Interracial Relationships (in books)

For what has felt like years and years and years I have read articles and watched social media videos/posts about wanting to read stories that reflect the reader. We want to see ourselves in stories. And for years and years and years I’ve been over here like – no I don’t. If I wanted to read stories about a little black girl living in a white world… I wouldn’t. I am living it, thank you very much.

I know I am not the only black female in an interracial relationship with a white man. I know I am not the only one in an interracial relationship, period. But I do know I don’t see black females and white males too often. And honestly, not until I went down the rabbit hole of Tiktok (thank you Coronavirus) did I realize there are actually a lot of “us” out there. With beautifully mixed children. Anyway, it got me thinking, where are the interracial relationships in books? I tend to see a lot of very specific types of romance novels – LGBTQ love… black love… but never anything in the middle. #StoryOfMyLife.

Black authors tend to write about black love – which is understandable. And white authors write about white Hallmark stories, I get it. I love me a gushy, predictable romance regardless of their skin color. But in all of the books I have read with any kind of romance, I never saw a black female with a white male. I don’t think I even read one the other way around. (I know I was surprised when I watched Little Fires Everywhere and saw the one teenage daughter was dating a black kid).

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Then one day, minding my business, scrolling FB I came across a Bookriot article on the FIVE BEST ADULT INTERRACIAL ROMANCES in recognition of Loving Day (June 12). If you are unfamiliar with what Loving Day is, please take a few seconds and Google that shit. Don’t worry, I’ll talk about it next year though.

CLICK.

And just like that, I made a little checkbox list of those five books in my pocket journal.

• CAN’T ESCAPE LOVE BY ALYSSA COLE
• A GENTLEMAN NEVER KEEPS SCORE BY CAT SEBASTIAN
• WANNA BET? BY TALIA HIBBERT
• HEARTS ON HOLD BY CHARISH REID
• THE PURSUIT OF… BY COURTNEY MILAN

All the covers are cheesy as hell. But they’re romance and corny covers must be a prerequisite.

Which is also a big reason why I don’t read romance. I don’t want to have to explain to some small-minded idiot that what I’m reading is not as awful as the cover looks. That’s a whole other thing, why are romance book covers so fucking corny?! Not to mention, you could probably learn a thing or two from the shit your wife is reading. She is reading it for a reason.

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Since finding this list of books, I did pick up an Alyssa Cole audible original. And I am not impressed, to tell you the truth.

I hope that particular book is just a fluke. Because now I get it, I get wanting to see yourself in stories…

JS.