You might be asking yourself why on earth it’s important to have people of color on diverse book covers. Well, unfortunately, that matters. Too often, the covers of books about people of color are boldly painted white, or the race of the character on the cover is intentionally obscured, or the publisher doesn't allow the character to appear on the cover at all.
These ridiculous measures are often taken in the name of sales. Publishers use the excuse that readers won't buy books about POC, let alone books with POC on the cover. Basically, what they're saying is that if you want readers to buy a book about a character of color, you have to trick the reader into thinking it's a book about a white person.
Yes, this does happen, especially in fiction, especially in genres dominated by white writers and characters. Just look at Ursula K. LeGuin’s open letter about whitewashing her Earthsea series. Le Guin admits that she "gradually toned down information about skin color" in the book, hoping readers would "understand Ged's skin before realizing it wasn't white."
So when authors and publishers come together and dare to actually represent non-white characters on their covers, it's no small thing. Happily, times seem to be changing - at least a little - and now you can see more book covers proudly proclaiming that the characters within them are non-white.
1. “ No-No Boy” by John Okada
The 2014 version of this classic depicts the face of a Japanese man, just like the protagonist, Ichiro Yamada. The story tells the story of the "Forbidden Boys" who were incarcerated in the United States after being detained in Japan for refusing to serve in the military and swear allegiance to the United States.
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2. Sandra Cisneros’ Caramels
A vibrant young Chicana woman on the cover teases the graphic content inside. "Caramelo" is a story about stories and a dazzling tale of family truths.
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3. Kindred by Octavia Butler
Happily, many of Butler's novels actually feature people of color on most of their covers, even those published in the 1970s and 1980s. Kinfolk was published in 1979 and has always featured black women on the cover. A bestseller and one of Butler's most popular books, Kindred disproves the myth that science fiction heroes must be male and white to win over audiences.
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4. "The Gangster We Are All Looking For" Author : Thi Diem Thuy Le
The book features a young Vietnamese girl on the cover, and through her eyes you'll experience the story of a Vietnamese refugee family coping with their new life in California.
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5. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
There are several editions of the book – all of which feature an African woman or an artistic representation of an African woman prominently on the cover. Of course, this is not surprising, as the book Dangerembga is not afraid of statements and ideas that may make other people uncomfortable. Tensions depicts postcolonial Zimbabwe, revealing many of the conditions and problems faced by Zimbabwe and other African countries in the aftermath of colonialism.
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6. Native Speaker Author : Chang Rae Lee
This is the story of a man straddling two worlds, a native speaker grappling with the conflict between the two worlds of the Korean American immigrant experience. The cover of the 1996 edition featured an image of a Korean man overlaid with a smaller shadowy image of a young man in jeans, fitting the story perfectly. The 1998 version also depicts a Korean man walking the streets of an unidentified city at night.
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7. Patricia Briggs’ Massey Thompson Series
Nearly every book in the series features an rendition of the main character, a young blackfoot woman, on the cover.
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8. Typical American Gish Jen
My favorite cover of "Typical American" is the one above - the smiling eyes of a Chinese man. It perfectly captures the novel's humor and asks readers to rethink what a "typical American" looks like.
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9. Crick? Clark! Author: Adwidge Danticat
Several of Danticat's other novels feature images of beautiful women of color on the covers, but this one is actually an image of the author herself!
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10. "Heartsong of the Charging Elk" by James Welch
The Native Americans on the cover are presumably representative of the Oglala Sioux protagonists in the novel's story. The strappy European clothing he wears in the photo subtly symbolizes the culture clash the protagonist faces when he finds himself abandoned in a foreign land and longs to return home.
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11. "Clear Light of Day" by Anita Desai
There is at least one other version of this book with a young Indian woman on the cover, but I prefer the one above. The image looks like it was cut out of a family portrait, perfectly camouflaging the story of sisters and family during the Indian Civil War.
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12. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Although not as popular as her famous novel "Americanah ," Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi's " Purple Hibiscus" is one of her early works. 1, published in 2005. The book tells the story of how Nigeria's violent coup affected 15-year-old Kambili and her family.
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Image: Crystal Paul for Bustle
