Hello guys, I hope your New Year is going smoothly. To all my new followers I want ya’ll to know I’m Black. You know so there will be no confusion. I don’t want to scare you off with some of the things I will be talking about on this blog. Yes this blog is 90% of me talking about books and bookish thing but sometimes I get real and have to let some shit off my chest. Thankfully, this isn’t one of those time. This little post is all about books and what I hope to see this year in the book community.

Okay, has you know by now I’m Black. Yes, me the one that’s typing this post. So, naturally I want to see Blackness represented in the YA community. Blackness shown in a positive light. Not that ratchet ass bullshit that you see every day on the TV. And definitely not that bang bang shoot em’ up, fatherless household, my mother is working 4 jobs, victim mentality. I grew up watching and reading enough of that and I don’t want to see it or read ever again. Well….maybe not ever but you get what I mean. Blackness shown in a positive light.

First order of business–BLACK LOVE. If you been following me on Twitter you know I talk about this a lot and I will continue to talk about this until I see it happens in YA. It seems like everybody is getting a contemporary romance book and Black people are just sitting there patiently waiting for our book. Yes, we have interracial romances. One being The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler. Another is The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon that I’ve recently enjoyed. But see that is where the problem lies for me. It seems that the only way for the Black girl or Black guy to have any romance is if it’s with another race. To be fair I don’t have a problem with interracial dating. I just want a fair playground and for BLACK LOVE to get the same treatment that all these other wonderful books are getting. So give me the straight, gay, lesbian, trans BLACK LOVE stories that we all want. I want people to know that yes, Black people love, laugh, go on awkward dates. That we are insecure and quirky and fucking adorable. That WE LOVE! WE FUCKING LOVE! Everything you see in the media doesn’t represent us completely.

Speaking of representation let’s talk about fantasy. Oh how I love you but hate you at the same time. Time and time again, I’m told I don’t exist. Yet dragons, goblins, elves, fairies, trolls…UNAMEIT! Can be found within the pages of many fantasy theme books. On the off chance we are represented in a book we are most likely used as a prop. Magical Negro anyone? Yeah I’m talking about you Sarah J Maas. I’m still pissed and will forever be pissed about the way Princess Nehemia was treated in the Throne of Glass series. So not only are there hardly any Black people in fantasy (unless we’re slaves or savages) but there aren’t any books with Black Princes and Princesses. And no I’m not talking about being the trusty sidekick. I want a Black Princess as the main character. The one who saves the day and kick ass but also enjoys the quiet and solitude of painting. I want the story of the Black Prince whose secretly in love with the brother of princess he’s betrothed to. Just give me my damn Black Princes and Princesses in YA. It’s not hard so make it happen.

Since you can make Black Princes and Princesses happen, how about the Black Family? Most often than not, the Black family is seen as a one parent household. Either there’s no father or the mother died or one or both parents are drug addicts. In 2017 I’m not here for the sad, depressing Black pain reads. I’ll make exception if the book is well done but other than that I’m over it. So my challenge to you is show the Black Family in a positive light. Black Families are loving, funny, strong, resilient and all around great. So please show the Black two parent household and how they deal with everyday life. Show that we can be just as successful like any other family. Give me The Cosby, Family Matters, Fresh Prince of Bel Air , Blackish type stories in YA. Show that strong supportive family structure that rarely or hardly ever gets represented in the media. These families exist in the Black Community so why can they be reflected in YA?

 So to sum it up, Black people can be magical, funny, royalty, gay, your goddamn best friend. Hell we can even be FUCKING ELVES! But the gag is you have to be willing to take the chance. I know these stories are out there waiting to read and put on the shelves at the local library. So to all those big and small publishing companies out there, do me and everyone else a favor and publish the damn books. The demand is out there but ya’ll act like you don’t hear it.

I WANT THESE BOOKS AND I WANT THEM NOW! RIGHT NOW!

Is that loud enough for ya?

P.S. If you know or have any suggestions that shows BLACK LOVE or have a Black Prince or Princess as the main character leave your rec down below in comments. Preferably #OwnVoices. I would love to read these books. The same goes for fantasy and LGBTQIA books where the main character is BLACK. I’ve been looking and searching but it’s so tough to find.

As always thanks for stopping by <3