahlia Adler – NA, contemporary, F/F romance
  • Noteworthy by Riley Redgate (out on May 2nd) – YA, contemporary, Chinese American MC, F/M romance
  • Recognize: The Voices of Bisexual Men edited by Robyn Ochs and H. Sharif Williams – anthology with short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, reflective essays, critical essays and visual art

MC with an Invisible Disability

• My Pick: History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, MC with OCD
• Other Books:
  • Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, MC with agoraphobia
  • Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman (illustrated by his son, Brendan Shusterman, who has schizophrenia) – YA, contemporary, MC with schizophrenia
  • More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, Latinx MC with depression
  • Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling by Lucy Frank (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, MC with Crohn’s disease
  • When We Collided by Emery Lord (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, one MC is bipolar, the other has depression
  • How to Play the Game of Love by Harmony Williams (#ownvoices) – Adult romance, historical fiction, MC with depression

MC with Anaphylactic Allergy

• My Pick: My Year of Epic Rock by Andrea Pyros (the author has a child with an anaphylactic allergy) – MG, contemporary, MC has peanut allergy
• Other Books:
  • Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn – YA, contemporary, one character has food allergies
  • William Edwards and the Wizardly Glasses by Jonathan Berg – MG, fantasy, MC has food allergies
  • The Pure Energy Project by C.F. Fruzzetti and M.I. Pearsall – YA, sci-fi, one of MCs has a food allergy

MC of Color in SFF

• My Pick: Dove Arising by Karen Bao (#ownvoices) – YA, sci-fi, Chinese MC
• Other Books:
  • Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older (#ownvoices) – Urban fantasy, contemporary, Latinx American MC
  • Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (#ownvoices) – Sci-fi, Black MC
  • Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho – Fantasy, alternate Regency England, Black MC
  • They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (#ownvoices; out on Sep. 5th) – YA, Latinx American MC
  • People of Colo(u)r Destroy Science Fiction! edited by Nalo Hopkinson and Kristine Ong Muslim (#ownvoices)
  • People of Colo(u)r Destroy Fantasy! edited by Daniel José Older (#ownvoices)
  • ELEMENTS: Fire (#ownvoices) – speculative fiction comics anthology by POC

Own Voices Latinx MC

• My Pick: The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera – YA, contemporary, Puerto Rican MC
• Other Books:
  • Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz – YA, historical fiction, M/M, Mexican American MCs
  • Yacqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina – YA, contemporary, Cuban and Dominican American MC
  • Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez – YA, historical fiction, Mexican American MC, interracial romance
  • Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore (out on Sep. 26th) – YA, magical realism, contemporary
  • Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres – MG, contemporary
  • I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez (out on Oct. 17th) – YA, contemporary, Mexican American MC

Free Choice

• My Pick: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones (author is Korean American) – YA, fantasy, retelling
• Other Books:
  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (#ownvoices) – MG, fantasy, Chinese MC
  • George by Alex Gino (MC is a trans girl, author is non-binary) – MG, contemporary
  • Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani (MC is biracial Japanese and ?, the author is Pakistani American) – YA, fantasy
  • Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger (MC is Chinese American, author is biracial Filipino American) – NA, urban fantasy
  • Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities by Mike Jung (MC is unspecified biracial Asian American, author is Korean American) – MG, sci-fi, MC and love interest are biracial Asian Americans (LI is Korean American)
  • 10 Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah (main character is Lebanese Australian; author is Australian-Palestinian/Egyptian heritage) – YA, contemporary

Non-Western (real world) Setting

• My Pick: Want by Cindy Pon (#ownvoices, out on June 13th) – YA, near future thriller, set in Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese MC
• Other Books:
  • Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor – MG/YA, fantasy, contemporary, set in Nigeria, Nigerian American MC
  • The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (#ownvoices) – YA/NA, fantasy, set in 1890s Malaya (present-day Malaysia), Malaysian/Peranakan Chinese MC
  • The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, set in Afghanistan, Hazara and Pukhtun MCs
  • Wolf at the Door by J. Damask/Joyce Chng (#ownvoices) – urban/paranormal fantasy, contemporary, set in Singapore, Singaporean Chinese MC
  • The Foreigner by Francie Lin (#ownvoices) – contemporary, set in Taiwan, Taiwanese American MC
  • Bombay Blues (Sequel to Born Confused) by Tanuja Desai Hidier – YA, contemporary, set in India, Indian American MC
  • Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lại (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary, set in Vietnam, Vietnamese American MC
  • The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary, fantasy, Trinidadian MC

Own Voices

• My Pick: The Emperor’s Riddle by Kat Zhang (out on May 2nd) – MG, contemporary, set in China with a Chinese American MC
• Other Books:
  • Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan – literary fiction, historical fiction, about a Taiwanese American family
  • The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin – MG, contemporary, Taiwanese American MC
  • See also: my Own Voices tag for my reviews, and my list of most anticipated 2017 releases

MC with Chronic Pain

• My Pick: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (#ownvoices) – YA, fantasy
• Other Books:
  • Ascenscion by Jacqueline Koyanagi – YA, sci-fi, multiple characters with disabilities, characters of color

West Asian Setting

• My Pick: The Servant by Fatima Sharafeddine (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, set in Lebanon
• Other Books:
  • Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (#ownvoices) – Fantasy
  • The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury (#ownvoices) – YA, fantasy, Aladdin retelling
  • The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye (MC is Omani, author is of Palestinian heritage) – MG, contemporary, set in Oman
  • Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai (2017 release; author is Muslim Indian+Pakistani American) – MG, contemporary, set in Syria

Arab MC (own voices)

• My Pick: Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah – MG, contemporary, set in Israel+Palestine, Palestinian MC
• Other Books:
  • The Servant by Fatima Sharafeddine – YA, contemporary, Lebanese MC
  • In the Language of Miracles by Rajia Hassib – Literary fiction, Egyptian American MC
  • Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah – YA, contemporary, Australian-Palestinian MC

MC with Wheelchair

• My Pick: Mia Lee is Wheeling Through Middle School by Melissa Shang (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary, Chinese American MC, the author is a teen herself!
• Other Books:
  • The Last Leaves Falling by Fox Benwell (published under the name “Sarah Benwell,” prior to the author’s transition) – YA, contemporary, Japanese MC, MC has ALS

Book by Author of Color

• My Pick: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao (out Oct. 10th) – YA, fantasy, Snow White Evil Queen retelling with Chinese folklore elements
• Other Books:
  • The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, magical realism, Latinx MC
  • The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee – YA, contemporary, magical realism, multiracial/ethnic MC
  • A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (#ownvoices) – literary fiction, contemporary, Japanese MC
  • Saving Kabul Corner (Sequel/Companion to Shooting Kabul) by N.H. Senzai (MC is Afghan American, author is Indian/Pakistani American who married a Afghan American husband) – MG, contemporary, mystery
  • Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan (MCs are Chinese American or white American, author is biracial Taiwanese American) – literary fiction, historical fiction, magical realism, includes an F/F romance
  • The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist by Margarita Engle (#ownvoices) – YA, historical fiction, novel-in-verse
  • Because of the Sun by Jenny Torres Sanchez – YA, contemporary

Biracial MC (own voices)

• My Pick: The Ship Beyond Time (Sequel to The Girl from Everywhere) by Heidi Heilig – YA, historical fantasy, biracial white/Chinese MC
• Other Books:
  • The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig – YA, fantasy, adventure, biracial white/Chinese MC
  • Cat Girl’s Day Off by Kimberly Pauley – YA, sci-fi, contemporary, biracial white/Chinese American MC
  • Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn – NA, sci-fi, contemporary, biracial white/Japanese American MC
  • Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki – graphic novel, YA, contemporary, biracial white Jewish/Japanese Canadian MC
  • Becoming Naomi León by Pam Muñoz Ryan – MG, contemporary, biracial white/Mexican American MC
  • See No Color by Shannon Gibney – YA, contemporary, biracial Black/white American MC who’s a transracial adoptee
  • Chloe Lieberman (Sometimes Wong) by Carrie Rosten – YA, contemporary, biracial Jewish/Chinese American MC

Pansexual MC (own voices) –

• My Pick: First and First (Five Burroughs #3) by Santino Hassel (note: the author typically IDs as bi but has said in an interview that pan also describes his experience, bi is what he goes with because he’s used it for so long)
• Other Books:
  • Recognize: The Voices of Bisexual Men edited by Robyn Ochs and H. Sharif Williams (anthology includes works by pansexual men) – includes short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, reflective essays, critical essays and visual art

Black MC (own voices)

• My Pick: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – YA, contemporary 
• Other Books:
  • Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – MG, memoir, novel-in-verse
  • Tiny Pretty Things by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra – YA, contemporary
  • The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon – YA, contemporary, interracial romance, Jamaican American MC
  • Pointe by Brandy Colbert – YA, contemporary
  • The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds – YA, contemporary
  • This Side of Home by Renée Watson – YA, contemporary
  • Endangered by Lamar Giles – YA, contemporary
  • Touching Snow by M. Sindy Felin – YA, contemporary, Haitian American MC
  • Eight Days: A Story of Haiti by Edwidge Danticat (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary, set in Haiti, Haitian MC

MC on the Ace Spectrum (own voices)

• My Pick: Deadly Sweet Lies (The Dream War Saga #2) by Erica Cameron – YA, fantasy
• Other Books:
  • Interface by Lucy Mihajlich – YA, dystopian
  • The Bone People by Keri Hulme – Magical realism, Maori MC
  • Chameleon Moon by RoAnna Sylver – YA, SFF, dystopian
  • Viral Airwaves by Claudie Arseneault – Science Fiction
  • Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan Maguire – Fantasy

LGBTQIA+ MC of Color

• My Pick: Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, fantasy, M/M romance, Vietnamese American MC
• Other Books:
  • Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, M/M romance
  • Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee (#ownvoices) – YA, sci-fi, bisexual MC, F/F romance
  • It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura (5/9) – YA, contemporary, interracial (Asian/Latinx)  F/F romance ETA: it has been brought to my attention that this book is racist against Latinx people (see this Twitter thread), so I have crossed it out. Please let other people know about this issue if you see the book getting buzz.
  • Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert (Aug. 8th) – YA, contemporary, Black and Jewish MC, F/F romance
  • Power & Magic: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology (#ownvoices; info/purchase link at the url) – features comics by women, demigirls, and bigender creators of color
  • Another Word for Happy by Agay Llanera – YA, gay Filipino MC

Visually Impaired MC

• My Pick: Run by Kody Keplinger (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary,
• Other Books:
  • Blind Spot by Laura Ellen (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, mystery
  • Astra by Naomi Foyle – YA, dystopian

Book Set in Central America

• My Pick: The World in Half by Cristina Henríquez (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, set in Panama, Panamanian American MC
• Other Books:
  • Silver People by Margarita Engle (#ownvoices) – YA, historical fiction, set in Panama, Cuban MC
  • The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz (author is Cuban American) – MG, contemporary, Guatemalan MC

Contemporary World Arranged Marriage

• My Pick: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (#ownvoices; out May 30th) – YA, romantic comedy, Indian American MC
• Other Books:
  • Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed (#ownvoices) – YA, Pakistani American MC
  • Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani (#ownvoices) – YA, Indian American MC
  • (Un)arranged Marriage by Bali Rai (#ownvoices) – YA, British-Indian MC
  • A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (#ownvoices) – literary fiction, Afghan MCs
  • Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples – YA, Pakistani MC

Indigenous MC (own voices)

• My Pick: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie – YA, contemporary, Spokane MC
• Other Books:
  • Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac – YA, dystopian, Apache and Abenaki MC
  • If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth – YA, historical fiction, Tuscarora MC
  • Rain is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith – YA, contemporary, MC is “Muscogee Creek-Cherokee and Scots-Irish on Mom’s side, Irish-German-Ojibway on Dad’s”
  • Lightfinder by Aaron Paquette – YA, fantasy, Cree MC
  • The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina (author is Palyku)- YA, sci-fi
  • Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology edited by Hope Nicholson
  • Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection edited by Hope Nicholson
  • Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction edited by Grace L. Dillon
  • Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature edited by Qwo-Li Driskill, Daniel Heath Justice, Deborah Miranda, and Lisa Tatonetti

Diverse Non-Fiction

• My Pick: Redefining Realness by Janet Mock – Memoir of a Black trans woman activist
• Other Books:
  • Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings – YA, autobiography of a trans girl
  • Rethinking Normal by Katie Rain Hill – YA, autobiography/memoir of a trans girl
  • Some Assembly Required by Arin Andrews – YA, autobiography/memoir of a trans boy
  • Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (there is also a young readers edition) – biographies of the Black women behind the calculations for the Apollo 11 launch
  • Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland (there is also a young readers edition) – autobiography of the first African American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre
  • Lucky Girl by Mei-Ling Hopgood – memoir of a Taiwanese American transracial adoptee
  • When Half Is Whole: Multiethnic Asian American Identities by Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu – an anthology of stories about multiethnic, multiracial Asian Americans
  • Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism by Temple Grandin – a memoir of an autistic scientist and inventor
  • I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
    by Malala Yousafzai (there is also a young readers edition) – autobiography of a young Pakistani activist/feminist

POC on the Cover

• My Pick: Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary, Muslim Pakistani American MC
• Other Books:
  • Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary, Chinese American MC
  • Roots & Wings by Many Ly (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary, Cambodian American MC
  • Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor (#ownvoices) – YA, fantasy, Black MC
  • I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo (#ownvoices;  out on May 30th) – YA, contemporary, Korean American MC
  • Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary, Mexican American MC
  • Prom Queen Perfect by Clarisse David (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, Filipina MC
  • Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older (#ownvoices) – YA, urban fantasy, Afro-Latina Puerto Rican MC

D/deaf/Hard of Hearing MC

• My Pick: El Deafo by Cece Bell (#ownvoices) – MG, graphic novel, memoir/autobiography
• Other Books:
  • Islay by Douglas Bullard (#ownvoices) – Historical fiction
  • The Deaf Heart by Willy Conley (#ownvoices) – Historical fiction, short story anthology
  • Deaf Child Crossing by Marlee Matlin (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary
  • You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner – YA, contemporary, Indian American MC
  • Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly – MG, contemporary, also features a Filipina American MC and Japanese American MC
  • Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick – MG, historical fiction, split between narration through illustrations and narration through prose

Immigrant or Refugee MC

• My Pick: American Street by Ibi Zoboi (#ownvoices) – YA, contemporary, Haitian American MC
• Other Books:
  • A Step from Heaven by An Na (#ownvoices) – MG, contemporary, Korean American MC
  • Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lại (#ownvoices) – MG, historical fiction, novel-in-verse, Vietnamese American MC
  • Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (#ownvoices) – YA, historical fiction, Chinese American MC
  • Lucy and Linh (originally published as Laurinda in Australia) by Alice Pung – YA, contemporary, Chinese Australian MC
  • The Third Son by Julie Wu (#ownvoices) – Historical fiction, Taiwanese American MC

Hijabi MC (own voices)

• My Pick: The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi – MG, fantasy, Bangladeshi American MC
• Other Books:
  • Hijabi Girl by Hazel Edwards and Ozge Alkan – MG, contemporary, Australian Muslim MC
  • She Wore Red Trainers by Na’ima B. Robert – YA, contemporary, British Muslim MC
  • Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik – Adult, contemporary, romance, British Muslim MC
  • Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women edited by  Nura Maznavi and Ayesha Mattu – anthology with stories from 25 American Muslim women on love, relationships, and sexuality