Taran Matharu's Blog - Writing Tips and Thoughts

Diversity in Books

Today I want to talk about role models. Whether we like it or not, children seek role models that they can empathise with and are most similar to them. When you ask a young girl who hers is, she will invariably name a woman. Ask a boy and he'll often name a man. It follows that this is true of culture, race and appearance.

A year and a half ago, my book went viral on a social reading website called Wattpad, reaching almost 7 million reads so far. I receive dozens of messages from my fans every day and two questions are asked of me more than any other. The first is one you might expect: aspiring writers requesting I read and comment on their work. But the other might surprise you. It's people asking me whether I am Indian/Pakistani/Asian.

It took me some time to work out why this was happening. At first I thought it was just curiosity about my background. There is a picture of me on my profile, and I am an unusual mix: half Indian and half Caucasian Brazilian. But what stood out about the users asking me this question was that they were all young Asians.

The following conversations would often revolve around how I had inspired them to write, read or explore fantasy. Others had simply empathised with my characters, especially dark-skinned ones such as Seraph in Summoner: The Novice. Ultimately, it seemed to me that they were seeking a role model, someone whose achievements they could aspire to.

The National Literacy Trust does so much fantastic work, but for me, this is one of the main reasons why I work with them. I believe that the best people to inspire reading and writing are the authors themselves.

Yet it is a sad fact that in publishing there are fewer ethnic minority authors than are representative of the UK, and often at author events I find myself as the only one in the room. I don't believe this is because of any biases or racist tendencies in the industry – far from it. In fact, if there has ever been an industry that openly campaigns for equality in all things, it is publishing; be it gender, ethnicity or disability.

I believe the problem is cyclical. A lack of minority authors to inspire budding writers causes a dearth of them again in the next generation. The problem is exacerbated by a similar lack of minority characters in children's books, if they even appear at all. It sends an unintentional message to children of minority backgrounds – reading and writing isn't for them.

I want to help break this cycle, as writers such as Malorie Blackman are doing. The best part is, I know I am not alone, as hundreds of authors, readers, bloggers and publishers unify under the "We Need Diverse Books" campaign.

The National Literacy Trust gives me the opportunity to meet children all over the UK through their "21st Century Authors" programme, as well as balancing the gender literacy gap through their "Premier League Reading Stars" initiative. Their cause is an incredibly important one, and I am a proud supporter of the charity.

The silver lining in all of this is that I first started writing at the age of nine for this very reason, creating characters that shared my appearance and giving them their own stories when I couldn't find them in others. I hope that other writers of all backgrounds will do the same.

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This article was originally featured on welovethisbook.com, I recommend you check them out!