I read books by only minority authors for a year. It showed me just how white our reading world is.

Reading more diverse literature has the power to convey the universality of human experience and show that we really have more in common with one another than expected. One of the best books I read last year was Indonesian author Dewi Lestari’s sci-fi epic “Supernova: The Knight, the Princess and the Falling Star,” a story presented through the eyes of two Indonesian men who meet while studying in Washington. The story is brilliant, and it proves that the West does not have a monopoly on technology, philosophy and love. Lestari’s novel could be set in any country with characters from any background; her ideas about modern lives and relationships truly transcend nationality. But unfortunately, while very popular in Indonesia, “Supernova” was largely absent from Western book reviews and literary circles.