I love romance though I haven't read it much in recent years, reading mainly literary fiction and graphic novels. From 8th grade through college, almost all of the romance I've read centered white women with white men or queer/non-binary white men.
One day it just hit me...where the hell are the diverse romance books?? Everyone falls in love and everyone deserves to read stories with people like them falling in love.
Eventually I found sweet, lovely, and often spicy romance books with female protagonists of color, BUT... They were often with white men. EVEN books written by womxn of color. Which isn't a problem in of itself. Love is love. But it's UNBALANCED.
Why aren't the stories of BIPOC folx finding love with other BIPOC folx as popular? What message is this sending?
As a black woman married to a black man, what am I supposed to think about all the stories of amazing black women in love . . . and it's often with white men. Are black men not capable of loving black women? Are we going to ignore the systematic and historical structures that have been detrimental to black relationships?
🤔 Just some musings after reading the first two books of Talia Hibbert's Ravenswood Series. I adored the lead women; black women with disabilities that didn't make them any less or worthy of the amazing love they found. But now I'm craving some loving Black men. 🤎 Going to check out Reel by Kennedy Ryan as well as one of my August pics, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams.
Please share any other recs of multicultural romance (include the rep if you can). Stay tuned for recs in tomorrow's post.
Love is Love!
~Tuma
