Being biracial, polite and polite to the point, I've been asked "What are you?" a lot. This is when someone asks me my race (overtly, subtly and rudely) or nicely. These conversations have occurred at bus stops, baby showers, public pools, my first job, as well as at my current job. These conversations have been with baristas, teachers, and catcallers. Sometimes, conversations were difficult. They were not uncomfortable most of the times. I am half-Japanese, half-white and love to talk about my heritage.When I was asked "What are you so much?" I realized that although Im sometimes recognized as mixed, I am not always identified as Asian. This realization has struck me in many different ways at different points. It was sad when I was a little girl and wanted to be more like my Japanese mother. It was special to me when I heard the word "hapa" while visiting my grandparents in Hawaii. Although hate crimes and anti-Asian racism rose in the past year, I was not required to be concerned about my safety. It felt confusing and unfair. My feelings about my biracial identity are mostly sporadic. They change over time and in different circumstances. Sometimes they are in the background, other times they are at the forefront of my thoughts. These feelings helped me create my debut YA novel, The Other Side of Perfect. Alina's understanding of her biracial heritage is just one of many changes she experiences.Multiracial and biracial people can experience and understand their cultural and racial identities in a variety of different ways as they live their lives. Some of this diversity can be seen in books featuring multiracial and biracial characters, written by multiracial authors.Here are 15 books that explain what it means being biracial and multiracial.
