Aromantic Awareness Week 2022 goes from February 20th - 26th! One great way we can celebrate it is by reading books that bring awareness to this romantic identity! Specifically books that represent being aromantic in a positive way. Whether it is the main character, the focus of the book, or a beloved side character, more aromantic representation in literature never goes amiss! There are more options for aromantic characters besides what you will find below, but I hope this will serve as a starting place.
Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson:
Our aromantic main character is Vi Moradi. She can be found in Phasma by Dawson as well, although her romantic identity is not revealed until this book. In this book, Vi is on a mission to help set up an outpost for the Resistance. She will need her former captor and a new set of friends to make it happen. Although this book is certainly a big advertisement for the Disney park, it spins a wonderful adventure tale filled with platonic love. Great for fans of Star Wars and those who got hooked on Dawson's writing.
Clariel by Garth Nix:
This prequel to the Old Kingdom series features an aromantic tragic hero who is likely asexual as well. I've heard it said that this book plays into the trope of queer characters being evil, but this is a misinformed claim. Avoiding spoilers, I will simply say to read Goldenhand after this before assuming Clariel's story is complete. There is a reason that she is shown to be a sympathetic character in this book. Additionally, Clariel has an aromantic role model in her childhood to look up to. All of Garth Nix's books respect the Queer community.
Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler:
This book is filled with both Jewish and Queer representation, the main character being culturally Jewish and bisexual. Among the other queer characters is Keisha, a nerdy side character who gets on well with Larissa, the main character. More about this book in my recent review here: https://thewahlpapers.wixsite.com/my-site/post/queer-and-jewish-cool-for-the-summer
If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann:
Winnie is about to have the last summer before she starts college. She wants a perfect summer of just working at her Ganny's diner, chilling in Misty Haven, and spending time with her aro/ace ungirlfriend, Kara. Unfortunately, Winnie's family is at risk of losing the diner that Winnie had hoped to inherit one day. She doesn't like the spotlight, but she's going to have to embrace it for the plan she's hatched to save the diner. With the help of Dallas, she might just be able to save the diner and her summer. This book also has polyamorous and plus-sized representation!
Rick by Alex Gino:
Rick is in middle school now. Before this, he has been pretty passive, going along with whatever his father of best friend say. He doesn't like to question things, even when he feels uncomfortable. That changes when he finds the Rainbow Spectrum club. He starts to learn about the Queer community and his own role in it. Rick explores new friendships and boundaries. Along the way, he seeks to understand why he doesn't like talk of girls being hot, where that places him on the ace/aro spectrums.
What are your favorite books with aromantic characters?
Comments