http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/reading-challenge-stop-reading-white-straight-cis-male-authors-for-one-year
Which I think is fantastic. But is difficult unless you have a really good bookstore near you. Or your library has been very proactive. I like to skim a book before I buy it, which makes Amazon somewhat difficult. I'm on LibraryThing as well, but even their book giveaways are mostly white and male.
Unless you have a specific author in mind, even going to the library can be difficult (and even then...). The Library, for obvious reasons, even though they want balance to their collections, also want books that people will read. And books get pulled off the shelf if they are not taken out. Most libraries will buy a few things if they are new, and if they think the item will circulate. But for 'older' books, you are often reduced to Interlibrary Loan, which does not factor in to the purchase of new books.
For instance, when I worked in the library, I did outreach. Which can be a challenge on its own. Because, for instance, I had one old white dude who liked books by other white dudes, who had to be American, and the books had to be bloody. (Also preferably with a female corpse, certainly not a female detective!) And those were actually becoming surprisingly difficult to find. But I also had an elderly homebound black woman who liked audiobooks that were "urban Christian". One author (with forays out into others) in the whole of CT. And sometimes the CDs were so scratched up it was heartbreaking. And that says to me, hey, maybe we need to expand our collection... but they didn't think they had anyone who would read them, other than this one patron.
For instance, when I worked in the library, I did outreach. Which can be a challenge on its own. Because, for instance, I had one old white dude who liked books by other white dudes, who had to be American, and the books had to be bloody. (Also preferably with a female corpse, certainly not a female detective!) And those were actually becoming surprisingly difficult to find. But I also had an elderly homebound black woman who liked audiobooks that were "urban Christian". One author (with forays out into others) in the whole of CT. And sometimes the CDs were so scratched up it was heartbreaking. And that says to me, hey, maybe we need to expand our collection... but they didn't think they had anyone who would read them, other than this one patron.
Going to Barnes and Noble is also fraught. In my last venture out, I was looking for books by "the other", by Nnedi Okorafors for example. Or Octavia Butler... I was looking for books that would tell me a different story. Not just the AngloSaxon fantasy of dragons and fair red haired maidens, or magic... But something that, perhaps, spoke of an African woman, facing down Anansi. Not an exoticised Ancient Egyptian princess written by a white man (and yes, I have enjoyed Wilbur Smith's writing in the past, but that isn't the point). The point is to read stories from a different perspective, not the white colonial default. How many people have their own images of the Number One Ladies Detective Agency? Written by a white man.
Now, maybe I just didn't find the "secret stash" where all the "other" authors were hidden... but to me, that was frustrating.
Now there are things you can do...after the Lammies, I made a list of some interesting sounding books, and asked the Library if they'd buy them...they did buy some of them. If you ask your library to, they will try out some new authors... particularly if the book is new, and can't be gotten on ILL. (Libraries try not to ILL new books from other libraries, just because of transit time...it takes the book out of circulation for too long). It will actually help your library if you request they buy different books, rather than the same Patricia Cornwell or John Patterson. Do you know how many copies they have to buy of those books? Instead of being able to spend the money on new, exciting books?
It isn't impossible. And Librarians do want to expand their collections, they don't want fifty copies of Fifty Shades of Grey any more than you do. So, challenge yourself, challenge your library, challenge Amazon, challenge Barnes and Noble. Ask for these books. Go to them, waving Tempest's "manifesto" in your hand and say, I want to read something different.
Now there are things you can do...after the Lammies, I made a list of some interesting sounding books, and asked the Library if they'd buy them...they did buy some of them. If you ask your library to, they will try out some new authors... particularly if the book is new, and can't be gotten on ILL. (Libraries try not to ILL new books from other libraries, just because of transit time...it takes the book out of circulation for too long). It will actually help your library if you request they buy different books, rather than the same Patricia Cornwell or John Patterson. Do you know how many copies they have to buy of those books? Instead of being able to spend the money on new, exciting books?
It isn't impossible. And Librarians do want to expand their collections, they don't want fifty copies of Fifty Shades of Grey any more than you do. So, challenge yourself, challenge your library, challenge Amazon, challenge Barnes and Noble. Ask for these books. Go to them, waving Tempest's "manifesto" in your hand and say, I want to read something different.
