We need new books.

Is it just me or are all of my book-hungry double sisters having a hard time finding characters they relate to?

There are lists of interesting novels about minority women. When it comes to minority women who are headed in the directions that I’m thinking about going, however, the list becomes significantly shorter. When was the last time you read a novel about a WOC who wanted to be a teacher, homemaker, writer, artist, or digital creator? When was the last time you read a novel about a POC who is involved in church or working on merging their identities as part of their ethnic and local communities, as well as the household of faith?

I’ve been doing more reading lately and this has been on me. I don’t want to read a book like the show Greenleaf where it’s selling point is the messiness of the supposedly sanctified. My household has quite a few Christian books on, like, everything from romance and child-rearing to how to have healthy friend/family relationships and self image in the 2010s.

We need novels where the characters start where we are, accept mentors, and gain strength to overcome the challenges we live with. We need stories that point us to God and remind us why we’re working so hard to go forward.