respectingromance:

It’s a very white and straight list. I hate to get this wrong, but I’m fairly confident that there was some tension about this a few weeks ago when voting was happening. I was just diving back into Romancelandia Twitter, but I believe this poll was what they were referring to. Sorry to be so imprecise.

I do want to mention that Nalini Singh, one of the dominating authors on the list, is South Asian, as is Alisha Rai. Mariana Zapata is Mexican-American. Sherry Thomas is a Chinese immigrant. Courtney Milan is Chinese-American. K.J. Charles has two books on the list. Let’s not overlook them, although your central point remains.

This is a list of the top 100 romances for all of romance, as voted on by whoever decides to participate. The romance genre has only very recently been even attempting to be more inclusive. My most recent trip to Barnes and Noble was the first time I saw a Beverly Jenkins book shelved in the romance section. I almost took a picture.

Now look at how many romances exist. In 2013, the last time AAR ran this poll, readers nominated 4,961 books. 2,926 of those titles got a single vote. Think of the critical mass needed to go from being a traditionally marginalized voice to getting voted as one of the top 100 romances ever. That’s quite a feat, against quite the headwind.

You do any reader poll with those circumstances and, well, you get this list.

What I’m heartened by is the difference between the 2013 list and this one. It’s an incremental difference, to be sure, and I understand anyone who thinks change is too slow. But I’ve been a romance reader for decades and I see the change. It’s not happening fast, but it is happening. 

For anyone disappointed in this list, I saw today that Sarah MacLean has added even more titles to what used to be her list of 100 recommended romances, plus it’s beautifully laid out with large covers and quick descriptions. Perfect for anyone looking for a little more variety.

Thanks for the response! I confess, I skimmed the list very quickly when I first saw it and didn’t pause to take note that there were a few other authors of color listed (and yes, you’re quite right that Nalini Singh has several books which is a positive sign). Please know that by no means was I “attacking” the Romance Genre; I myself am an ardent fan of romance novels, and I am also by no means perfect as a majority of the books I read feature white, hetero-normative couples. But I am trying to “branch out”, making a conscious effort to read and support authors and books that in the past I never thought about reading. And I too defend romance, especially from people who sneer at the genre or anyone who wishes to read it. But as you said, it is by no means perfect and I was disappointed with RWA when the nominations were announced, so this subject has been heavy on my mind. But I do agree with you, things (while moving slowly) are moving in a better direction than in times past, and I like to think that more and more readers are becoming aware of this, and hopefully trying to “branch out” and read diverse books as well.

Anyway, once again, thank you for your response (as well as the links!)