By Ahtiya Liles
April is National Autism Acceptance Month, and part of accepting Autism (and other neurodivergent disorders) is also widening our collective perspective of who we see and celebrate as being Autistic. BIPOC Autistic people are often an afterthought in this discourse, even though they do very much exist, and this is especially true when it comes to literature. Here are 3 romance books featuring BIPOC Autistic protagonists:
- A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert is a contemporary romance following Ruth, a small town’s pariah, and Evan, a tattooed ex-military man, who just became her nextdoor neighbor. Ruth is an Autistic Black woman living in a town that has deemed her unworthy for a myriad of reasons. Evan is new to town and doesn’t particularly care for the culture of gossip. This romance novel is one that is completely character- and romance-driven. Throughout this novel, we see Ruth grow as a person who realizes her potential and her worth. Don’t worry, though: Ruth’s character growth is not her “overcoming” her Autism or changing her entire personality, but rather her growing within herself. Also, Evan meets Ruth where she is, and he’s definitely not a “savior” type character. While readers do spend half the book from Evan’s perspective, this story is definitely mostly Ruth’s, and I don’t think that takes away from the balance of the story at all.
- The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang is a heartfelt and powerful romance. Anna Sun, a violinist who achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, has lost motivation and is burnt out from trying to replicate the moment that made her go viral. To make matters worse, her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment to her. To combat her despair and jumpstart her creative motor, Anna decides to line up a string of one-night stands with men who society (and her parents) would deem unacceptable. Enter tattooed, motorcycle-riding, martial arts studio owner Quan Diep. Attempts one, two, and three of one-night stands with Quan are failures…because Quan and Anna have something deeper than sex. As their relationship deepens, a family emergency causes Anna to accept a role within the family that she is clearly not suited for. While being the heaviest out of Helen Hoang’s three published works so far, The Heart Principle is most definitely my favorite and features a protagonist that, when we meet them, has not been diagnosed with Autism, which offers much needed representation of Autism in women and how it presents differently than what we usually. This romance is a journey about boundaries and self-acceptance, but also allowing yourself to love and beloved when you’re an absolute major work-in-progress. Hoang’s other two books, The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test, also feature Autistic protagonists and are incredible reads.
- Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert is yet another brilliant book by Talia Hibbert that stars Eve Brown, a certified hot mess and the baby sister of two totally put together sisters, and Jacob Wayne, the owner of a B&B who must always be in control, expects perfection, and is on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry. After Jacob tells purple-haired Eve that there ain’t no way in hell that she can work with him, she ends up hitting him with her car…by accident, of course. To repay him for the broken arm and because the B&B is understaffed, Eve steps in to both work in the B&B and live in his spare bedroom. Spicy, hilarious, and chock full of superb character development, Act Your Age, Eve Brown is a brilliant dasher of Autistic stereotypes and stars two very different Autistic people, specifically one person who already self-identifies as Autistic and another who does not realize they may be Autistic.
Reading diversely means more than incorporating racial or ethnic diversity. I hope this short list of romances with BIPOC Autistic protagonists helps to further your incorporating of neurodivergent stories and literature into your reading journey.
Happy Reading!
