This week at the Broke and Bookish the topic for discussion is:

Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters

1. In Midnight’s Silence by Teresa Frohock a book where the main character is not only a mixed race (Daemon/Angel) but he is also gay and partner to one of the nephilim (part angel/part human).
2. The Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan – in which we meet the character Reva who seeks revenge for her father’s death.  Reva has been brought up in the religion of the World Father, she’s a conflicted character – being a lesbian and strict worshipper of a faith in which same sex relationships are not tolerated.
3. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie – in which the main character Yarvi was born with one of his hands badly deformed and in a world where your sword arm is valued above everything else this definitely places him at a disadvantage in this harsh world.
4. The Copper Promise by Jen Williams – Sir Sebastian is a fallen knight who was cast out of his order because he’s gay – he is a fantastic character to read about and a strong favourite of mine.
5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – unsurprisingly a book about Achilles and his lover Patroclus.
6. Zoo City by Lauren Beukes – in which the main character is a South African woman called Zinzi who has been ‘animalled’ – by way of punishment for a crime she has been convicted of.  This is an alternate South Africa where criminals are magically attached to an animal familiar.
7. Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey – in which the main character Phedre has romantic connections to both a male and female character during the story.  Terra d’Ange was created by Elua who is known for his motto “Love as thou wilt”.
8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon in which the main character suffers from certain behavioural difficulties that are never particularly named but appear similar to Aspergers or Autism.
9. A Game of Thrones by GRRMartin –  Tyrion Lannister – also known as the ‘imp’ or ‘half man’ – Tyrion is a dwarf, born to the powerful house of Lannister – he doesn’t really need any introduction!  Definitely one of my favourite characters from the series.
10. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin – Yeine is half Arameri and half Darre – born to a mother disgraced and cut off from her own royal beginnings for marrying beneath her status.  Yeine is looked down upon and despised by her Arameri relatives who consider her to be little short of a barbarian.